What if Hamilton had driven the Red Bull in 2021?
The 2021 season was the tightest in decades. Would Hamilton have won his eighth title in Verstappen's dominant car?
The simulation's verdict
Max Verstappen would have won the 2021 title in 56% of the 200 simulations.
Lewis Hamilton
Max Verstappen
Who finished ahead
Based on 200 simulations of the 2021 season. Numbers can vary each time you play.
Historical context
In 2021, Red Bull fielded the RB16B, one of the most balanced cars of the year. Max Verstappen pushed it to the limit to snatch the title from Hamilton on the last lap in Abu Dhabi. The question millions of fans ask is inevitable: what if the driver with the most wins in F1 history had that same car?
The real 2021 season
The 2021 season is, for many, the most thrilling and agonising of recent decades. At last a rival emerged capable of taking on Hamilton's Mercedes: Max Verstappen and a competitive Red Bull. The duel ran, point by point, across the twenty-two races of the year. It was a no-holds-barred battle, complete with on-track collisions — Silverstone, Monza — two opposing driving philosophies and mounting tension between the two teams. Both arrived level on points at the final round, unheard of in modern history. The finale in Abu Dhabi was the most controversial in memory: after a late safety car, race director Michael Masi applied the rules in a disputed manner and allowed Verstappen, on fresh tyres, to pass Hamilton on the last lap and snatch the title. An ending that changed the regulations and marked a turning point.
Real champion: Max Verstappen in the Red Bull RB16B. Abu Dhabi final lap: Masi allows lapped cars to overtake. Verstappen passes Hamilton. Champion. See the full 2021 season →
The driver
Lewis Hamilton is the most decorated driver in history in wins and poles, and equals Schumacher with seven world titles. Raised in Stevenage and backed by McLaren from childhood, he burst onto the scene in 2007 with such force that he came within a single point of the championship in his rookie year. He made amends in 2008, clinching his first title on the final corner of the last race in Brazil, snatching it from Felipe Massa metres from the line. Full profile →
How it's simulated
The engine recreates qualifying (Q1, Q2, Q3) and every Grand Prix with the ~20 real drivers of 2021, weighing each car's performance, driver skill, weather, safety cars and tyre wear. Learn how the simulator works →
Season
2021
Mode
One driver, different car
Car
Red Bull Racing
Tags
Choose driver, car and season. The engine simulates the full championship with real drivers.