Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen were easily the two most superior drivers on the F1 circuit last season - although Ferrari's Carlos Sainz wasn't entirely convinced.
In what transpired into a memorable title race, the duel between Hamilton and the Dutch protege went back and for all year long, with the pair going into the season finale in Abu Dhabi level on points.
It was Verstappen who ultimately took the title following a controversial race at the Yas Marina, ending on an overall total of 395.5 points to Hamilton's 387.5, with Valtteri Bottas more than 150 points further back on 226.
What's more, the pair shared 18 of the 22 Grand Prix wins in 2021, with the Dutchman notching 10 of those, while he also took 10 pole positions compared to Hamilton's five.
Bottas and Sergio Perez, their teammates at Mercedes and Red Bull respectively, were unable to live with either driver, notching just one win each from the 22 races.
But Sainz, who joined Verstappen and Hamilton on the podium in Abu Dhabi and ended up fifth in the standings, still thinks the pace of the leading duo was more to do with vehicles than it was individual prowess.
“With the same car I think they can be beatable, or at least on more equal terms than they were this year,” said Sainz on Spanish TV programme El Hormiguero .
“Mercedes and Red Bull were faster by eight tenths of a second per lap and I want to think that between all the drivers there is no more than two or three tenths of a second difference.
“The issue is at least as old as the history of Formula 1 itself – ‘if there is a driver who drives a car eight tenths of a second faster, it doesn’t matter how good you are, you will never be able to beat him’.
“I hope F1 can be more balanced next year so we can have more fun and compete at a similar level.”
The theories of Spaniard Sainz should be put to the test next season, with new technical regulations coming into F1 for 2022, designed to make the sport more competitive.
New rules will include restrictions on the number of aerodynamic upgrades a team can make, while rear wings will be mounted higher than in previous years, to limit the constructors' ability to use a car's exhaust gases to generate downforce.
