DHL celebrated the close of the 2021 Formula 1 season with the annual presentation of its two DHL ‘Fastest Awards’. This year’s Fastest Lap Award champion was repeat-winner Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes, who tied Red Bull’s Max Verstappen with a total of six fastest laps, but took the 2021 title based on the number of second positions in the category.
‘It’s a great achievement to receive the Fastest Lap Award again. This year the battle has been so close that the bonus points have been very important,” said Hamilton. “Thank you to everyone in the team, both back in the factory and here at track, whose hard work has put us in a position to set those times.”
Earning his sixth Fastest Lap trophy since 2014, Hamilton solidified his position atop the all-time Fastest Lap rankings. To present the Fastest Lap Award to Hamilton was presenterd with the trophy by Amna Al Qubaisi, the first Emirati female racing driver. Al Qubaisi, who has broken new ground and records as an Arab female in motorsport, placed 19th overall in the 2021 F3 Asia Championship standings as a member of Team Abu Dhabi Racing.
“As an aspiring driver, it is of course an honour and thrill for me to present this highly coveted DHL Award to one of the world’s top racers,” said Al Qubaisi. “It is also a tremendous honor to be here representing not only female drivers, but also the millions of female race fans and countless women working behind the scenes to make Formula championship racing happen. I want to thank DHL for acknowledging and celebrating this.”
Taking the Fastest Pit Stop Award for 2021 was Red Bull Racing Honda with a winning time of 1.88 seconds – the team’s fourth consecutive Pit Stop title. During the unprecedented 22-race 2021 calendar, the Red Bull pit crew achieved the fastest pit stop 13 times, including three consecutive wins in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi to close out the season.
“Another model for speed, precision and clockwork reliability, Team Red Bull has now earned this distinction four years in a row,” said DHL Express CEO John Pearson. “Since introducing the DHL Fastest Pit Stop Award in 2015, we remain tremendously proud of what it celebrates: the unsung heroes behind the scenes and all the hard work, dedication and planning that goes into making those incredibly fast pit stops possible.”
“I’m delighted that the pit stop crew have won the DHL Fastest Pit Stop Award, they have been performing at the top of their game all year,” said Red Bull Racing Honda’s CEO and Team Principal Christian Horner.
For this year’s DHL Fastest Pit Stop Award, Pearson presented Team Red Bull with a unique trophy made from upcycled scrap metal as a symbol of DHL’s commitment to sustainability.
