Most read F1 stories
10. How Bottas’ pit stop was 43 hours long
Valtteri Bottas suffered a painful pit stop at the Monaco Grand Prix when a wheel nut was stuck to his car – which forced his resignation. It took the team almost two days to remove it …
9. Hamilton explains the incident with the magic button that led to the restart
Lewis Hamilton’s hopes of winning the Azerbaijan Grand Prix were dashed when he slid down the escape route at Turn 1 while restarting. The incident was triggered by accidentally pressing his “magic button”.
8. Binotto leaves the pit wall while Ferrari completes the transformation
Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto continued his overhaul of the Maranello team with the decision to give his employees more responsibility for the pit wall – so that he can step back from first position during the races.
7. In the picture: The Mercedes F1 rear wing behind the assumptions of Red Bull
Tensions between Red Bull and Mercedes increased around the time of the Brazilian Grand Prix, as there were suspicions of possible Flexi-Wing tricks. Red Bull’s fear was sparked by mysterious notches on the rear wing of the W12 …
6. Haas only discovered Schumacher’s F1 seating problems from his mother
Mick Schumacher announced in early 2021 that he had driven with a crooked seat in his Haas. But the situation was only revealed in the team itself after a chance conversation between the mother of the German and team boss Gunther Steiner.
5. Mercedes F1 reveals video of Botta’s wheel removal
A few days after the Monaco Grand Prix, Mercedes finally managed to remove the stuck wheel nut from Valtteri Bottas’ car – and posted a video explaining how it was done.
4th Brundle: Entourages need “manners and respect” according to MTS F1-Snub
The withdrawal of the Covid restrictions meant Martin Brundle’s famous Sky Grid Walk at the United States Grand Prix could return. And it certainly made headlines when the former F1 driver faced bodyguard fears.
3. Botta’s wheel nut still gets stuck on the Mercedes car after the pit stop problem
There was great interest in Valtteri Bottas’ botched pit stop at the Monaco Grand Prix, as stories related to the bizarre episode took three places in our 10 most read F1 stories of the season.
2. What could Mercedes Plan B look like if Hamilton leaves F1?
Lewis Hamilton’s enforced silence after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix showed his anger at the events and even led his team principal Toto Wolff to believe that there are no guarantees for the British in 2022 of what Mercedes would do if it needed a replacement.
1. Sulayem: “No Forgiveness” if Hamilton breaks FIA Gala Rules
Lewis Hamilton’s dissatisfaction with what happened at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix led him to skip the FIA’s annual awards gala later in the week. The new FIA President Mohammed ben Sulayem noted that one of his first tasks was to find out whether or not the seven-time champion should be punished for violating Formula 1 sports regulations.
Most read NASCAR stories
10. Harvick felt at COTA after the rain race. “Never so unsafe”
After heavy rain and diabolical sight when NASCAR made its Circuit of the Americas debut in May, star driver Kevin Harvick said he had “never felt so unsafe in my entire racing career”.
9. Brad Keselowski could become NASCAR’s next owner / driver
Motorsport.com’s Jim Utter reported in May that Brad Keselowski was ready to leave Team Penske’s operations to take a stake while driving for a rival team. In July, his move to Roush Fenway Racing was confirmed.
8. Three crew members from NASCAR. suspended indefinitely
In December, NASCAR imposed three suspensions on crew members who worked in the Cup and Xfinity Series, including crew chief Johnny Roten of the # 13 Cup team for violating the Drug Abuse Policy and two more for violating NASCAR’s Code of Conduct.
7. NASCAR interrupts the driver; hits Xfinity team with test penalty
Part-time Xfinity driver Caesar Bacarella made headlines for all the wrong reasons in November when he breached NASCAR’s substance abuse policy. Owner-driver Mike Harmon was also fined for illegal testing on the track.
6. Kyle Busch: The NASCAR Cup race on Sunday “should never have been green”
One of the most bizarre spectacles of the 2021 season was Kyle Busch, Martin Truex and Denny Hamlin, all of whom spun as the drizzle increased in New Hampshire on the first few laps. NASCAR admitted what turned out to be “unfortunate”.
5. NASCAR Stars Say “We Lost a Crown Jewel” As IMS Turns into RC Racing
Once a “Crown Jewel” of NASCAR, the Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis was dropped in 2021 for a race on its street track. His drivers discussed the decision and it seemed to be right with our readers too.
4. Chase Elliott’s NASCAR spotter suspended after arrest
Chase Elliott’s spotter Eddie d’Hondt was arrested in May for an alleged 2020 attack that resulted in his temporary suspension from Hendrick Motorsports. He was reinstated the following month when charges were dropped on grounds of insufficient evidence.
3. NASCAR suspends two Hendrick Motorsports executives
After Alex Bowman used an engine from teammate Chase Elliott’s car in New Hampshire in July, Hendrick Motorsports Director of Track Engine Support Scott Maxim and Executive Vice President and General Manager Jeff Andrews were suspended from racing.
2. After the near-win at Daytona, NASCAR disqualified Chris Buescher
Chris Buescher enjoyed a fantastic run at Daytona in August, leading the race in extra time and eventually finishing second – but his Ford had an unapproved tie-rod bracket and he was dropped to 40th place. Had he kept his result, he would have qualified for the playoffs.
1. Kyle Larson Loses His New Spotter To Social Media Posts
It was only five days in 2021 before the first layoff of the season happened when Kyle Larson’s new spotter at Hendrick Motorsports – Chris Monez – posted conspiracy theories, including a QAnon hashtag, on social media. It happened just five days after he revealed he’d even gotten the gig … and became the most read story on Motorsport.com in 2021!
Most read other stories
10. Moto3 rider Dupasquier in “very serious condition” after an accident
The 2021 season will unfortunately be remembered as one of tragedies in the cycling world when 19-year-old Moto3 rider Jason Dupasquier lost his life in a qualifying crash in Mugello in May.
9. “Angry” Dovizioso talks about his MotoGP exit from Ducati
Our second most-read MotoGP story came about earlier this year when Andrea Dovizioso revealed his frustration at how his relationship with Ducati boss Gigi Dall’Igna had collapsed in the years before he split from the famous Italian brand.
8. Valentino Rossi announces his retirement from MotoGP
This was the news that all MotoGP fans feared but knew it was coming – the end of the amazing career of legendary Valentino Rossi at the height of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. Without the man many consider the GOAT to be, the championship just won’t be the same.
7. Le Mans 24h: Toyota wins with new hypercar, # 7 crew breaks Jinx
At the top of our sports car racing ranking in 2021 was Filip Cleeren’s comprehensive report of an action-packed 24-hour Le Mans race that saw Toyota with its new hypercars and the hapless # 7 crew of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez finally deserved a one-two to win the grand prize.
6. Huge shunt for Rosenqvist stops IndyCar races in Detroit
It was certainly not a memorable year for Arrow McLaren SP IndyCar racer Felix Rosenqvist, but the bottom came when he suffered a serious accident in the first of two races at Belle Isle in Detroit – an incident that took him out of the cockpit for the two of them following events.
5. Mercedes will leave Formula E before the Gen3 era
Nyck de Vries’ Formula E title win in Berlin in August was overshadowed by the fact that Mercedes was on the way out of the championship – the team confirmed this just a few days later.
4. Zanardi’s wife provides an update on the former F1 driver’s recovery
In July, IndyCar’s wife and Paralympics legend Alex Zanardi, Daniela, shared an update on the Italian’s recovery from his horrific handbike accident in 2020. Daniela recently announced that Zanardi had left the hospital after 18 months to herself to recover from home.
3. Moto3 rider Dupasquier dies after an accident in qualifying in Mugello
The tragic news of Jason Dupasquier’s death – the first time a rider has been killed during a MotoGP race weekend in five years – hit Mugello on Sunday morning, casting a long shadow over the Italian Grand Prix.
2. Jimmie Johnson on IndyCar Fights: “I’m Still in a Big Hole”
Our most-read IndyCar story of the year was NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson’s open admission that he had a lot to learn about open wheel racing after embarking on an ambitious road and road course program with Chip Ganassi Racing.
1. The Spanish motorcycle racer Hugo Millan died at the age of 14
The death of another young rider, this time 14-year-old Hugo Millan, at a CEV Moto3 race in Aragon in July, was another wake-up call for the world of motorcycle racing to address the issue of driver safety at a junior level.
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