We have made it to the end of another year, and this one felt a little more normal. Though we are still in the middle of a global pandemic and cannot quite escape it, the motorsports world found a way to put on countless unforgettable events. Some tracks and races returned after a year away. Others took place with at least partially full grandstands. Most championships were able to run a full slate of races. At least there were fewer cancellations, postponements, and amendments than the year before.
Since we are looking on the bright side, let's get onto the award and recognize the best of year. There were historic seasons across the world, races that left us speechless and moments we are talking about months later.
Racer of the Year
Description: Given to the best racer over the course of 2021.
And the Nominees are:
Description: Given to the best racer over the course of 2021.
And the Nominees are:
Alessandro Pier Guidi
Shane van Gisbergen
Kyle Larson
Dominique Aegerter
Lewis Hamilton
And the winner is... Kyle Larson
Larson completed one of the most historic seasons in American motorsports history in 2021.
It started in January with Larson winning the Chili Bowl for the second consecutive year. In February, Larson returned to NASCAR Cup Series competition after being suspended for majority of the 2020 for uttering a racial slur during an iRacing event. Larson signed with Hendrick Motorsports for the 2021 season. He was tenth in the Daytona 500, and he picked up his first victory of the season in March at Las Vegas, the fourth race of the season.
Larson was a regular top five finisher through the first half of the season. He had three consecutive runner-up finishes in May, which led off Larson winning three consecutive races, starting with the Coca-Cola 600 before winning at Sonoma and the inaugural Nashville Superspeedway race. In the middle of that stretch, Larson won the All-Star Race for the second time in his career.
He continued his form through the rest of the regular season, but Cup was not the only place he succeeded. Larson kept up his dirt competition and won the King's Royal at Eldora and he won the Knoxville Nationals. Overall, Larson won 29 of his 87 dirt starts.
In the Cup Series, Larson won at Watkins Glen, and he won the regular season championship. In the playoffs, he won at Bristol, overcame an alternator issue at Charlotte to win that race when for a moment it looked like he would not advance from round two, and followed up his Charlotte victory with two more at Texas and Kansas, becoming the first driver to have two separate three-race winning streaks in a single season since Dale Earnhardt did it in 1987.
Larson went on to win the season finale at Phoenix, his tenth victory of the season, and it earned him his first NASCAR Cup Series championship. It was the first time a driver won ten races in a season since Jimmie Johnson in 2007. Larson's 2,581 laps led were the most in a season since Jeff Gordon's 2,610 laps led in 1995, and his 28.05% laps led was the highest percentage in the modern era since Rusty Wallace led 28.588% of the laps in 1993. It was just the 15th time in NASCAR's modern era a driver led over 25% of the laps run in a season.
On the other nominees:
Pier Guidi has long been a staple in sports car racing, but 2021 was a special year for him. He won his second World Endurance GT Drivers' championship with three WEC victories, including at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, alongside AF Corse co-driver James Calado. He also won the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup championship with Iron Lynx and co-drivers Côme Ledogar and Nicklas Nielsen, with a dominant driver in the 24 Hours of Spa being a keystone result in that championship season.
Not many drivers came close to touching van Gisbergen in 2021. He opened the season with six consecutive victories, four of which with a fractured collarbone after suffering a cycling accident. He also won in GT World Challenge Australia with his injuries. He won 14 Supercars races this season and clinched his second championship a round early, but he didn't just succeed in tin tops. Van Gisbergern won the New Zealand Grand Prix in the Toyota Racing Series to start the 2021 season.
Aegerter might not be the biggest name in motorcycle racing, but not many riders have success in multiple series on two different types of bikes. The Swiss rider dominated the World Supersport season, winning ten of 23 races, two of which he skipped. In the 21 races he started, he never finished worse than fifth and was on the podium 16 times. Why did he skip two races? He was also in contention for the MotoE championship. He fell short in that championship and an ambition pass attempt on Jordi Torres cost Aegerter the title while Torres claimed the top prize, but Aegerter had four podium finishes from seven races and was still second in the championship.
It might not have been a championship season, but Hamilton's 2021 results were incredible against the competition of Max Verstappen and Red Bull. In multiple races, Hamilton overcame the odds to score victories and many times did it without the aid of a teammate while Red Bull at times had four cars in the fight. Hamilton fell eight points short of the championship, but he overcame a 19-point deficit after the Mexican Grand Prix to enter the finale level on points with Verstappen, the first time the top two in the championship were tied entering the final race since 1974. After the controversial end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Hamilton handled the defeat with humility despite being the aggrieved party. He ended the season with eight victories and 17 podium finishes.
Past Winners
2012: Kyle Larson
2012: Kyle Larson
2013: Marc Márquez
2014: Marc Márquez
2015: Nick Tandy
2016: Shane van Gisbergen
2017: Brendon Hartley
2018: Scott Dixon
2014: Marc Márquez
2015: Nick Tandy
2016: Shane van Gisbergen
2017: Brendon Hartley
2018: Scott Dixon
2019: Marc Márquez
2020: Lewis Hamilton
Race of the Year
Description: Best Race of 2021.
And the Nominees are:
Description: Best Race of 2021.
And the Nominees are:
Monaco ePrix
24 Hours of Daytona
Austrian motorcycle Grand Prix
Food City 300
Brazilian Grand Prix
And the winner is... Monaco ePrix
Many believe there is no possible way the Monaco grand prix circuit can be viewed as a great circuit. From the tight nature and short straightaway, it is believed it is no longer conducive to modern motorsports machinery. It only took Formula E's first time using the full circuit to prove it still has it.
From the time the lights went out, Formula E put on a spectacular race. Passes took place all over the 2.062-mile circuit. António Félix da Costa and Robin Frijns traded the lead throughout the race. Mitch Evans jumped up into the mix. Passes were happening all over. Evans took the lead heading up hill ahead of da Costa at Massenet. A late caution bunched the field for the final five laps, and the top three remained in lockstep for the final lap. Entering the chicane for the final time, da Costa made his move on the outside of Evans. The Portuguese driver locked up but slid in front of Evans and took the lead.
Da Costa pulled away and won the race. Frijns nicked second at the line from Evans by 0.024 seconds. Just over 4/10ths of a second covered second to fifth. The top six finishers all started in the top six and finished where they started, but there were six lead changes. Sam Bird went from 16th to seventh. Lucas di Grassi moved up to tenth from 17th.
It was a fitting finish for a race that never had a dull moment.
On the other nominees:
The IMSA season could not have started with a better race, and it set the tone for the season. The 24 Hours of Daytona went to the wire in nearly every class. The top five overall finishers were on the lead lap. It was a battle between the #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura and the #01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac before a late tire puncture forced the #01 Cadillac to make an extra start. Wayne Taylor Racing scored its third consecutive Daytona victory and this was in its first race with Acura. In LMP2, the top two finishers were on the same lap, as was the case in GT Le Mans and GT Daytona had the top five finishers in class on the lead lap. IMSA could have had four or five nominees for best race, but Daytona stood out for a race that did not let up over 24 hours.
The skies scream of impending rain as the bikes set on the grid for MotoGP's Austrian Grand Prix. Everyone was preparing for a flag-to-flag race with a bike change mid-race. Teams made decisions based on the likelihood of a change in conditions. The leaders sprinted away just waiting for the rain, but it wasn't coming. It remained dry. Half the race was completed and still no rain when many thought it would come in the opening laps. A spritz kept everyone on edge, but it wasn't breaking through. Then it got heavier. And heavier. And finally, the leaders dove into the pit lane. Marc Márquez, Francesco Bagnaia, Jorge Martín, Joan Mir, Aleix Espargaro, Fabio Quartararo switched bikes, but Brad Binder stayed out with three laps to go. The rain started coming down harder and harder. Binder was on a razor's edge for the final laps but held on for victory, 15 seconds clear of Bagnaia on the road.
NASCAR's second division does not always get recognized, especially at Bristol, but the September night race was one of the best of the season. Daniel Hemric, Sam Mayer, Justin Allgaier and Austin Cindric each shared the lead for a significant chunk of the race with traffic being difficult to navigate and keeping the field close together. A few late cautions set up a green-white-checkered finish. Cindric led and A.J. Allmendinger had risen to the front as other competitors fell back. Allmendinger made a great restart and found himself battling Cindric to the finish line. The two drivers banged into each other, both cars sliding across the finish line with Allmendinger ahead by 0.082 seconds. It was the only lap Allmendinger led.
The Brazilian Grand Prix had already had plenty of storylines prior to the lights extinguishing at the start of the race. Lewis Hamilton had his qualifying time disallowed after his Drag Reduction System was found to have a greater gap than allowed. Max Verstappen had touched Hamilton's Mercedes in parc fermé and was handed a fine. Hamilton had also taken on a five-grid spot penalty for a change in his internal combustion engine. Starting 20th in the sprint qualifying race, Hamilton finished fifth and was relegated to tenth for the grand prix. On an aggressive strategy, Hamilton quickly was up to second and pressuring Verstappen for the lead. Hamilton had the optimal tires for the closing stages and despite being driven off course in one battle for the lead, Hamilton came back and passed Verstappen with 13 laps to go. Hamilton took victory from tenth on the grid and the championship lead was down to 14 points.
Past Winners
2012: Indianapolis 500
2013: British motorcycle Grand Prix
2014: Bathurst 1000
2015: Australian motorcycle Grand Prix
2016: Spanish Grand Prix
2017: All the races at the World Superbike/World Supersport weekend at Phillip Island
2018: Petit Le Mans
2012: Indianapolis 500
2013: British motorcycle Grand Prix
2014: Bathurst 1000
2015: Australian motorcycle Grand Prix
2016: Spanish Grand Prix
2017: All the races at the World Superbike/World Supersport weekend at Phillip Island
2018: Petit Le Mans
2019: Honda 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
2020: Turkish Grand Prix
Achievement of the Year
Description: Best success by a driver, team, manufacture, etc.
And the Nominees are:
Description: Best success by a driver, team, manufacture, etc.
And the Nominees are:
Lewis Hamilton reaches the century mark in victories
Valentino Rossi's grand prix career
Superstars Racing Experience for completing an entire season
Max Verstappen setting single-season Formula One record for podium finishes
Team WRT's championship success across multiple series and disciplines
And the winner is... Team WRT's championship success across multiple series and disciplines
Some teams do not get the recognition they deserve. Team WRT has look been a successful program in GT3 competition, but its 2021 season went beyond its comfort zone.
Team WRT continued to have GT3 success. In the GT World Challenge Europe season, the team won the Sprint Cup championship with Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts. The Belgian pairing won four of ten races and stood on the podium seven times. In the Endurance Cup championship, Team WRT might not have won the drivers' championship, but it did win its fifth Endurance Cup teams' championship.
But the most impressive part of Team WRT's season was not in GT3 competition. In 2021, the organization branched out to full-time LMP2 competition with entries in each the European Le Mans Series and the FIA World Endurance Championship.
It opened the ELMS season with two consecutive victories for the #41 Oreca-Gibson of Louis Delétraz, Robert Kubica and Ye Yifei. At Le Mans, Team WRT started the final lap 1-2 with the #41 Oreca leading, but Ye slowed on the circuit with a broken throttle sensor. The #31 Team WRT Oreca of Robin Frijns inherited the lead but had the Jota Oreca of Tom Blomqvist breathing now his neck. Frijns was able to hold on by just over 7/10ths of a second to score Team WRT a Le Mans class victory on its Le Mans debut.
Frijns along with Ferdinand von Habsburg and Charles Milesi would win the final two races of the WEC season and took the Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Drivers championship over Jota. The #41 ELMS entry would finish no worse than fifth all season and picked up a home victory at Spa-Francorchamps, clinching that series championship for Ye, Kubica and Delétraz.
Team WRT won four championships in two different classes of racing. It had never run a full prototype season before, and it won championships in two different series. This isn't Team Penske winning an IMSA title and IndyCar title in the same season. Team WRT is a successful organization, but it isn't a behemoth with a couple hundred employees. It topped some of the best Europe's best competitions and won on the global level.
On the other nominees:
It was a banner year for Hamilton. Entering 2021 with 95 victories, the century mark was bound to happen. It took longer than expected, but he reached it at the Russian Grand Prix, the 15th race of the season after Hamilton made the prudent decision to switch to wet weather tires as a rainstorm came over the circuit in the final ten laps. Hamilton was able to chase down Lando Norris and take advantage of his country, who trying to skate home on slick tires. Hamilton would add three more victories before the season ended.
Rossi did not end his MotoGP on the highest note, but The Doctor's entire career deserves to be celebrated. He made 432 grand prix starts, won 115 times and was a nine-time champion. With numerous records, Rossi was the face of grand motorcycle racing for an entire generation. He raced longer than anyone once thought imaginable in the premier class. At 42 years old, Rossi made his final start, over 25 years after his first start. There will likely not be another rider matching the cultural significance of Rossi.
It might not take itself too seriously, but the inaugural SRX season was an outstanding success. One, it completed its entire season. Many new sports ventures carry great excitement and then flame out. SRX made it and did not suffer any hiccups. Two, it averaged over a million people for each of its six network broadcasted races. That is great, better than the IndyCar and Formula One average in the United States. It was only six races, but it could have been much worse. Three, SRX raced in front of packed grandstands at famous short tracks. Each race was one you could not miss. Four, it was a good group of drivers, and the races were pretty good. People were sad to see the season end and we all wait for summer 2022 for season two.
Lost in the shuffle of the Formula One season was Verstappen breaking a Formula One record. Entering 2021, the most podium finishes in a season was 17. Michael Schumacher did it in 2002 and he was on the podium for all 17 races. Sebastian Vettel matched it in 2011. Hamilton matched in four times in 2015-16 and 2018-19. There are more races than ever in a Formula One season, and Verstappen wasn't on the podium for every race like Schumacher in 2002, but breaking this record is remarkable considering how many great drivers came close but fell short. Oh... and Hamilton had 17 podium finishes again this season.
Past Winners
2012: DeltaWing
2013: Sebastian Vettel for winning nine consecutive races on his way to a fourth consecutive title
2014: Marc Márquez: Setting the record for most wins in a premier class season.
2015: Justin Wilson Memorial Family Auction
2016: Jimmie Johnson for his seventh NASCAR Cup championship
2017: Jonathan Rea: For becoming the first rider to win three consecutive World Superbike championships.
2018: Robert Wickens for winning IndyCar Rookie of the Year despite missing the final three races.
2012: DeltaWing
2013: Sebastian Vettel for winning nine consecutive races on his way to a fourth consecutive title
2014: Marc Márquez: Setting the record for most wins in a premier class season.
2015: Justin Wilson Memorial Family Auction
2016: Jimmie Johnson for his seventh NASCAR Cup championship
2017: Jonathan Rea: For becoming the first rider to win three consecutive World Superbike championships.
2018: Robert Wickens for winning IndyCar Rookie of the Year despite missing the final three races.
2019: Joe Gibbs Racing setting single-season record for most Cup victories by a in NASCAR's modern-era.
2020: Donald Davidson for 55 years of service to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis 500
Moment of the Year
Description: The Most Memorable Moment in the World of Racing during the 2021 season.
And the Nominees are:
Description: The Most Memorable Moment in the World of Racing during the 2021 season.
And the Nominees are:
Hélio Castroneves' fourth Indianapolis 500 victory
The entire Formula One season
Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Norisring finale
NASCAR Cup Series Bristol Night Race
Bubba Wallace's first Cup victory at Talladega
And the winner is... The entire Formula One season
There was a lot of hype heading into this Formula One season and every race lived up to it.
Looking over the 2021 season, there isn't one race that was worth missing. From the season opener when Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes outclassed Max Verstappen and Red Bull when the Austrian manufacture had come out quicker in Bahrain until the controversially final lap at Abu Dhabi, there are too many moments to pick out one. Every race was appointment viewing.
I view a great championship as one where you are unable to pinpoint one moment where it was decided. That was the case in Formula One this season. The championship pivoted every weekend. After Mercedes topped Red Bull in Bahrain, Verstappen bounced back and took victory at Imola when Hamilton looked stronger. Hamilton won twice on the Iberian Peninsula, notably in Barcelona where Mercedes used a two-stop strategy and chased down Verstappen with fresher tiers.
At Monaco, Verstappen took a commanding victory while Hamilton was mired in seventh. Verstappen appeared to have a comfortable victory in Azerbaijan until a tire failed on the main straightaway in the closing laps. Hamilton was up to second for the final restart, but an error with the brake bias caused him to blow the first corner and instead of finishing first or second, Hamilton scored zero points.
That is only the first six races of the season and think about how crucial each one of those results felt!
Verstappen employed the two-stop strategy at the French Grand Prix and beat Hamilton on a one-stopper. It led off a three-race stretch of Red Bull dominance. Verstappen led all 142 laps in Austria and took a 32-point lead in the championship.
Then came the British Grand Prix, the first sprint qualifying weekend. Verstappen won the sprint. Hamilton knew it would be crucial to get Verstappen at the start. Neither driver was giving an inch, and the championship blew up at Copse. Hamilton was on the inside. Verstappen was on the outside. Neither gave way and contact was made. Verstappen spun off course and Hamilton continued. Verstappen was out and Hamilton remained on track but had a ten-second penalty. Hamilton overcame the penalty and won the race.
In Hungary, Hamilton was the only car on the grid for the restart as the track dried while waiting under the red flag. I have covered half the races. Look at everything that happened in the first half of the season alone!
I didn't mention the Belgian Grand Prix, a race where the history books will say one lap was completed in three hours and 27 minutes. There was a sea of orange in Zandvoort, Hamilton and Verstappen reenacted their Copse battle in first chicane at Monza, but this time neither driver continued. A late rainstorm took away victory from Lando Norris at Sochi, and while Hamilton won, Verstappen had an impressive drive late to finish second. Hamilton fought back from a grid penalty to finish fifth in Turkey before the top two drivers in the championship went at it in Austin with Verstappen coming out on top.
In Mexico, Hamilton took a surprise pole position, but Verstappen took the lead in the first corner and never looked back. Then there was the Brazilian Grand Prix, infractions for both manufactures, Hamilton going from 20th to fifth in the final sprint race of the season and then tenth to first in the grand prix, outmaneuvering Verstappen.
Hamilton put down a beating in Qatar. Saudi Arabia was a mess with questionable driving standards and officiating, but after 21 races, Verstappen and Hamilton were tied entering the finale, the first time the top two in the championship were tied entering the final race since 1974!
The final race lived up to the first 21 races. Verstappen's opening lap pass attempt forcing Hamilton off course, Red Bull employ Sergio Pérez to back up Hamilton to Verstappen during the first pit cycle, multiple strategies Red Bull threw out hoping to beat Mercedes and then the final safety car period, restart, and officiating choice to remove lapped cars from between the top two while not exactly following regulations. Max Verstappen took the lead in the turn five hairpin. Hamilton had two cracks at retaking the top spot. Verstappen held on and won the race, securing him the world championship.
And we are still talking about one of Formula One's most dramatic seasons over a week after it concluded. We will still be taking until the 2022 season opener at Bahrain.
On the other nominees:
After running behind closed doors and in the month of August for the first time ever, the 105th Indianapolis 500 returned to Memorial Day weekend and 135,000 spectators were able to attend the race. Far from a packed house, it was the first sense of normalcy at a motorsports event in North America and perhaps the world in over a year. Combined with the public euphoria to be together again, we also got to see an exciting race, the fastest in Indianapolis 500 history to be specific. Incredibly, the final laps were between two of IndyCar's youngest drivers, Álex Palou and Patricio O'Ward, and an unlikely, but tested, veteran, Hélio Castroneves. Castroneves was in his first race with Meyer Shank Racing and his first Indianapolis 500 ever without Team Penske. Twelve years had passed since his third Indianapolis 500 victory, and he was knocking on the door for his fourth for the third time. With two laps to go, Castroneves took the lead from Palou entering turn one and held on to become the fourth four-time winner, 30 years after Rick Mears last joined the club. In celebration, not only did Castroneves climb the fence, but ran up and down the main straightaway. It was a celebration the masses had long been waiting for.
DTM's inaugural season with GT3 regulations had gone particularly well entering the season finale. There were healthy grid sizes, more manufactures were involved, there were quality drivers on the grid, and it was a good sign for the future. The Norisring took the season finale slot after being delayed from the summer due to on-going COVID-19 restrictions. There was a good championship battle between Audi's Kelvin van der Linde and the Red Bull-supported AF Corse Ferrari driver Liam Lawson. Mercedes's Maximilian Götz was a distant third. Götz won the first race of the weekend, but Lawson was third ahead of van der Linde and all Lawson needed was an eighth-place finish to clinch the title. Lawson was on pole position and at the start van der Linde blew the first corner and drilled Lawson. Lawson was significantly damaged and could not maintain competitive pace. Later in the race, van der Linde and Götz made contact, puncturing one of van der Linde's tires and spinning him out of a points position. With Götz left standing in third position, Mercedes drivers Philip Ellis and Lucas Auer moved out of the way in the closing laps to let Götz win the race and the championship by three points over Lawson.
NASCAR's first elimination race at Bristol was not remembered for a driver that did not make it, but two drivers that did advance. Chase Elliott was leading with under 100 laps to go but Kevin Harvick remained close and was looking for his first victory of the season. Elliott had been able to hold off Harvick, but with under 40 laps to go, Harvick made a move low into turn three. Harvick's car slid up in the middle of the corner and made contact with Elliott, cutting one of Elliott's tires and forcing a pit stop. Angered by the move, Elliott returned to the racetrack and was able to drive in front of Harvick. Elliott remained in front and backed Harvick up to Hendrick teammate Kyle Larson. Larson was able to make a move and take the lead with four laps to go. After the race, Elliott and Harvick had an extended confrontation.
On an overcast Monday, NASCAR attempted to complete its fifth race of the playoffs, though it was likely the weather would not cooperate for a full 500-mile race at Talladega. As any Talladega race goes, there was side-by-side racing, moments of single-file running, and a few accidents. After a nine-car incident on lap 99, it was clear the rain would end the race. A mad scramble ensued with everyone trying to be at the front. Ten laps after the restart, Wallace took the lead and had some help from Kurt Busch. On lap 117, a four-car accident occurred on the back straightaway. The rain started falling. There was still a window for the race to be completed, but the rain didn't stop. It intensified. NASCAR called the race and Wallace picked up his first career victory, the second NASCAR Cup Series victory for an African American driver, nearly 58 years after Wendell Scott's lone Cup victory.
Past Winners
2012: Alex Zanardi
2013: 24 Hours of Le Mans
2014: Post-race at the Charlotte and Texas Chase races.
2015: Matt Kenseth vs. Joey Logano
2016: Toyota Slows at Le Mans
2017: Fernando Alonso announcing his Indianapolis 500 ride
2018: Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson battle at Chicagoland
2012: Alex Zanardi
2013: 24 Hours of Le Mans
2014: Post-race at the Charlotte and Texas Chase races.
2015: Matt Kenseth vs. Joey Logano
2016: Toyota Slows at Le Mans
2017: Fernando Alonso announcing his Indianapolis 500 ride
2018: Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson battle at Chicagoland
2019: Kyle Kaiser and Juncos Racing knocking out Fernando Alonso and McLaren and Penske Purchasing Hulman & Co.
2020: March 12-13
Pass of the Year
Description: Best pass of 2021.
And the Nominees are:
Description: Best pass of 2021.
And the Nominees are:
And the winner is... Shane van Gisbergen from fourth to second at Sandown
Van Gisbergen had to start 17th in the third race of the Supercars season, and he was doing it with a broken collarbone after a cycling accident just a few weeks earlier.
The race started in damp conditions and van Gisbergen quickly made his way up the order. He was up five spots in the first lap. From there, van Gisbergen decided to make its pit stop as late as possible in the 36-lap race. That pit stop came with 11 laps to go, and he emerged in fifth position. He would move up to fourth and closed on the leading trio of Chaz Mostert, Cameron Waters and Jamie Whincup.
With three laps to go, Waters took the lead into turn one, Mostert and Whincup went side-by-side into the corner and with momentum on exit from the first corner, van Gisbergen was able to get a run on Mostert and Whincup into turn two. Van Gisbergen had the inside and slipped ahead of both with just slight contact on Mostert on corner exit.
It was an unlikely move at a difficult part of the circuit, but it was crucial, as van Gisbergen was able to chase down Waters. At the start of the final lap, van Gisbergen took the lead and the fresher tires allowed van Gisbergen to take an incredible victory, broken bones and poor starting position be damned.
On the other nominees:
I could not include one pass from the first Mazda MX5-Cup race from Sebring. The entire lap needed to be recognized. The lap started with Gresham Wagner leading Michael Carter and Selin Rollan in third. Carter took the lead in turn one after Wagner went wide. Rollan took second after Wagner dropped his right-side tires off track exiting turn three. Carter was unable to pull away and the top three remained under a blanket for the next 12 corners. Down the Ullman straight, Rollan and Wagner slipstreamed ahead of Carter. Entering the final corner, Sunset Bend, Wagner shot up the inside to take the lead and was ahead of Rollan. Exiting the corner, Rollan slid up the inside of Wagner and the two cars were side-by-side. There was still room on the inside for Carter, who made it three-wide as the cars approached the line. At the line, Rollan was ahead of Carter by 0.001 seconds with Wagner in third, 0.013 seconds back.
Herta had the best car at Nashville, but the timing of cautions shuffled Herta out of the lead and down to ninth with 28 laps to go. Herta went on a charge. He was up to seventh with 27 laps to go. From lap 58 to lap 61, Herta made up a position a lap, but the best pass was on lap 59. Trailing teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay, Herta dove up the inside of turn eight and made it stick. No one was making serious attempts in such a tight corner, but with the speed and confidence, Herta went for it. This move put Herta in fourth. In that five-lap span, Herta went from sixth on the restart to third. He would spend two laps in third before he would take second from Scott Dixon. He closed on Marcus Ericsson and perhaps overdrove the car, ending in a collision with the barriers with six laps to go, but it was a drive few in IndyCar could duplicate.
The opening round of the 2021 Formula E had two exciting races, but race two stood out. Sam Bird and Robin Frijns occupied the top two positions while Techeetah teammates António Félix da Costa and Jean-Éric Vergne were third and fourth. On lap 18, Vergne went up the inside of da Costa into turn 18. Da Costa held the spot but ran a little wide exiting turn 19. Vergne was able to get to the inside and the two drivers were side-by-side through turns 20 and 21. The two drivers made contact but made it through and remained side-by-side down the pit lane straightaway. Vergne had the inside for turn one and took the position.
The inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will be remembered for many reasons, but one of the top moments will be the lap 17 restart. The third standing start of the race saw Esteban Ocon in the lead ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen after Verstappen had run wide on the lap 15 restart and improperly taken the lead and was forced to line up behind Hamilton, who had originally dropped to third when Verstappen took Hamilton wide when returning to the circuit, allowing Ocon to take the position. Hamilton had nailed the first two standing starts and now had the inside with Verstappen on the second row for the third one. Hamilton again had a good start and had the inside for turn one, but Verstappen was able to clear the McLaren of Daniel Ricciardo. Verstappen was able to get to the inside of the corner and pass Hamilton. Ocon ran wide and was going to be forced to relinquish the position, but Verstappen took it for himself into turn four.
Past Winners
2012: Simon Pagenaud at Baltimore
2013: Robert Wickens at Nürburgring and Peter Dempsey in the Freedom 100
2014: Ryan Blaney on Germán Quiroga
2015: Laurens Vanthoor from 4th to 2nd on the outside in the Bathurst 12 Hour
2016: Scott McLaughlin on Mark Winterbottom at Surfers Paradise
2017: Renger van der Zande: From second to first on Dane Cameron at Laguna Seca
2018: Alexander Rossi for all his passes in the Indianapolis 500
2012: Simon Pagenaud at Baltimore
2013: Robert Wickens at Nürburgring and Peter Dempsey in the Freedom 100
2014: Ryan Blaney on Germán Quiroga
2015: Laurens Vanthoor from 4th to 2nd on the outside in the Bathurst 12 Hour
2016: Scott McLaughlin on Mark Winterbottom at Surfers Paradise
2017: Renger van der Zande: From second to first on Dane Cameron at Laguna Seca
2018: Alexander Rossi for all his passes in the Indianapolis 500
2019: Álex Rins on Marc Márquez in the final corner at Silverstone in the British motorcycle Grand Prix
2020: Pipo Derani on Ricky Taylor into turn one at Road Atlanta
The Eric Idle Award
Description: "When You're Chewing on Life's Gristle, Don't Grumble, Give a Whistle, And This'll Help Things Turn Out For The Best, and... Always Look On The Bright Side of Life."
And the Nominees are:
Description: "When You're Chewing on Life's Gristle, Don't Grumble, Give a Whistle, And This'll Help Things Turn Out For The Best, and... Always Look On The Bright Side of Life."
And the Nominees are:
Kevin Harvick
Liam Lawson
iRacing
Dennis Foggia
Mitch Evans
And the winner is... Liam Lawson
We touched upon the 2021 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season finale above, and Lawson could not have been on the worst side of an outcome.
The Red Bull-supported driver entered DTM and GT3 racing while combining it with a Formula Two program. It was Lawson's first foray into sports car racing, and it did not take long to get on top. He won on debut at Monza. Through six races he had four podium finishes. He swept the Red Bull Ring races and took the championship lead at Assen with finishes of second and third. Entering the Norisring finale, Lawson led the championship with 14 points over Kelvin van der Linde, and Lawson was 26 points ahead of Maximilian Götz.
A third in the first race of the Norisring round gave Lawson an 18-point lead over van der Linde and 19 points ahead of Götz. Pole position ahead of race two extended Lawson's lead to 20 points over Götz, who qualified second and 21 points ahead of van der Linde. All Lawson needed was an eighth-place finish to clinch the championship at 19 years old. Then the race started. Van der Linde drove up the inside into the turn two hairpin and made contact with Lawson. The damage took Lawson out of contention for a points finish, meaning he would need to rely on other results going his way.
Van der Linde and Götz would make contact later in the race, knocking van der Linde out of the fight. Götz was the last championship contender standing, and he had Mercedes teammates more than willing to aid his championship hopes. Lawson was defenseless from lap one. He couldn't protect his championship lead, and with his only teammate Nick Cassidy out of the race as well, he didn't have anyone else out there looking out for him.
Lawson was near flawless in DTM, not to mention he had been a regular points scorer in Formula Two. It was not the end to the season he deserved. It is one thing to lose a title, but for Lawson to have the opportunity ripped from his hands was unbefitting of his year, and he deserved better as a driver, who had shown great sportsmanship all season.
On the other nominees:
It is not good when you are nominated for this award in consecutive years, but in 2021, it is not because Harvick lost a championship late after dominating, it is because Harvick could not win at all in 2021. He went from nine victories to zero and still ended up fifth in the championship for a second consecutive year. Harvick ran well, regularly finishing in the top ten, but he didn't have the same strength we saw from 2020.
After getting its moment in 2020, iRacing was met with much distain in 2021. NASCAR attempted an iRacing series that would run companion with the actual series, filling in open Wednesday nights as practice and qualifying was still going to be limited. NASCAR gave up halfway through. Other companion series were not received with the same enthusiasm, and fewer drivers participated. I hate to see iRacing go from this exciting alternative prospect that could complement the actual on-track series to something no one wants to touch. It was a bright spot during the pandemic, but it appears most are rejecting it having any future use, and I believe that is the wrong way to view it.
Foggia was just hoping to stretch the Moto3 championship to the final race to have a prayer at the championship. With Pedro Acosta leading in the closing laps and Foggia in second, Foggia had to win to stay alive. Acosta led at the start of the final lap, but Foggia was going to have one or two chance to take the lead and remain alive. Instead, in turn three Darryn Binder made a desperate attempt up the inside and took out Foggia. Acosta sped away, won the race, and clinched the title. Foggia never got a chance to make a move. A career year with five victories and 11 podium finishes was ruined.
At least Foggia made it to the final lap. Evans entered the Formula E finale five points off the championship lead in fourth, but he was the best starting championship hopeful in third. The next best starters of the top five in the championship was ninth. Evans was set to take the championship lead right at the start and just had to hold on to a top three finish with a comfortable cushion to the rest of his championship rivals. However, Evans stalled on the grid, sinking his title hopes immediately. To make matters worse, Edoardo Mortara clattered the back of Evans' stationary Jaguar, ending any chance of even fighting for the title.
Past Winners
2012: Ben Spies
2013: Sam Hornish, Jr.
2014: Alexander Rossi
2015: McLaren
2016: Toyota
2012: Ben Spies
2013: Sam Hornish, Jr.
2014: Alexander Rossi
2015: McLaren
2016: Toyota
2017: Nick Heidfeld
2018: Brett Moffitt
2018: Brett Moffitt
2019: Dennis Lind
2020: Marc Márquez
Comeback of the Year
Description: The Best Comeback in the 2021 season.
And the Nominees are:
Description: The Best Comeback in the 2021 season.
And the Nominees are:
Kyle Busch's victory at Pocono
Marcus Ericsson in the Music City Grand Prix
Pedro Acosta: Pit lane start to victory in the Doha Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton: Victory at the British Grand Prix
Jack Miller: Double long-lap penalty to victory at Le Mans
And the winner is... Kyle Busch's victory at Pocono
Even in contemporary motorsports, gearbox issues usually have catastrophic outcomes. When Busch started experiencing issues on lap five of 140-lap race at Pocono, the outcome was predestined before even close to the end of the first stage. The car slipped out of gear on the lap five restart and Busch had to hold the shifter in fourth gear until the next pit stops.
The only problem was later in the race Busch's transmission ended up stuck in fourth car while leading the race. Unable to shift out of gear, this race was conceivable over before Busch reached the halfway point and while leading. He wouldn't be able to carry much speed exiting pit lane and he wouldn't be able to have the necessary acceleration on restarts. He made his second pit stop on lap 74, just prior to the end of stage two and immediately fell from the lead to outside the top ten and as one of the final cars on the lead lap.
The crew worked a contraption to hold the car in gear and allow Busch to keep two hands on the steering wheel, but the likelihood of victory plummeted to near zero. Busch had to lay back on the restart. A few laps into the final stage, another caution came out for debris and the timing meant a driver could possibly stretch the fuel mileage to make it to the end of the race.
Busch's team topped the car off under each lap prior to the restart. The team also held Busch so he could basically get a head-start on the restart and could build up speed instead of being trapped in the pack and potentially run over. With the strategy to run 45 laps in the final stint, Busch paced himself. Meanwhile, the rest of the field had taken a more aggressive strategy. It wasn't until the final 20 laps that the leaders started to realize they would need to make one more stop. Some tried to aggressive save fuel, but the damage had been done.
Busch, on the other hand, was toeing the line but getting the mileage necessary to make it. He was also climbing up the order. As the laps dwindled, cars started diving to pit lane for the necessary splash of fuel to make it to the end. They all emerged behind Busch and were not going to be able to chase him down. Busch took the lead with two laps to go after Denny Hamlin conceded the lead for fuel. Busch cruised around on the final lap and took an improbable victory over 8.6 seconds clear of Kyle Larson.
On the other nominees:
Not often does a race car, more specifically an open-wheel car, go from airborne on a street course to victorious. Ericsson pulled off the unthinkable after climbing over Sébastien Bourdais in the early laps of the inaugural Music City Grand Prix on the streets of Nashville. Ericsson even thought his race was over with his front wing trapped under his wheels. He was ready to pull over and retire, but the bodywork broke free, and the Swede was able to drive back to the pit lane. The crew made the necessary repairs and kept working on the car. Cautions kept falling and Ericsson ended up at the front not needing to stop when everyone else made their initial pit stops. Ericsson had clean air and drove away. Colton Herta made it close, but Herta overstepped and hit the barrier. Ericsson had a two-lap dash and held on for the victory.
After being penalized for irresponsible riding in the second Friday practice, Acosta, along with six other riders, started the second Moto3 race of 2021 from the pit lane. Already on the back foot, Acosta rode up to the end of the main pack and started making up positions. In the 18-lap race, Acosta did not break into the top ten until lap 15 when he was seventh. He was fifth in lap 16 and took the lead at the end of the penultimate lap. Darryn Binder took the lead on the final lap, but Acosta fought back and crossed the line 0.039 seconds ahead of the South African.
Touched upon above and one of the first pivotal points in the World Drivers' Championship, Hamilton and Verstappen made contact in Copse on the opening lap of the British Grand Prix. After a lengthy red flag for barrier repairs, Hamilton was penalized ten seconds for avoidable contact. Hamilton made his first pit stop and came out in fourth after the ten-second penalty, but he was over 12 seconds behind leader Charles Leclerc after the pit cycle. Hamilton chased down the Ferrari and made the pass with three laps to go. Hamilton won the race, and the championship lead was down to eight points.
With changing conditions in the French Grand Prix, Miller was caught speeding in pit lane when switching to the wet-weather bike on lap five. It didn't help that Miller had already gone off while struggling to make it back to pit lane on slicks. Ordered to serve a double long-lap penalty for speeding, Miller lost time to leader Fabio Quartararo, but Miller and Quartararo had pulled away from the field and Miller maintained second position after serving both penalties. Meanwhile, Quartararo had his own long-lap penalty for an improper bike swap. Miller retook the lead after Quartararo served his penalty and Miller never looked back. Quartararo slipped back to third and Miller scored his second career victory, his first since the 2016 Dutch TT.
Past Winners
2013: Michael Shank Racing at the 24 Hours of Daytona
2014: Juan Pablo Montoya to IndyCar
2015: Kyle Busch
2016: Max Verstappen from 15th to 3rd in the final 18 laps in the wet in the Brazilian Grand Prix
2017: Kelvin van der Linde: From third to first after a botched pit stop in the final 20 minutes in the 24 Hours Nürburgring
2018: Billy Monger: Returning to racing after losing his legs and finishing sixth in the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship with four podium finishes and a pole position at Donington Park.
2013: Michael Shank Racing at the 24 Hours of Daytona
2014: Juan Pablo Montoya to IndyCar
2015: Kyle Busch
2016: Max Verstappen from 15th to 3rd in the final 18 laps in the wet in the Brazilian Grand Prix
2017: Kelvin van der Linde: From third to first after a botched pit stop in the final 20 minutes in the 24 Hours Nürburgring
2018: Billy Monger: Returning to racing after losing his legs and finishing sixth in the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship with four podium finishes and a pole position at Donington Park.
2019: MotoE: For getting to the grid after fire destroyed every motorcycle prior to the first round of the season
2020: The #7 Acura Team Penske: Coming from last in the championship to winning the IMSA DPi championship
Most Improved
Description: Racer, Team or Manufacture Who Improved The Most from 2020 to 2021.
And the Nominees are:
Description: Racer, Team or Manufacture Who Improved The Most from 2020 to 2021.
And the Nominees are:
Álex Palou: From 16th on 238 points to first on 549 points in IndyCar
Francesco Bagnaia: From 16th on 47 points to second on 252 points in MotoGP
Laurents Hörr: From 15th on 24 points to first with 105 points in the ELMS LMP3 class
Heart of Racing: From 15th to third in the IMSA GT Daytona class and GTD Sprint Cup champions
Yuven Sundaramoorthy: From 12th on 165 points to third on 329 points in U.S. F2000
And the winner is... Francesco Bagnaia
Bagnaia's first two MotoGP seasons were rather underwhelming. He was on a year-old Ducati for Pramac Racing in 2019, finishing 15th in the championship, but he did finish fourth at Phillip Island that year. He transitioned to the factory Ducati outfit for 2020 and scored his first podium finish with a runner-up at Misano, but that was his only top five finishes of the season, he retired from six of 11 starts and missed three races due to injury, leaving him 16th in the championship on 47 points.
Needing a breakout year and paired with new teammate Jack Miller, Bagnaia immediately answered the called. He won pole position for the season opener and finished third. Two more runner-up finishes came in the first four races. He scored points in nine of the first ten races, was second at the Austrian Grand Prix, and scored his first premier class victory at Aragón after a fierce battle with Marc Márquez. That Aragón was also the first of five consecutive races he started on pole position.
He would win the next race at Misano and then finished third at Austin. He closed the season with two consecutive victories at Portimão and Valencia. Fabio Quartararo might have clinched the championship with two races remaining, but Bagnaia finished 26 points behind the Frenchman and Bagnaia was 44 points clear of 2020 champion Joan Mir. More importantly, Bagnaia was 71 points clear of teammate Miller after Miller finished 85 points ahead of Bagnaia in 2020 whilst riding for Pramac Racing.
This season was a big turnaround for Bagnaia, and Ducati heads into 2022 with two legitimate contenders for the world championship.
On the other nominees:
Palou benefitted from joining the Chip Ganassi Racing organization after running with Dale Coyne Racing in his rookie IndyCar campaign. But while Palou showed speeding 2020 and was third in his third career start, He had three top ten finishes all season. He won his first race with Ganassi and had three podium results in the first six races. He ended the season with three victories and eight podium finishes from 16 starts on his way to becoming champion.
Not many LMP3 drivers get mentioned, but Hörr was nearly untouchable in 2021. His best finish in ELMS competition was sixth in 2020. In 2021, he won three of six races with two different co-drivers. He was in the top five for five of six races, and he started on pole positions four times. On top of his ELMS success, Hörr won the IMSA Prototype Challenge season opener at Daytona, and he won the 24 Hours of Daytona qualifying race in LMP3 before finishing third in class.
Staying in IMSA, Heart of Racing had two podium finishes in 2020, but it was outside the top five in four of eight starts, and it missed two races. In 2021, Ross Gunn and Roman De Angelis won twice, including the season finale at Petit Le Mans. Heart of Racing had five podium finishes and never finished worse than sixth while it took the Sprint Cup championship.
Sundaramoorthy's first two full seasons in U.S. F2000 were unremarkable. He was 12th in the championship both years. In 31 starts, he had one top five finish. There was no reason to be over-optimistic for 2021. And then Sundaramoorthy won the season opener. He won three of the first seven races and was on the podium two more times. He ended the season with four victories, tied for the most all season and he stood on the podium after nine of 18 races. His 329 points scored in 2021 was 14 more than he had scored in his first two U.S. F2000 seasons combined.
Past Winners
2012: Esteban Guerrieri
2013: Marco Andretti
2014: Chaz Mostert
2015: Graham Rahal
2016: Simon Pagenaud
2017: DJR Team Penske
2018: Gary Paffett
2012: Esteban Guerrieri
2013: Marco Andretti
2014: Chaz Mostert
2015: Graham Rahal
2016: Simon Pagenaud
2017: DJR Team Penske
2018: Gary Paffett
2019: Cooper Webb
2020: Joan Mir
And that will do it. With 2021 behind us, there is plenty of exciting things ahead of us for 2022, and competition recommences earlier than usual it feels. We will be into the thick of the season at the start of March. I think we can agree our biggest wish for next year is more normalcy, the return of a few other significant races from around the globe and fewer postponements. This year was better than last, but there is room for it to get better. In recent weeks, it feels like we have taken a step back, but there are reasons for optimism.
This year ends like all the others: Predictions and Christmas presents. Keep an eye out as we close out 2021.
