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DHL celebrated the close of the 2021 Formula 1® season with the annual presentation of its two DHL “Fastest Awards”.This year’s DHL Fastest Lap Award champ is repeat-winner Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), who tied Max Verstappen (Red Bull) with a total of six fastest laps, but took the 2021 title based on the number of #2 finishes in the Fastest Lap 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 DHL 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 Amna Al Qubaisi, the first Emirati female racing driver. Al Qubaisi, who has broken new ground and new records as an Arab female in motorsport, placed 19^th overall in the 2021 F3 Asia Championship standings as a member of Team Abu Dhabi Racing by PREMA.

“As an aspiring driver, it is of course an honor and thrill for me to present this highly coveted DHL Award to one of the world’s top racers,” said Al Qubaisi prior to the award ceremony. “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 DHL 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 Racing Honda 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.

“Deutsche Post DHL Group will be investing 7 billion euros in clean operations and climate-neutral logistics through 2030, which includes major investments in sustainable fuels. In the case of Formula 1, our longtime commitment to providing the fastest, most efficient and innovative motorsports logistics is now helping the championship to reduce its ecological footprint,” said Pearson. “We see ourselves as the sustainable choice in logistics and want this DHL sprit of sustainability to shine through in everything we do.”

With nearly 40 years of experience managing logistics for Formula 1®, DHL is focused today on helping Formula 1® reduce its carbon footprint and overall environmental impact. To this end, DHL is fitting its entire fleet of F1®-dedicated trucks with a GPS to monitor fuel consumption, select the most sustainable routes, and lower CO2 emissions. Other measures include the use of DHL’s new, fuel-efficient Boeing 777 aircraft, which reduce carbon emissions by 18% compared to traditional aircraft, and leveraging multi-modal transport solutions, including overland and ocean freight. At the Monaco Grand Prix in May of this year, DHL also joined Formula 1® in signing a sustainability pledge to reduce the use of single-use plastics at the track.

As Official Logistics Partner of Formula 1®, DHL transports up to 1,400 tons of highly sensitive freight – including cars, engines, fuel, broadcasting equipment, as well as marketing and hospitality materials – to over 20 races on five continents over the course of a nine-month season. To help ensure the safety of DHL staff, F1® racing teams and fans during the ongoing pandemic, DHL developed stringent protocols for COVID testing and disinfecting the freight zone during each delivery.

DHL and Formula 1® look forward to another exciting race calendar in 2022, featuring a record-breaking 23 races and the first-ever Grand Prix in Miami.