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Formula One F1 – British Grand Prix – Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone, Britain – July 15, 2021 (L – R) Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso, McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel pose during a promotional photoshoot for the unveiling of the new 2022 F1 car REUTERS/Andrew Couldridge
Reuters
Formula One F1 – British Grand Prix – Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone, Britain – July 15, 2021 (L – R) Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso, McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel pose during a promotional photoshoot for the unveiling of the new 2022 F1 car REUTERS/Andrew Couldridge
Formula 1 has kept fans entertained even during the summer break. In a comical throwback of the first half of the season, F1 brought back Nick Willis, to reimagine some of the popular radio conversations. From Bottas’ infamous “Why the f*ck does no one listen to me” to Vettel’s “Felicidades or Feliz Navidad”; It has brought the memes and the jokes back to the fans.
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The ‘F1 animated’ made its debut in 2018 and has been a fan favorite ever since.
F1 Animated is back for 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣1️⃣!
Here's a look at the first half of the season so far – reimagined 🤩#F1 pic.twitter.com/2HewAwNMEL
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 18, 2021
With references to old videos and new interesting storylines, the short video summarizes the season’s chaos so far.
Super Max dominance in Austria
While the video doesn’t focus too much on the championship battle, the first clip was a part of a game-changing circuit. Max Verstappen held on to his lead and tried to get as far away from Lewis as he could. Verstappen leads every lap from pole position for both the races, asserting his dominance over the Silver Arrows.
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Formula One F1 – Austrian Grand Prix – Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, Styria, Austria – July 3, 2021 Red Bull’s Max Verstappen after qualifying in pole position Pool via REUTERS/Christian Bruna
The Mercedes didn’t show too much pace in the two races in the Styrian hills. Fueled by the cheering fans and Verstappen’s determination, Red Bull stood comfortably on top of both boards at the end of the triple header. Max took over the Red Bull Ring, his lap times and race times much ahead of Hamilton’s.
Read More: Lewis Hamilton Reveals the Biggest Positive of F1: Drive to Survive
It was one of those rare moments, in the Steiermark GP, where Mercedes knew they could do nothing to get ahead of Verstappen. Round 2 in the ring was better than the last, having faced no competition throughout the race. The championship protagonist reflected, “It’s incredible, to be honest. The car was on rails… it was really enjoyable to drive. I’m a bit amazed myself how today went; I didn’t expect it to be like this.”
Sebastian Vettel’s run with Aston Martin
Although the German’s summer break started with his P2 trophy being taken away from him, Vettel has had a great debut season with Aston Martin. The race in Monaco saw Vettel giving his team their first top 5 finish of the year, ahead of Gasly and Hamilton.
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Formula One F1 – Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan – June 6, 2021 Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel celebrates with team members after finishing in second place Pool via REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
The next race in Baku outshone Monaco as Vettel stood second on the podium, bringing Aston Martin their first trophy. The most dramatic race of the season finished with fresh faces on the podium, as Perez and Gasly accompanied Vettel.
Leclerc’s F1 disappointments
Leclerc’s season so far has been cruel to him. Every time the Ferrari driver gets a shot at victory, it gets taken away from him.
Polesitter in his home race, Leclerc’s celebrations were soon rained on as the Monegasque didn’t start the Monaco GP. The issues with his gearbox added to Leclerc’s Monaco curse.
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Formula One F1 – Austrian Grand Prix – Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, Styria, Austria – July 3, 2021 Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc during practice REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger
The Ferrari driver also fought hard for points in Austria. The Styrian GP saw the driver pushing hard to finish in P7. A collision with RedBull’s Sergio Perez slowed the driver down in the second round in Austria. He finished eighth, behind Daniel Ricciardo‘s McLaren.
Simply put, the season has been a wild ride. The summer break has only been an excruciating build-up to what the second half of the season will hold, starting off with a compelling triple-header.
Watch this story: Mad Max: Verstappen’s Angriest Rants on Team Radio
