Lewis Hamilton v Max Verstappen: Key moments in F1's thrilling title battle



The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix can be seen on 5 Live and the website.

The 2021 Formula 1 season has had it all, with crashes, controversy and a thrilling winner-take-all finale between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.

The championship lead has changed hands a number of times over the course of the 21 races, but Hamilton's win in Saudi Arabia last time out means the pair head to Abu Dhabi dead level.

One of the most memorable seasons in Formula 1 history was the one that the British Broadcasting Corporation took a look back at.

Red Bull is at the GP.

The first win of the season for Max Verstappen came at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Red Bull took their first win of the season in the second race, after they had taken the pace advantage over Mercedes.

Both drivers displayed their credentials as the main title hopefuls, with Verstappen recovering from half a spin following a red flag to power off to a victory, while Hamilton overcame a rare error that saw him slide into the barriers at half-distance to finish second.

When Verstappen forced Hamilton wide early on, there was a hint of what was to come.

There are sparks at a race.

The title battle took off in this race.

After winning three races in a row, Verstappen was in good shape, but Hamilton was not happy to see his rival celebrate another victory in front of his fans.

The two collided at Copse corner on the very first lap. There was a trip to the hospital for precautionary checks after Verstappen's race ended. Hamilton was blamed for the crash and was given a 10-second time penalty.

The Red Bull team criticized Hamilton after the race, with Verstappen calling his celebrations "disrespectful" and "unsportsmanlike", while the team principal said it was a "hollow victory".

Hamilton finished seven points behind Verstappen after starting the British GP with a deficit. There is a title battle in 2021.

There is another collision in Italy.

Lewis Hamilton was protected by his halo device when his Mercedes and Max Verstappen's Red Bull collided.

There was little surprise at another coming together between the two.

The pair collided at the Italian Grand Prix for the second time this season.

At this point, Verstappen's lead over Hamilton was five points but neither driver was able to pick up an advantage from this race as their crash led to both retiring.

The incident happened midway through the race when Hamilton came out of the pits alongside Verstappen and as the pair battled for position the rear of Verstappen's car landed on Hamilton's Mercedes.

Both retired and beached. The Dutch driver was handed a three-place grid penalty for the next race.

Hungary chaos helps Hamilton.

There was a crash on the first lap.

The Hungarian Grand Prix was Verstappen's worst race of the season.

The first few laps of the race were some of the most dramatic seen in F1 for a long time, as wet conditions resulted in a first-lap pile up in which Verstappen became tangled up in. Five cars were eliminated and although Verstappen was able to continue, his Red Bull was damaged and his performance was seriously compromised.

Things looked okay for the Dutch with Hamilton finishing last after a delayed pit stop, but the seven-time world champion fought back superbly to finish third and move into an eight-point lead in the drivers' championship.

Team tensions are also simmering.

Red Bull's Christian Horner and Mercedes' Toto Wolff have had a lot of verbal sparring.

There has been a war of words between the rival teams for much of the season.

Mercedes team principal Wolff and Red Bull counterpart Christian Horner have had a lot to say about each other.

Red Bull raised concerns about the legality of the Mercedes rear wing, which was claimed to give Hamilton a speed boost over Verstappen.

Concerns were raised after Mercedes requested a review of Verstappen's driving during the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, which was rejected by the FIA.

The relationship between Red Bull and Mercedes has hit an all-time low in 2021, even though nothing has come by either team's objections.

The finale of Saudi drama.

The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was the scene of the final flashpoint in the title fight.

The race was stopped twice, featured three starts and had an extraordinary series of events between the title contender.

Verstappen was told to give back his position to Hamilton in the final few laps after he gained an illegal position.

Wolff slammed his headphones to the floor as he watched from the pits after Hamilton crashed into the back of the Red Bull because he was caught off guard by Verstappen slowing down.

Verstappen did not give back the position until six laps later, despite damage to Hamilton's front wing.

Hamilton won the race despite being handed more time penalties, while Verstappen finished second despite being given more time penalties.