9. Max's costly blow-out in Baku
Five races into the 2021 campaign, it had become clear that the season would be a blazing Lewis and Max fest, which was exactly what F1 fans were hoping for as the pair's inescapable rivalry had been brewing for several years.
On the eve of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the Mercedes driver had outscored his nemesis three wins to two, but the Dutchman had won in dominant fashion in the previous round in Monaco while Red Bull's RB16B appeared to have an edge over Merc's W12 black arrow. And on race day, after an early round of observation, Verstappen followed up his master class in the Principality two weeks earlier with another commanding performance. But six laps from the chequered flag, it all went wrong for Max who was robbed of a certain win by a sudden rupture of his Red Bull's rear-left tyre.
There was a relative consolation however for Verstappen, as an uncharacteristic blunder by Hamilton on the race's late restart led to the two rivals leaving Baku at a standstill in the championship. Yet in hindsight, this was the race that should have ensured a comfortable points lead for Max in the Drivers' standings by the time Abu Dhabi rolled around.
