2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Baku lived up to its reputation for the unexpected at the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, producing a race that swung dramatically in its closing stages. Sergio Perez claimed his first victory for Red Bull Racing, Sebastian Vettel and Pierre Gasly joined him on an unusual podium, and both leading title contenders left without a point.

Race Guide

Season: 2021 F1 World Championship
Race date: 6 June 2021
Race start time: 16:00 local time (UTC+04:00)
Circuit: Baku City Circuit
Laps: 51 laps
Circuit length: 6.003 km
2019 winner: Valtteri Bottas

Pole position
Driver	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari
Time	1:41.218
Fastest lap
Driver	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing
Time	1:44.481 on lap 44
Podium
First	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing
Second	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin
Third	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
4 June 2021	Practice 1	12:30 – 13:30
4 June 2021	Practice 2	16:00 – 17:00
5 June 2021	Practice 3	13:00 – 14:00
5 June 2021	Qualifying	16:00 – 17:00
6 June 2021	Race	16:00

All times are local (UTC+04:00). The race time is the scheduled start.

Championship background

Verstappen arrived in Azerbaijan four points ahead of Hamilton after taking the championship lead in Monaco. Red Bull Racing also held a slender one-point advantage over Mercedes. The return to Baku brought a different kind of street-circuit challenge: tight corners, a long flat-out section and plenty of opportunities for slipstreaming and late braking.

Race entries

The regular 20-driver line-up remained unchanged, with no reserve drivers taking part in the race. Both Aston Martin drivers and the closely matched midfield had opportunities to exploit a weekend in which outright performance did not tell the whole story.

Free Practice

Max Verstappen topped FP1 with a 1:43.184, ahead of Charles Leclerc (+0.043s) and Carlos Sainz. Verstappen headed the Ferrari pair in the opening session, while Mercedes began the weekend further down the order.

Sergio Perez topped FP2 with a 1:42.115, ahead of Max Verstappen (+0.101s) and Carlos Sainz. Perez put Red Bull Racing first and second in FP2. Leclerc brushed the barriers, and a stoppage for Latifi interrupted the session.

Pierre Gasly topped FP3 with a 1:42.251, ahead of Sergio Perez (+0.344s) and Lewis Hamilton. Gasly topped Saturday practice, as Verstappen’s accident at Turn 15 curtailed his running and added another complication before qualifying.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix FP1, 4 June 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:43.184	19
2	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.043s	20
3	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+0.337s	20
4	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	+0.446s	17
5	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	+0.548s	25
6	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+0.573s	23
7	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.709s	20
8	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.812s	20
9	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	+1.593s	25
10	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+1.707s	20
11	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.759s	18
12	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.908s	20
13	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+2.050s	23
14	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	+2.200s	25
15	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	+2.231s	24
16	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	+2.262s	23
17	63	George Russell	Williams	+2.268s	24
18	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+2.590s	22
19	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	+3.715s	20
20	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	+3.761s	18

Free Practice 2 Classification

2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix FP2, 4 June 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	1:42.115	22
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.101s	23
3	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+0.128s	24
4	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.321s	22
5	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+0.419s	26
6	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	+0.578s	24
7	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+0.826s	25
8	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.903s	24
9	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	+0.905s	23
10	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	+1.015s	25
11	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+1.041s	24
12	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.105s	23
13	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	+1.183s	23
14	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+1.697s	21
15	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	+1.766s	22
16	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+2.069s	23
17	63	George Russell	Williams	+2.442s	24
18	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	+3.448s	23
19	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	+3.980s	12
20	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+4.868s	5

Free Practice 3 Classification

2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix FP3, 5 June 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	1:42.251	16
2	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	+0.344s	19
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.446s	16
4	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.527s	16
5	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+0.755s	17
6	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.760s	15
7	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	+0.829s	15
8	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	+0.993s	19
9	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	+1.043s	15
10	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	+1.306s	17
11	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	+1.334s	13
12	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+1.431s	13
13	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+1.494s	16
14	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.575s	17
15	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+1.733s	6
16	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+1.803s	17
17	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.862s	11
18	63	George Russell	Williams	+2.183s	12
19	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	+3.031s	17
20	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	+3.460s	12

Qualifying

Charles Leclerc claimed a second consecutive pole position, setting a 1:41.218 in a qualifying session repeatedly interrupted by crashes. Lewis Hamilton salvaged second for Mercedes, ahead of Max Verstappen, as four red flags made it difficult for drivers to build momentum.

Pierre Gasly qualified fourth, followed by Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris. Norris subsequently received a three-place grid penalty for failing to comply with red-flag procedures. Lance Stroll and Antonio Giovinazzi both crashed before setting a time, while late incidents for Yuki Tsunoda and Sainz ended Q3 before the field could complete its final attempts.

Qualifying Classification

2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Qualifying, 5 June 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:42.241	1:41.659	1:41.218	19
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:41.545	1:41.634	1:41.450	21
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:41.760	1:41.625	1:41.563	19
4	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	1:42.288	1:41.932	1:41.565	18
5	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	1:42.121	1:41.740	1:41.576	18
6	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:42.167	1:41.813	1:41.747	20
7	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	1:41.968	1:41.630	1:41.917	18
8	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	1:42.521	1:41.654	1:42.211	19
9	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	1:42.934	1:42.195	1:42.327	20
10	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:42.701	1:42.106	1:42.659	21
11	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	1:42.460	1:42.224	—	15
12	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	1:42.426	1:42.273	—	11
13	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	1:42.304	1:42.558	—	14
14	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:42.923	1:42.587	—	15
15	63	George Russell	Williams	1:42.728	1:42.758	—	12
16	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	1:43.128	—	—	8
17	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	1:44.158	—	—	10
18	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	1:44.238	—	—	9
—	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	No time	—	—	2
—	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	No time	—	—	4

Lando Norris received a three-place grid penalty for failing to comply with red flags in Q1.

Lance Stroll and Antonio Giovinazzi both failed to set a time during qualifying and were permitted to race at the stewards’ discretion.

What happened in the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix?

Sergio Perez kept his composure through a dramatic late restart to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, securing his second career victory and his first for Red Bull Racing. Sebastian Vettel finished second for Aston Martin, with Pierre Gasly resisting Charles Leclerc to complete the podium.

Leclerc initially held the lead, but the Ferrari soon came under attack on Baku’s long straights. Hamilton moved ahead before Verstappen and Perez also passed the polesitter. The pit-stop sequence then swung the advantage towards Red Bull Racing, with both of its cars emerging ahead of Hamilton.

Verstappen appeared to have the race under control as Perez kept Hamilton behind. Vettel extended his opening stint and used his fresher tyres effectively, moving into contention as others completed their stops. Esteban Ocon, meanwhile, retired early with a turbocharger problem.

Lance Stroll suffered a high-speed tyre failure on the main straight, bringing out the safety car. At the restart Vettel made further progress, passing Leclerc and Gasly to reach fourth, while the leading three returned to their earlier contest.

A second tyre failure transformed the race. Verstappen’s left-rear tyre failed late in the distance and sent the leader into the barriers. After a safety-car period the race was stopped, leaving Perez ahead of Hamilton and Vettel for a short final sprint to the finish.

Hamilton challenged for the lead at the standing restart but inadvertently activated an incorrect brake setting. He locked up and ran into the escape road at Turn 1, dropping out of the points. Perez stayed clear of trouble and held the lead to the flag, while Vettel and Gasly secured memorable podium finishes.

Leclerc finished fourth, ahead of Norris and Fernando Alonso, whose late charge brought him sixth. Tsunoda, Sainz, Daniel Ricciardo and Kimi Räikkönen completed the points. Verstappen retained the fastest lap but received no bonus because he finished outside the top ten, while Hamilton’s 15th place meant the two championship leaders remained separated by four points.

The final outcome rewarded Perez’s pace and composure, gave Aston Martin its first podium under its new identity and offered another reminder of how quickly a race at Baku can change. Red Bull Racing strengthened its constructors’ position even as its leading driver’s opportunity slipped away.

2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix race results

The 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix was held on 6 June 2021, with a scheduled start of 16:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	51	2:13:36.410	25
2	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	51	+1.385s	18
3	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	51	+2.762s	15
4	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	51	+3.828s	12
5	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	51	+4.754s	10
6	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	51	+6.382s	8
7	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	51	+6.624s	6
8	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	51	+7.709s	4
9	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	51	+8.874s	2
10	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	51	+9.576s	1
11	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	51	+10.254s	0
12	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	51	+11.264s	0
13	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	51	+14.241s	0
14	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	51	+14.315s	0
15	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	51	+17.668s	0
16	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	51	+42.379s	0
17	63	George Russell	Williams	48	Gearbox	0
18	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	45	Tyre failure/Accident	0
Ret	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	29	Tyre failure/Accident	0
Ret	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	3	Turbocharger	0

Nicholas Latifi finished thirteenth on the track but received a 10-second stop-and-go penalty converted to a 30-second time penalty for failing to enter the pit lane as instructed during the safety car period.

George Russell and Max Verstappen were classified as they completed more than 90% of the race distance.

2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	44	17:27:50	1:44.481	206.839
2	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	45	17:29:39	1:44.687	206.432
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	43	17:26:10	1:44.769	206.270
4	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	41	17:22:43	1:44.890	206.032
5	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	46	17:31:37	1:44.939	205.936
6	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	44	17:28:02	1:45.220	205.386
7	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	41	17:22:50	1:45.326	205.180
8	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	46	17:31:36	1:45.382	205.071
9	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	44	17:28:14	1:45.575	204.696
10	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	43	17:26:27	1:45.601	204.645
11	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	42	17:24:40	1:45.624	204.601
12	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	43	17:26:30	1:45.665	204.521
13	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	42	17:24:37	1:45.700	204.454
14	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	43	17:26:25	1:45.713	204.428
15	63	George Russell	Williams	43	17:26:33	1:45.959	203.954
16	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	28	16:54:28	1:46.207	203.478
17	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	42	17:24:51	1:46.608	202.712
18	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	41	17:23:06	1:47.624	200.799
19	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	40	17:22:16	1:47.747	200.569
20	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	2	16:07:50	1:50.850	194.955

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

Max Verstappen set the fastest lap but finished outside the top ten, so no fastest-lap point was awarded.

2021 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

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

2021 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Max Verstappen	NED	Red Bull Racing	105
2	Lewis Hamilton	GBR	Mercedes	101
3	Sergio Perez	MEX	Red Bull Racing	69
4	Lando Norris	GBR	McLaren	66
5	Charles Leclerc	MON	Ferrari	52
6	Valtteri Bottas	FIN	Mercedes	47
7	Carlos Sainz	ESP	Ferrari	42
8	Pierre Gasly	FRA	AlphaTauri	31
9	Sebastian Vettel	GER	Aston Martin	28
10	Daniel Ricciardo	AUS	McLaren	26
11	Fernando Alonso	ESP	Alpine	13
12	Esteban Ocon	FRA	Alpine	12
13	Lance Stroll	CAN	Aston Martin	9
14	Yuki Tsunoda	JPN	AlphaTauri	8
15	Kimi Räikkönen	FIN	Alfa Romeo Racing	1
16	Antonio Giovinazzi	ITA	Alfa Romeo Racing	1
17	Mick Schumacher	GER	Haas	0
18	George Russell	GBR	Williams	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	174
2	Mercedes	148
3	Ferrari	94
4	McLaren	92
5	AlphaTauri	39
6	Aston Martin	37
7	Alpine	25
8	Alfa Romeo Racing	2
9	Haas	0
10	Williams	0