Formula 1, in 2021, was filled with moments of brilliance, surprise, and sheer luck. But amongst all those moments, there were some drivers whose exploits went under the radar.

Now that doesn’t mean what they achieved wasn’t worth a headline, but that what they achieved was simply outshined by the bigger events of that race.

So, let’s explore some of the most underrated performances of the 2021 season.

1. Charles Leclerc, United States Grand Prix

The Ferrari driver had qualified in P4, which was a good result. And although he finished in P5, it was his stellar defense against the two McLarens of Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo that went unnoticed.

2. Fernando Alonso, Russian Grand Prix

Most of the memories fans will carry of Alonso from this season would be his stellar defense in Hungary and his podium finish in Qatar. He finished in P6 after starting in P6 as well, but his stellar performance fell just short of earning him that long longed podium which he finally got in Losail.

3. Pierre Gasly, Spanish Grand Prix

The Alpha Tauri driver could easily be the contender for the most underrated driver in 2021. With regular appearances in P5-P10, Gasly helped his team finish in P6 in the championship. And in Barcelona, Gasly salvaged a crucial point despite being relegated to the back with a time penalty.

4. Esteban Ocon, Qatar Grand Prix

At the Losail circuit, Ocon did for Alonso what Alonso did for him in Hungary—defend. The Frenchman defended bravely ‘like a lion’ against the charging Red Bull of Sergio Perez, who was on a hunt for a podium.

Ocon finished in P5, but his defense for his teammate went largely unnoticed.

5. Carlos Sainz, Turkish Grand Prix

Sainz stepped up his game in his first season at Ferrari. The Spaniard had four podiums throughout the season and finished in P5 in the championship, but his recovery drive in Istanbul was arguably the best of the bunch.

He started the race in P15 and earned valuable points for his team as he finished in P8 and earned driver of the day.

So these were only a few of the great performances that we got to see from drivers in Formula 1 this season.

Let us know which were the other underrated performances you loved in the comments section below.

Also Read: Ferrari F1 Teammates Charles Leclerc & Carlos Sainz Rated Out of 10 Individually by Mattia Binotto