2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Formula 1 swapped Bahrain’s floodlights for the sweeping corners of Imola as the 2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix brought the championship back to Europe. Round 2 delivered a dramatic wet-to-dry contest, with Max Verstappen taking victory, Lewis Hamilton staging a remarkable recovery and Lando Norris returning to the podium.

Race Guide

Season: 2021 F1 World Championship
Race date: 18 April 2021
Race start time: 15:00 local time (UTC+02:00)
Circuit: Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari (Imola)
Laps: 63
Circuit length: 4.909 km
2020 winner: Lewis Hamilton

Pole position
Driver	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Time	1:14.411
Fastest lap
Driver	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Time	1:16.702 on lap 60
Podium
First	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing
Second	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Third	Lando Norris	McLaren

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
16 April 2021	Practice 1	11:00 – 12:00
16 April 2021	Practice 2	14:30 – 15:30
17 April 2021	Practice 3	11:00 – 12:00
17 April 2021	Qualifying	14:00 – 15:00
18 April 2021	Race	15:00

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

Championship background

Lewis Hamilton arrived at Imola with 25 points and a seven-point lead over Max Verstappen after their thrilling Bahrain duel. Valtteri Bottas sat third on 16, while Mercedes led Red Bull Racing by 41 points to 28 in the Constructors’ Championship. With so little separating the leading cars in the opener, the return to Europe offered another fascinating test.

Hamilton was also the defending winner at Imola, which had returned to the calendar in 2020. This time the event reverted to a full three-day format, although the grandstands remained closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The timetable was adjusted so that qualifying would not clash with the funeral of Prince Philip.

Race entries

The same 20 drivers and ten teams from Bahrain returned for Round 2, with no stand-in drivers entered for the race. Sergio Perez continued his first season alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing, while Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo and Carlos Sainz each had another opportunity to build experience with their new teams.

Rookies Yuki Tsunoda, Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin all faced their second Grand Prix weekend, this time on a narrow circuit that would demand precision throughout every session.

Free Practice

Valtteri Bottas set the early pace in FP1 with a 1:16.564, leading Lewis Hamilton by just 0.041s and Max Verstappen by 0.058s. The tiny gap between the leading three promised a close weekend, but the session was interrupted by red flags following contact between Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon, and a later accident for Nikita Mazepin.

Bottas remained quickest in FP2, producing a 1:15.551 to beat Hamilton by only 0.010s. Pierre Gasly kept AlphaTauri firmly in the picture in third, just 0.078s from the fastest time. Verstappen’s afternoon was cut short by a technical problem after five laps, while Charles Leclerc‘s late crash brought the session to an early end.

Verstappen bounced back on Saturday morning with a commanding 1:14.958 in FP3. Lando Norris took second, 0.456s behind, and Hamilton completed the top three. Perez was fourth ahead of Leclerc, leaving both Red Bull Racing cars well placed heading into qualifying and Norris looking increasingly competitive for McLaren.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix FP1, 16 April 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:16.564	23
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.041s	25
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.058s	21
4	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+0.324s	21
5	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+0.324s	26
6	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.345s	13
7	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	+0.893s	23
8	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+0.925s	19
9	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+1.175s	24
10	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	+1.205s	23
11	63	George Russell	Williams	+1.302s	25
12	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.319s	16
13	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+1.371s	16
14	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	+1.420s	23
15	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.494s	24
16	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	+1.664s	15
17	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	+1.796s	20
18	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	+2.259s	22
19	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	+2.916s	18
20	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	+3.217s	11

Free Practice 2 Classification

2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix FP2, 16 April 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:15.551	25
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.010s	26
3	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+0.078s	30
4	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+0.283s	30
5	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.820s	28
6	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	+0.860s	25
7	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	+0.868s	26
8	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.934s	23
9	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+0.962s	25
10	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+1.186s	25
11	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	+1.266s	27
12	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+1.272s	29
13	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	+1.284s	27
14	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+1.448s	5
15	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	+1.541s	27
16	63	George Russell	Williams	+1.628s	31
17	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.722s	27
18	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	+1.730s	24
19	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	+1.799s	28
20	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	+2.306s	16

Free Practice 3 Classification

2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix FP3, 17 April 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:14.958	18
2	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.456s	17
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.557s	18
4	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	+0.593s	18
5	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.780s	21
6	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+0.932s	22
7	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+0.950s	21
8	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.950s	19
9	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	+1.228s	20
10	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	+1.270s	20
11	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	+1.272s	20
12	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+1.287s	19
13	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	+1.295s	17
14	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	+1.431s	19
15	63	George Russell	Williams	+1.469s	20
16	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	+1.490s	22
17	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+1.579s	15
18	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.654s	22
19	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.845s	23
20	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	+2.440s	23

Qualifying

Lewis Hamilton produced the decisive lap in an exceptionally close qualifying session, taking the 99th pole position of his career with a 1:14.411. Sergio Perez was only 0.035s behind in second, while Max Verstappen completed the leading trio just 0.087s away from pole. Mercedes had the first grid slot, but Red Bull Racing had both cars ready to attack.

Charles Leclerc qualified fourth, ahead of Pierre Gasly and Daniel Ricciardo. Lando Norris briefly threatened a front-row start before his final lap was deleted for exceeding track limits, leaving him seventh. Valtteri Bottas had to settle for eighth, with Esteban Ocon and Lance Stroll completing the top ten.

Carlos Sainz missed Q3 in 11th, while both Williams drivers reached Q2. Yuki Tsunoda‘s session ended much earlier after a heavy crash in Q1, leaving the AlphaTauri driver without a time and facing a start at the rear.

Qualifying Classification

2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Qualifying, 17 April 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:14.823	1:14.817	1:14.411	23
2	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	1:15.395	1:14.716	1:14.446	18
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:15.109	1:14.884	1:14.498	20
4	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:15.413	1:14.808	1:14.740	19
5	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	1:15.548	1:14.927	1:14.790	21
6	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	1:15.669	1:15.033	1:14.826	21
7	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:15.009	1:14.718	1:14.875	15
8	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:14.672	1:14.905	1:14.898	22
9	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	1:15.385	1:15.117	1:15.210	20
10	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	1:15.522	1:15.138	No time	20
11	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	1:15.406	1:15.199	—	16
12	63	George Russell	Williams	1:15.826	1:15.261	—	16
13	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	1:15.459	1:15.394	—	14
14	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	1:15.653	1:15.593	—	14
15	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	1:15.832	1:15.593	—	14
16	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:15.974	—	—	10
17	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:16.122	—	—	9
18	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	1:16.279	—	—	12
19	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	1:16.797	—	—	12
—	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	No time	—	—	2

Nicholas Latifi and Fernando Alonso recorded identical Q2 times; Latifi was placed ahead because he set his time first. Lance Stroll reached Q3 but did not record a valid time in that segment.

Yuki Tsunoda recorded no qualifying time but was permitted to race by the stewards. A gearbox penalty and penalties for replacement power-unit components did not move him further back, as he was already starting last. Sebastian Vettel qualified 13th but subsequently started from the pit lane. A dash indicates that the driver did not reach that qualifying segment.

What happened in the 2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix?

Max Verstappen answered his Bahrain disappointment in style, winning the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix after a superb start and a controlled performance in changing conditions. Lewis Hamilton recovered from a trip into the gravel to finish second, while Lando Norris completed the podium after another impressive afternoon for McLaren.

Rain before the start transformed the challenge. Verstappen launched from third and attacked immediately, moving past Sergio Perez and alongside polesitter Hamilton on the approach to Tamburello. The Red Bull Racing driver emerged in front, with Hamilton running over the kerbs and sustaining front-wing damage as he fought to hold his position.

The difficult conditions soon claimed Nicholas Latifi, whose Williams hit the barriers after contact with Nikita Mazepin. During the resulting safety-car period, Mick Schumacher spun and damaged his front wing. Perez also ran off the circuit and then regained positions under the safety car, earning a ten-second stop-go penalty.

At the front, Hamilton kept Verstappen under pressure as the circuit began to dry. Red Bull Racing brought its leader in for slick tyres, with Mercedes responding on the following lap. A slower stop for Hamilton helped Verstappen preserve his advantage, but the race was about to change far more dramatically.

Hamilton slid into the gravel at Tosa while negotiating traffic on lap 31, damaging his car as he tried to recover. Almost immediately afterwards, George Russell and Valtteri Bottas collided at high speed on the run towards Tamburello. Both retired, and debris across the circuit forced the race to be stopped. The stewards subsequently treated the collision as a racing incident.

The stoppage gave Mercedes a chance to repair Hamilton’s car and allowed him to regain the lap he had lost under the restart procedure. What had looked like a potentially costly afternoon suddenly offered an opportunity to recover, although he still had a queue of cars to pass.

Verstappen survived a slide while preparing for the restart and retained the lead when racing resumed. Norris made an immediate move on Charles Leclerc to take second, putting McLaren in contention for a major result. Perez and Yuki Tsunoda both lost ground with spins, leaving their afternoons focused on recovery rather than podium ambitions.

Hamilton then worked his way through the field, passing the Ferraris and eventually Norris to reclaim second. His 1:16.702 on lap 60 secured the fastest-lap bonus point, a small addition with a significant consequence: it kept him at the head of the championship.

Verstappen took the flag 22 seconds clear to claim his first victory of the season. Norris held on for third and his second Formula 1 podium, while Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finished fourth and fifth for Ferrari. Daniel Ricciardo added sixth, giving McLaren another strong haul of points.

The final points positions changed after the race. Lance Stroll‘s five-second penalty for gaining an advantage off track promoted Pierre Gasly to seventh and dropped the Aston Martin to eighth. Kimi Räikkönen‘s 30-second penalty for a restart infringement moved him from ninth to 13th, leaving Esteban Ocon ninth and Fernando Alonso tenth for Alpine.

Perez and Tsunoda finished outside the points in 11th and 12th. Antonio Giovinazzi was 14th, ahead of Sebastian Vettel, who was classified despite retiring with a gearbox problem. Schumacher and Mazepin completed the classified runners, while Bottas, Russell and Latifi all retired following collisions.

After two rounds, Hamilton and Verstappen had a win apiece and were separated by just one point. Norris moved up to third in the standings, and Mercedes‘ advantage over Red Bull Racing shrank to seven points. With Portugal next, the championship had already produced two weekends rich in drama and a title contest gathering momentum.

2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix race results

The 2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was held on 18 April 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	63	2:02:34.598	25
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	63	+22.000s	19
3	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	63	+23.702s	15
4	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	63	+25.579s	12
5	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	63	+27.036s	10
6	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	63	+51.220s	8
7	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	63	+52.818s	6
8	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	63	+56.909s	4
9	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	63	+65.704s	2
10	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	63	+66.561s	1
11	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	63	+67.151s	0
12	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	63	+73.184s	0
13	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	63	+94.773s	0
14	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	62	+1 lap	0
15	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	61	Gearbox	0
16	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	61	+2 laps	0
17	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	61	+2 laps	0
Ret	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	30	Collision	0
Ret	63	George Russell	Williams	30	Collision	0
Ret	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	0	Collision	0

Lewis Hamilton‘s 19 points include the fastest-lap bonus. Lance Stroll finished seventh on the road but received a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage while passing Pierre Gasly.

Yuki Tsunoda received a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits. Kimi Räikkönen finished ninth on the road but received a 30-second penalty for a rolling-start infringement, dropping him to 13th; that penalty was upheld following a review.

Sergio Perez served a ten-second stop-go penalty for overtaking under the safety car. Sebastian Vettel started from the pit lane after pre-race brake problems and served a ten-second stop-go penalty because his tyres were not fitted by the required deadline. Vettel retired with a gearbox problem but was classified after completing more than 90% of the race distance.

2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	60	17:02:16	1:16.702	230.403
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	60	17:01:56	1:17.524	227.960
3	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	63	17:06:13	1:18.259	225.819
4	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	49	16:48:23	1:18.334	225.603
5	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	62	17:05:40	1:18.353	225.548
6	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	60	17:02:20	1:18.379	225.473
7	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	60	17:02:21	1:18.490	225.154
8	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	59	17:01:24	1:18.782	224.320
9	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	52	16:52:07	1:18.994	223.718
10	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	59	17:01:48	1:19.074	223.491
11	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	58	17:01:50	1:19.193	223.156
12	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	54	16:54:44	1:19.341	222.739
13	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	62	17:05:37	1:19.396	222.585
14	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	62	17:05:36	1:19.417	222.526
15	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	62	17:05:35	1:19.422	222.512
16	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	57	16:59:24	1:19.470	222.378
17	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	55	16:58:32	1:20.402	219.800
18	63	George Russell	Williams	28	15:51:18	1:26.543	204.203
19	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	30	15:54:14	1:28.485	199.721

Nicholas Latifi retired before completing a racing lap and therefore has no recorded fastest lap. 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 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

2021 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Lewis Hamilton	GBR	Mercedes	44
2	Max Verstappen	NED	Red Bull Racing	43
3	Lando Norris	GBR	McLaren	27
4	Charles Leclerc	MON	Ferrari	20
5	Valtteri Bottas	FIN	Mercedes	16
6	Carlos Sainz	ESP	Ferrari	14
7	Daniel Ricciardo	AUS	McLaren	14
8	Sergio Perez	MEX	Red Bull Racing	10
9	Pierre Gasly	FRA	AlphaTauri	6
10	Lance Stroll	CAN	Aston Martin	5
11	Yuki Tsunoda	JPN	AlphaTauri	2
12	Esteban Ocon	FRA	Alpine	2
13	Fernando Alonso	ESP	Alpine	1
14	Kimi Räikkönen	FIN	Alfa Romeo Racing	0
15	Antonio Giovinazzi	ITA	Alfa Romeo Racing	0
16	George Russell	GBR	Williams	0
17	Sebastian Vettel	GER	Aston Martin	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	Mercedes	60
2	Red Bull Racing	53
3	McLaren	41
4	Ferrari	34
5	AlphaTauri	8
6	Aston Martin	5
7	Alpine	3
8	Alfa Romeo Racing	0
9	Williams	0
10	Haas	0