Sky F1 pundit Karun Chandhok has lifted the lid on the off-track war between Red Bull and Mercedes during the F1 2021 title battle between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.
The 2021 stands as one of the most dramatic seasons in F1 history as Verstappen and Hamilton battled all the way from Bahrain in March to Abu Dhabi in December.
How Red Bull and Mercedes battled for off-track supremacy in F1 2021
The title protagonists clashed on a number of occasions throughout 2021, with Verstappen taken to hospital for precautionary checks following an infamous collision with Hamilton on the opening lap of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
The pair also came to blows at the Italian Grand Prix where Verstappen and Hamilton made contact at the first chicane in a heart-stopping incident, which resulted in the Red Bull mounting the Mercedes.
The title was ultimately settled in highly controversial circumstances at the Abu Dhabi decider as Verstappen clinched his first World Championship with an overtake on Hamilton on the final lap after the FIA race director, Michael Masi, failed to implement the Safety Car rules correctly, effectively setting up a one-lap shootout.
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton: The best of enemies
The events of the F1 2021 season still generate much debate to this day, with former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner referring to the Abu Dhabi race as a “s**tshow of biblical proportions” last week.
Chandhok observed the battle between Hamilton and Verstappen unfold from close quarters in his capacity as a Sky F1 television pundit, having joined the broadcaster from rival station Channel 4 at the beginning of 2021.
He’s revealed how forces within the Mercedes and Red Bull camps applied pressure on pundits in an attempt to “sway” the narrative.
Asked during a social media Q&A session to identify the most complex issue he has covered, Chandhok said: “I would have to say the 2021 F1 season.
“It was such a rollercoaster and really trying to look at, for example, the big moments, the accident at Silverstone and then obviously the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that year, arguably the most controversial race we’ve had in recent F1 history.
“It was such a difficult race to try and break down.
“And even today there are people who are still upset and emotional when we talk about that race.
“It was clearly a weekend and a season where there was so much pressure from the paddock and you had all these people from within the Red Bull and the Mercedes camps telling you things, trying to get you to sway your opinion.”
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