Max Verstappen beats Lewis Hamilton to 2021 F1 title, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat

Max Verstappen is the F1 drivers' world champion for 2021. The Dutchman beat Lewis Hamilton to the title in a season laced with drama, excitement, and action.

With this title, Max Verstappen becomes the first Dutch champion of the world in F1. He is also the first world champion that Red Bull has produced since German Sebastian Vettel.

The drivers’ one, however, was the only title Red Bull was able to get their hands on, as Mercedes did enough to clinch their eighth consecutive constructors' championship.

The 2021 season was filled with highs and lows for Max Verstappen and Red Bull. Max Verstappen set the pace early on with five consecutive podium finishes and strung together three successive wins in the first nine races of the season.

While there was a retirement in the middle in Baku, Max Verstappen looked nailed on to win that race too before a tire failure ended his session.

Max Verstappen was on the button right from the get-go after the summer break as well. He came into the final race of the season with nine podiums in his last 10 races. The only race with no points was the Monza showdown that saw his car catapult on top of Lewis Hamilton's at Turn 2.

Many thought Max Verstappen may have lost momentum heading into the race at the Yas Marina Circuit. Hamilton's impressive performances to win in Brazil, Qatar and Saudi Arabia seemed to give the Briton the edge but Max Verstappen was able to produce a stellar performance to settle the discussion for 2021.

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Can Max Verstappen and Red Bull do the double next season?

With Max Verstappen crowned the new drivers' world champion, Christian Horner's dream is only half-fulfilled. His driver may be on top of the world but his team is no closer to getting the better of the Mercedes juggernaut.

With regulatory changes set to be put in place from next season onwards, Red Bull could find themselves behind the eight ball when pre-season testing rolls around.

A lot of time, energy, and resources went into keeping the 2021 car competitive across the season for Max Verstappen.

Red Bull also has to consider the impact of engine partner Honda leaving F1 at the end of the 2021 season to concentrate on their carbon neutrality efforts. While Red Bull may possess intellectual property rights for Honda’s power unit, the team’s relative lack of experience in engine development could hurt its expectations.

One can only wonder how much time they have been able to give next season's car. When one considers Mercedes' past about pre-empting regulation changes, Max Verstappen will be hoping his side has done the same so he can try going for a repeat.