DHL Concludes Formula 1® Season with Sustainable ‘Fastest Awards’

DHL celebrated the end of the Formula 1® 2021 season yesterday with the annual presentation of its two DHL ‘Fastest Awards’. This year’s winner of the DHL Fastest Lap Award is the multiple award-winning Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes). Although tied with Max Verstappen (Red Bull) for the most fastest laps at six, he secures the coveted trophy as he also led in the number of second places in the Fastest Lap category.

(Bonn/Abu Dhabi) “It is a great honor to receive the Fastest Lap Award again. This year, the title fight was very close, so the bonus points were crucial,” said Lewis Hamilton. “Thank you to everyone in the team, both in construction and here at the track, as their hard work made it possible to achieve these times.”

With the win of his sixth DHL Fastest Lap trophy since 2014, Hamilton solidifies his position at the top of the fastest laps leaderboard. The Fastest Lap Award was presented by Amna Al Qubaisi, the first Emirati female driver who has not only broken new ground as an Arab woman in motorsport but has also set several records. With her team Abu Dhabi Racing PREMA, she finished 19th in the overall standings of the F3 Asia Championship in 2021.

“As a young driver, it is of course an honor and very exciting for me to present this coveted DHL Award to one of the best racing drivers in the world,” said Al Qubaisi before the award ceremony. “It is also a great honor for me to represent not only female drivers here but also the millions of female fans and countless women who work behind the scenes to make Formula racing possible. I want to thank DHL for honoring and celebrating this.

13 Times the Fastest Pit Stop

The DHL Fastest Pit Stop Award in 2021 goes to Red Bull Racing Honda with a winning time of 1.88 seconds. This is the team’s fourth consecutive pit stop title. With an unprecedented race calendar of 22 races in 2021, the pit crew of Red Bull Racing Honda achieved the fastest pit stop 13 times, including three consecutive best times in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Abu Dhabi to conclude the season. Max Verstappen benefited from the speed of his pit crew ten times, while teammate Sergio Perez completed the fastest stop twice. The Red Bull team was also the only team to achieve pit stops in under two seconds, doing so five times this season.

“Once again, the Red Bull team has proven that they stand for speed, precision, and reliability. They have earned this award for the fourth consecutive time,” said John Pearson, CEO of DHL Express. “Since the introduction of the DHL Fastest Pit Stop Award in 2015, we are proud of what this award symbolizes: honoring the many players behind the scenes, without whose planning, hard and tireless work, and passion these incredible pit stops would not be possible.”

“I am very pleased that the pit stop crew has won the DHL Fastest Pit Stop Award. They have delivered outstanding performance all year round,” said Red Bull Honda CEO and team principal Christian Horner. This year, John Pearson presented the Red Bull team with a very special DHL Fastest Pit Stop Award. Made from recycled scrap metal, the award is meant to underline DHL’s commitment to sustainability.

Winner of the DHL Fastest Pit Stop Award – Team Red Bull Honda

Helping to Reduce the Ecological Footprint in Formula 1®

“By 2030, Deutsche Post DHL Group will invest 7 billion euros in sustainable operations and climate-neutral logistics. This includes extensive investments in sustainable fuels. In terms of Formula 1®, our long-standing commitment to providing the fastest, most efficient, and innovative motorsport 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 understanding to be reflected in everything we do.”

For Arjan Sissing, Head of Global Brand Marketing at Deutsche Post DHL Group, the presentation of the highly regarded DHL Fastest Awards is a good opportunity to emphasize DHL’s growing focus on sustainability.

“With DHL, we have taken a pioneering role in sustainability in the logistics industry. Our environmental goals include emissions-free logistics by 2050, as well as new standards in social responsibility, including equal opportunities and diversity within our global workforce,” said Arja Sissing. “Our work for Formula 1® usually takes place behind the scenes. The presentation of the awards for the fastest lap and the fastest pit stop is the brief moment when we step into the spotlight, and we want to take this opportunity to highlight our steadily growing commitment to the environment and social responsibility.”

40 Years of Experience in Logistics for Formula 1®

With nearly 40 years of experience in logistics for Formula 1®, DHL is now focused on helping Formula 1® reduce its CO2 footprint and overall environmental impact. To this end, DHL equips the entire truck fleet for Formula 1® with GPS systems to monitor fuel consumption and choose the most sustainable routes. Other measures include the use of the new, fuel-efficient Boeing 777 from DHL, which emits 18% less CO2 compared to conventional aircraft, as well as the use of multimodal transport solutions, including land and sea freight. On the occasion of the Monaco Grand Prix in May of this year, DHL, together with Formula 1®, signed a sustainability declaration aimed at reducing the use of single-use plastics at the racetrack.

Photos: © DHL