Mercedes-AMG Petronas

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Lore & Background

Regulation changes designed to reduce downforce through floor area compromises hit the W12 harder than its high-rake rivals like the Red Bull RB16B, especially after the ban on the DAS system. Pre-season testing suggested a tighter fight, with pundits like Lawrence Barretto and Mark Hughes favoring Red Bull. The season opener at Bahrain confirmed this; Verstappen took pole ahead of Hamilton and Bottas. However, strategy shifted the outcome as Mercedes undercuts Verstappen for hard tires on lap 14, allowing Hamilton to win despite starting second. The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix saw Hamilton achieve his 99th pole, only to lose the lead to Verstappen after a pit stop. A dramatic turn occurred when Hamilton went off-track through the gravel trap on lap 31, rejoining eighth before a red flag caused by a crash between Bottas and George Russell. After a rolling restart, Hamilton fought back to finish second, over 20 seconds behind Verstappen.

In Their Own Story

The British Grand Prix at Silverstone was the turning point of the championship battle. Following a massive upgrade package, Hamilton took pole for the sprint race but lost the lead to Verstappen before the first corner. In the main race, the two contested fiercely until a collision at Copse corner on lap one. Hamilton's car understeered into Verstappen, who hit the wall sideways across the gravel. With minor damage, Hamilton slowed, letting Charles Leclerc take the lead. The stewards ruled Hamilton predominantly but not fully at fault, handing him a ten-second penalty. After serving the time and rejoining fourth, Hamilton overtook Norris and Bottas to reclaim second. By lap 50, with Leclerc suffering engine issues, Hamilton took the lead to win his record-equalling eighth British Grand Prix. Later, in Hungary, damp conditions led to a multi-car collision involving Bottas at turn one. Hamilton was the only driver remaining on the grid at the restart while others pitted for slicks, forcing them into the pit lane. This resulted in the fewest cars ever on an F1 race start, surpassing the 2005 United States and 2015 Australian Grands Prix records.

Reader's Guide

The W12 season was defined by extreme volatility and strategic gambles. In Portugal, Valtteri Bottas secured pole but lost the lead to both Hamilton and Verstappen; Hamilton held on for a win over 29 seconds clear of Verstappen. At Monaco, Hamilton suffered his worst qualifying since 2018 due to tire temperature issues, starting seventh and unable to overtake before finishing in the same position after a late pit stop set the fastest lap. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix saw chaos with a red flag preventing Bottas from setting a second flying lap in Q3, leaving him tenth. Verstappen retired while leading due to a puncture, but Hamilton locked up on turn one with the wrong brake mode, running wide into the runoff. Both Mercedes drivers finished outside the points for the first time since the 2012 United States Grand Prix. In France, Verstappen used an undercut with newer tires to take the lead from Hamilton on lap 19. Despite a second pit stop by Verstappen on lap 32, Mercedes kept Hamilton out on a one-stop strategy, only for Verstappen to retake the lead and win by three seconds.

Did You Know?

• At the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix, Hamilton started on a grid containing only one car after a multi-car collision; after a red flag, all other drivers chose to start from the pit lane to change to slick tires.