How long can F1 2021's brewing title battle stay clean?

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have been evenly matched so far in the 2021 Formula 1 title race. Neither has been afraid to get aggressive against each other on track, teeing up an enthralling contest as the year unwinds. But is their rivalry destined to end in broken shards of carbon fibre?

Jonathan Noble May 13, 2021, 8:28 AM

Upd: May 13, 2021, 10:33 AM

Four grands prix down, and at each of those Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have passed each other on track at least once. But, despite a remarkable run of F1’s title protagonists going at it wheel-to-wheel, not once has there been an occasion where their battle has spilled over into a full-on collision.

Sure there was a bit of Red Bull front wheel on Mercedes front wing endplate at Imola’s Turn 1, and Hamilton had to get out of it at Barcelona’s opening corner last weekend to avoid contact there but, so far, it’s been hard but ultimately fair.

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Author Jonathan Noble

Jonathan Noble is Motorsport.com’s Formula 1 editor. Having graduated from University of Sussex Jonathan worked for sports news agency Collings Sports reporting on F1, F3, touring cars and other sports, with articles appearing in The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, Reuters, Autosport and other publications. In 1999 he moved to Haymarket Publishing to become a senior editor at Autosport Special Projects, and one year later he became Autosport’s grand prix editor. In 2015 he moved to Motorsport Network, becoming the F1 editor for Motorsport.com. He is also a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers, and sits on the FIA Media Council.