[RahulNagaraj]

The 2021 F1 season is well and truly underway. Having completed 9 races in the season so far, Red Bull driver Max Verstappen seems to have the upper hand at the moment.



The Dutch driver dominated the triple-header in France, Styria & Austria, with back-to-back wins. The Austrian Grand Prix also saw Verstappen dominating the entire weekend, taking pole position, race win, and the extra point for fastest lap.

At the end of the Austrian Grand Prix, Verstappen leads the F1 world championship battle by 32 points from the reigning 7-time champion Lewis Hamilton. Red Bull also leads the constructor's championship with 286 points - 44 points ahead of their main rival Mercedes.



Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team have dominated the sport since the start of the hybrid era winning 7 consecutive world titles, both driver and constructors. However, the 2021 season has witnessed them have their worst start yet.

Red Bull has been showing great pace since the start of the season while their rival Mercedes seems to be struggling to keep up. The question thus arises, is this the end of the Mercedes era?



Having said that, Mercedes remains confident of bouncing back. The F1 team even signed on Lewis Hamilton for two more years recently, confirming their confidence of getting back to winning ways.



Following the triple-header, F1 will now head to Great Britain and Hungary, before the start of the summer break. The British Grand Prix is scheduled between July 16 - 18, while the Hungarian GP will take place between July 30 - August 1.

[Rehaan]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[sen2693]

The fact that Lewis has signed a 2 year contract makes you think Mercedes has put a lot more emphasis (and more budget) on the next generation cars than on the current one. So this just might be the year where they did not prioritize upgrading the current car and Red Bull seems to have capitalized on that. Max has become even a better driver that he was when he came to the scene and is not making many mistakes. And it seems they also have got a solid no. 2 who would score just enough points to get them the constructors title.

Having said that, would not count out the band that is Toto, Lewis and Mercedes. Too much talent on track and off track in that team and you never know what surprise they will bring up. Can you really count out 7 times in a row champions just because they are 40 points off?

[ask_017]

Over the last couple of years Max has really come of age after ironing out the flaws in his style and controlling the aggression. And this season seems to be a perfect mix for him - great car, great team, and a great second driver. Cannot easily write off Mercedes yet, but unless they pull off a miracle, the title is going to Max and Red Bull.

[rahulcmoulee]

Going by current form, you have to say Max. He is on a purple patch right now and his car seems to have the edge over Merc. Operationally too Red Bull are rock solid while Mercedes is making many uncharacteristic errors. Merc are introducing some major upgrades to the car in Silverstone and that will be crucial in determining Lewis' chances. If those upgrades don't close the gap, I don't see the RB+Max combo being stopped.

[Akshay6988]

I believe it is still too early to predict the world champion given how every race weekend is bringing exciting outcomes ! So I'll not vote yet, but hoping Lewis gets the coveted 8th Championship Title Max is performing superb this season, while Mercedes is trying to encounter "plan Checo" of Redbull ! I've been following f1 since 2018 season and this one is the most exciting yet.

[abhishek46]

Going by the current state of affairs, i.e. the formidable pace of the Red-Bulls, it is possible that Max may win the championship.

However, it is heard that Mercedes are bringing in some updates to their package, and that may change the balance again.

[SnS_12]

Max being the younger one has the fire in his belly and the determination to win. But am sure Hamilton is very determined to win the record 8th world title, which if not this year then in the coming year.

[Dippy]

The championship will be a close call but I would really want Max to win it. Some much needed life has been breathed into the championship in the last few races and Im glad to see that happen. Max has matured and you can make that out in the post race interviews. I really want him to win this year.

On the other hand, Lewis has got everything right for him each and every time, and with things not going his way in these races, the pressure is clearly visible. It has become difficult for him to accept that another car is better than him. There are certainly some cracks.

Hope the interesting season continues and we have a close and fitting finale. I would at this point of time vote for Max.

And yes the Michael Schumacher fan in me doesn't want his record to be broken, but thats just me

[the_joker]

Red Bull is going from strength to strength while the Mercs seem to be floundering. At this rate, Verstappen will walk away with the championship. Hopefully, Mercedes will bring some updates and we will see a more close championship. I actually think Mclaren and Norris are dark horses. I can see him emerging as a third runner in the championship race.

[Formula1Fan]

Red Bull has done an excellent job adapting to the new rules, the floor rules have hurt Mercedes a lot, it seems they under estimated the effect of the new rules. The most important aspect is they don't have the brilliance of Aldo Costa or Andy Cowell to pull something out of the hat which helped them beating Ferrari in 2017 & 2018 (team and driver errors also played a part). James Allison is not in an active role to contribute immediately. Honda have done an excellent job with the engine and are actually beating Mercedes at their own game.

First time since 2014, Mercedes don't seem have an ace up their sleeve to turn things around add to that confusing statements from the team, Toto saying "no development" in 2021 while James saying "they have upgrades", seem to have pushed Mercedes in the corner. As we have seen in the past Red Bull are very sharp on development and on track decisions take Paul Ricard as an example. Going by the updates (both quantity & quality) they are getting every race, they are going to relentless.

Valtteri's inconsistent form is going to bite the team, something the team will have to pay for when they already decide that they will make/develop the car in only one direction (which is of course Lewis). Its going to be really interesting but Red Bull have the edge & once they have a sniff they are not going to back off.

[RomanPearce]

This is the first time any car has been close to Mercedes in terms of pace. In fact, The RB16B is even faster than the Mercs especially in the last 3 races. I think this is because Mercedes has focussed more on the 2022 car, with the change in regulations that are going to be in effect from next season.

[Bhalla]

Lewis Hamilton is my all time favourite car racer and always want him to win but this year, the way Max Verstappen is performing, I’m 100% sure that he is going to win this year’s championship. So voted for Max.

[RedTerrano]

Let's see now.

Max: 5 wins, 8 podiums, 182 points.
Lewis: 3 wins, 6 podiums, 150 points.

Red bull: 6 wins, 10 podiums 286 points.
Mercedes: 3 wins, 11 podiums, 242 points.

Considering the consistent performance of both man and machine, I would say it's Max!

[vredesbyrd]

A baseless opinion by me but I voted for Max. Reason? Purely because of dislike towards the other fellow.

Also, Max seems to know what he's doing.