The Braking Point: Some thoughts on the 2021 F1 season

The COVID-19 pandemic means that we will in fact have to wait another year until the introduction of the new sporting regulations, but on the evidence of testing at least, there are still some things to get excited about.

Although the big changes have been delayed, the slight tweaks aimed at reducing downforce look to have had some sort of impact in the short term, and, at risk of repeating a mistake of years gone by, I am hopeful that we might have a genuine title fight on our hands.

For many, a direct battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen is the dream scenario and I fall into that camp too. Hamilton is a highly-decorated and experienced driver, whose work on and off the track is worthy of genuine admiration. To witness him break Michael Schumacher's record and reach an eight title would be truly historic. However, as I am sure any racer would admit, the wins feel all the sweeter when you are made to work for them and I have no doubt that if he is given a car that can compete, Verstappen will make the seven-time champion work harder than ever before.

The Dutchman has been increasingly consistent over the past few seasons, in addition to his prodigious natural talent, and to see him and Hamilton wheel-to-wheel on a regular basis in a fight for a world championship would represent incredible sporting drama.

Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez both have plenty to prove, with the Finn hoping to make it fifth time lucky against Hamilton and the Mexican looking to banish the ghosts of his ill-fated spell at McLaren. Whether either driver will be able to compete with Hamilton and Verstappen in a title battle is debatable, but they could both play a role in how the constructors' championship shakes out.

Further down the grid and I cannot pick the midfield competitors apart. As Andreas Seidl recently said, there are five teams that could take that "best of the rest" spot in the constructors' championship and it is pretty much impossible to call at this stage. With the likes of Fernando Alonso, Daniel Ricciardo, Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc, among others, all taking part in this frantic fight for midfield supremacy, expect fireworks.

Despite all these enticing storylines, I cannot avoid a sense of frustration going into the new season. The lack of action taken by F1 and the FIA with regards to the Nikitia Mazepin incident was really disappointing and at this point, it looks as though they are just happy to sweep it under the carpet. However, a lot of people will refuse to forget about this and the way it was handled, or not handled, is emblematic of a broader issue in motorsport and wider society.