2021 Austrian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

The Red Bull Ring hosted Formula 1 for a second consecutive weekend at the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix, and Max Verstappen completed the double in emphatic fashion. A near-perfect performance brought his first career grand slam, while Lando Norris starred for McLaren and a series of penalties kept the battles behind the leader lively.

Race Guide

Season: 2021 F1 World Championship
Race date: 4 July 2021
Race start time: 15:00 local time (UTC+02:00)
Circuit: Red Bull Ring
Laps: 71 laps
Circuit length: 4.318 km
2020 winner: Valtteri Bottas

Pole position
Driver	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing
Time	1:03.720
Fastest lap
Driver	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing
Time	1:06.200 on lap 62
Podium
First	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing
Second	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes
Third	Lando Norris	McLaren

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
2 July 2021	Practice 1	11:30 – 12:30
2 July 2021	Practice 2	15:00 – 16:00
3 July 2021	Practice 3	12:00 – 13:00
3 July 2021	Qualifying	15:00 – 16:00
4 July 2021	Race	15:00

All times are local (UTC+02:00). The race time is the scheduled start.

Championship background

Mercedes had seven days to respond to Verstappen’s dominant Styrian victory, but Red Bull Racing arrived with the confidence of four consecutive team wins. The championship leader was now 18 points ahead of Hamilton. A large crowd and strong support for Verstappen added to the atmosphere, while Norris’s pace suggested there could be a different challenger near the front.

Race entries

The regular race line-up remained unchanged, but three reserve drivers took part in FP1. Callum Ilott replaced Antonio Giovinazzi at Alfa Romeo Racing, Roy Nissany drove George Russell‘s Williams, and Zhou Guanyu made his Formula 1 practice debut in Fernando Alonso‘s Alpine.

Free Practice

Max Verstappen topped FP1 with a 1:05.143, ahead of Charles Leclerc (+0.266s) and Carlos Sainz. Verstappen headed the two Ferraris in FP1, continuing where he had left off at the previous weekend’s race.

Lewis Hamilton topped FP2 with a 1:04.523, ahead of Valtteri Bottas (+0.189s) and Max Verstappen. Hamilton and Bottas put Mercedes first and second in FP2, offering a closer contest as teams refined their set-ups.

Max Verstappen topped FP3 with a 1:04.591, ahead of Valtteri Bottas (+0.538s) and Lewis Hamilton. Verstappen reasserted himself in final practice, finishing more than half a second ahead of Bottas.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2021 Austrian Grand Prix FP1, 2 July 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:05.143	37
2	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.266s	33
3	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+0.288s	33
4	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.302s	31
5	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	+0.331s	35
6	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+0.443s	28
7	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.566s	32
8	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	+0.583s	31
9	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+0.583s	36
10	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.737s	28
11	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	+0.837s	30
12	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	+1.038s	31
13	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+1.060s	30
14	37	Zhou Guanyu	Alpine	+1.271s	29
15	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	+1.301s	28
16	98	Callum Ilott	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.421s	23
17	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	+1.440s	29
18	45	Roy Nissany	Williams	+1.540s	34
19	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+1.835s	36
20	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	+2.173s	30

Free Practice 2 Classification

2021 Austrian Grand Prix FP2, 2 July 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:04.523	31
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.189s	34
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.217s	35
4	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+0.616s	33
5	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	+0.745s	37
6	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	+0.833s	37
7	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+0.856s	38
8	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	+0.870s	34
9	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.943s	34
10	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+0.988s	32
11	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	+0.993s	39
12	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	+1.004s	36
13	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+1.097s	37
14	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.101s	33
15	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	+1.175s	32
16	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+1.185s	33
17	63	George Russell	Williams	+1.296s	36
18	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	+1.388s	35
19	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+1.491s	38
20	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	+1.650s	35

Free Practice 3 Classification

2021 Austrian Grand Prix FP3, 3 July 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:04.591	15
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.538s	22
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.686s	20
4	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+0.689s	27
5	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+0.754s	27
6	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+0.756s	29
7	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	+0.805s	20
8	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	+0.843s	23
9	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.893s	35
10	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	+0.951s	22
11	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+0.955s	19
12	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	+0.970s	23
13	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	+1.083s	22
14	63	George Russell	Williams	+1.103s	23
15	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+1.109s	23
16	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	+1.134s	21
17	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.156s	31
18	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	+1.487s	26
19	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+1.514s	17
20	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	+1.698s	28

Qualifying

Max Verstappen took pole position with a 1:03.720, but Lando Norris came within 0.048s of denying him. Second place was Norris’s best qualifying result to that point and put McLaren on the front row, ahead of Sergio Perez and the two Mercedes drivers.

Lewis Hamilton qualified fourth and Valtteri Bottas fifth, leaving Mercedes with work to do. George Russell reached Q3 for Williams and qualified ninth, while Sebastian Vettel received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Fernando Alonso. The front of the grid promised an intriguing contest between Verstappen’s pace and Norris’s opportunity.

Qualifying Classification

2021 Austrian Grand Prix Qualifying, 3 July 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:04.249	1:03.927	1:03.720	16
2	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:04.345	1:04.415	1:03.768	19
3	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	1:04.833	1:04.483	1:03.990	24
4	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:04.506	1:04.258	1:04.014	18
5	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:04.563	1:04.376	1:04.049	19
6	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	1:04.841	1:04.412	1:04.107	21
7	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	1:04.967	1:04.518	1:04.273	21
8	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	1:04.846	1:04.493	1:04.570	20
9	63	George Russell	Williams	1:04.907	1:04.553	1:04.591	15
10	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	1:04.927	1:04.547	1:04.618	21
11	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	1:04.596	1:04.559	—	15
12	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:04.906	1:04.600	—	15
13	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	1:04.977	1:04.719	—	15
14	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	1:04.472	1:04.856	—	9
15	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:04.782	1:05.083	—	15
16	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:05.009	—	—	9
17	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	1:05.051	—	—	6
18	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	1:05.195	—	—	6
19	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	1:05.427	—	—	9
20	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	1:05.951	—	—	9

Sebastian Vettel received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Fernando Alonso during qualifying.

What happened in the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix?

Max Verstappen delivered a complete performance at the Austrian Grand Prix, taking victory from pole, leading every lap and setting the fastest lap. His first career grand slam capped a commanding run of form and left Mercedes facing a growing championship deficit.

The opening lap brought an early retirement for Esteban Ocon after contact in the midfield. When racing resumed following the safety car, Sergio Perez attacked Lando Norris around the outside at Turn 4. Perez ran through the gravel and lost positions, while Norris received a five-second penalty for forcing him off the circuit.

Verstappen moved clear as the battle for second became more complicated. Hamilton passed Norris but later suffered damage that compromised his pace. Mercedes eventually allowed Bottas ahead, and Norris also overtook Hamilton, leaving the reigning champion fourth.

Norris served his penalty at his stop and still recovered to the podium, finishing third behind Bottas. It was another strong result for the McLaren driver, whose qualifying performance had already been one of the weekend’s highlights.

Perez’s recovery included two incidents in which Charles Leclerc was forced off track, earning him two five-second penalties. Those additions to his race time allowed Carlos Sainz to take fifth in the final classification, with Perez sixth ahead of Daniel Ricciardo and Leclerc.

Pierre Gasly finished ninth, while Fernando Alonso passed George Russell late on to claim the final point. Russell’s wait for a points finish with Williams continued despite a competitive weekend. A last-lap collision between Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastian Vettel prompted further investigations and penalties among the lower positions.

Verstappen’s advantage at the front allowed Red Bull Racing to make an extra stop for fresh tyres without surrendering the lead. He used them to secure the fastest-lap bonus and complete the grand slam. With the Austrian double-header swept, attention shifted to Silverstone and the first sprint weekend of the season.

2021 Austrian Grand Prix race results

The 2021 Austrian Grand Prix was held on 4 July 2021, with a scheduled start of 15:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	71	1:23:54.543	26
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	71	+17.973s	18
3	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	71	+20.019s	15
4	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	71	+46.452s	12
5	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	71	+57.144s	10
6	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	71	+57.915s	8
7	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	71	+60.395s	6
8	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	71	+61.195s	4
9	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	71	+61.844s	2
10	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	70	+1 lap	1
11	63	George Russell	Williams	70	+1 lap	0
12	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	70	+1 lap	0
13	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	70	+1 lap	0
14	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	70	+1 lap	0
15	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	70	+1 lap	0
16	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	70	+1 lap	0
17	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	69	Collision	0
18	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	69	+2 laps	0
19	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	69	+2 laps	0
Ret	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	0	Collision	0

Max Verstappen earned the additional point for fastest lap.

Sergio Perez received a 10-second time penalty for forcing Charles Leclerc out of the track twice.

Yuki Tsunoda received a five-second time penalty for crossing the line at the pit entry.

Lance Stroll received a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane.

Kimi Räikkönen finished 16th on track, but received a post-race drive-through penalty converted to a 20-second time penalty for causing a collision with Sebastian Vettel. He was classified 15th due to Nicholas Latifi ‘s penalty.

Nicholas Latifi finished 15th on track, but received a post-race 10-second stop-and-go time penalty converted to a 30-second time penalty for not respecting double yellow flags.

Sebastian Vettel was classified as he completed more than 90% of the race distance.

Nikita Mazepin received a post-race 10-second stop-and-go time penalty converted to a 30-second time penalty for not respecting double yellow flags. This made no difference as he finished last.

2021 Austrian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	62	16:16:38	1:06.200	234.815
2	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	70	16:26:38	1:07.762	229.402
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	55	16:09:09	1:08.126	228.177
4	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	54	16:08:26	1:08.146	228.110
5	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	55	16:09:20	1:08.192	227.956
6	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	52	16:05:20	1:08.374	227.349
7	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	70	16:27:01	1:08.405	227.246
8	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	51	16:05:16	1:08.420	227.196
9	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	54	16:08:50	1:08.455	227.080
10	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	62	16:16:49	1:08.471	227.027
11	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	62	16:17:50	1:08.520	226.865
12	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	54	16:08:53	1:08.659	226.405
13	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	55	16:09:23	1:08.698	226.277
14	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	56	16:10:31	1:08.820	225.876
15	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	69	16:26:23	1:08.874	225.699
16	63	George Russell	Williams	56	16:10:49	1:08.900	225.613
17	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	55	16:10:06	1:09.042	225.149
18	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	56	16:11:32	1:09.394	224.007
19	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	49	16:04:03	1:09.757	222.842

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear in this table. Time of Day is local time; average speeds are in km/h.

2021 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings for drivers and teams after the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix.

2021 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Max Verstappen	NED	Red Bull Racing	182
2	Lewis Hamilton	GBR	Mercedes	150
3	Sergio Perez	MEX	Red Bull Racing	104
4	Lando Norris	GBR	McLaren	101
5	Valtteri Bottas	FIN	Mercedes	92
6	Charles Leclerc	MON	Ferrari	62
7	Carlos Sainz	ESP	Ferrari	60
8	Daniel Ricciardo	AUS	McLaren	40
9	Pierre Gasly	FRA	AlphaTauri	39
10	Sebastian Vettel	GER	Aston Martin	30
11	Fernando Alonso	ESP	Alpine	20
12	Lance Stroll	CAN	Aston Martin	14
13	Esteban Ocon	FRA	Alpine	12
14	Yuki Tsunoda	JPN	AlphaTauri	9
15	Kimi Räikkönen	FIN	Alfa Romeo Racing	1
16	Antonio Giovinazzi	ITA	Alfa Romeo Racing	1
17	George Russell	GBR	Williams	0
18	Mick Schumacher	GER	Haas	0
19	Nikita Mazepin	RAF	Haas	0
20	Nicholas Latifi	CAN	Williams	0

RAF denotes the neutral Russian Automobile Federation designation used by Nikita Mazepin in 2021.

2021 Post-Race F1 Constructors’ Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Red Bull Racing	286
2	Mercedes	242
3	McLaren	141
4	Ferrari	122
5	AlphaTauri	48
6	Aston Martin	44
7	Alpine	32
8	Alfa Romeo Racing	2
9	Williams	0
10	Haas	0