2021 French Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

The 2021 French Grand Prix turned into a strategic thriller at Circuit Paul Ricard, with Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton trading the advantage as their teams debated one stop or two. Verstappen delivered the decisive move on the penultimate lap, converting an early mistake into a valuable victory and extending his championship lead.

Race Guide

Season: 2021 F1 World Championship
Race date: 20 June 2021
Race start time: 15:00 local time (UTC+02:00)
Circuit: Circuit Paul Ricard
Laps: 53 laps
Circuit length: 5.842 km
2019 winner: Lewis Hamilton

Pole position
Driver	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing
Time	1:29.990
Fastest lap
Driver	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing
Time	1:36.404 on lap 35
Podium
First	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing
Second	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Third	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
18 June 2021	Practice 1	11:30 – 12:30
18 June 2021	Practice 2	15:00 – 16:00
19 June 2021	Practice 3	12:00 – 13:00
19 June 2021	Qualifying	15:00 – 16:00
20 June 2021	Race	15:00

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

Championship background

France returned to the calendar after its 2020 cancellation and opened a run of three races on consecutive weekends. Neither championship leader had scored in Baku, leaving Verstappen four points ahead of Hamilton, while Red Bull Racing had widened its lead over Mercedes. The more conventional layout at Paul Ricard was expected to offer a clearer measure of the leading teams after two very different street races.

Race entries

All regular race drivers remained in place. Roy Nissany took part in FP1 for Williams in George Russell‘s car, with Russell returning for the rest of the weekend.

Free Practice

Valtteri Bottas topped FP1 with a 1:33.448, ahead of Lewis Hamilton (+0.335s) and Max Verstappen. Bottas led a Mercedes one-two in FP1, as several drivers discovered how costly the circuit’s kerbs and abrasive run-off could be.

Max Verstappen topped FP2 with a 1:32.872, ahead of Valtteri Bottas (+0.008s) and Lewis Hamilton. Verstappen moved ahead in FP2 by only eight thousandths of a second, keeping the leading teams closely matched.

Max Verstappen topped FP3 with a 1:31.300, ahead of Valtteri Bottas (+0.747s) and Carlos Sainz. Red Bull Racing‘s advantage was more convincing on Saturday morning, when Verstappen finished over seven tenths clear of Bottas.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2021 French Grand Prix FP1, 18 June 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:33.448	24
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.335s	21
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.432s	23
4	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	+0.745s	25
5	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	+0.881s	25
6	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	+1.196s	24
7	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	+1.245s	21
8	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+1.251s	20
9	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+1.259s	21
10	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	+1.399s	22
11	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+1.502s	24
12	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.668s	23
13	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.687s	20
14	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+1.827s	23
15	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	+1.841s	16
16	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+1.894s	24
17	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+2.164s	22
18	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	+3.203s	24
19	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	+3.881s	14
20	45	Roy Nissany	Williams	+4.433s	16

Free Practice 2 Classification

2021 French Grand Prix FP2, 18 June 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:32.872	21
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.008s	27
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.253s	23
4	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	+0.468s	25
5	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.678s	23
6	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	+0.813s	23
7	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+0.824s	25
8	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+0.826s	24
9	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+0.914s	26
10	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.950s	24
11	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+0.959s	23
12	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	+1.049s	24
13	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	+1.083s	25
14	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	+1.207s	24
15	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	+1.575s	25
16	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+1.760s	24
17	63	George Russell	Williams	+2.394s	25
18	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+2.459s	25
19	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	+2.640s	24
20	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	+2.679s	23

Free Practice 3 Classification

2021 French Grand Prix FP3, 19 June 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:31.300	11
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.747s	14
3	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+0.895s	17
4	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	+0.938s	15
5	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.966s	15
6	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+1.036s	14
7	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	+1.324s	15
8	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	+1.381s	16
9	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+1.407s	16
10	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	+1.459s	14
11	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+1.520s	15
12	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.717s	17
13	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+1.751s	15
14	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	+1.900s	18
15	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.028s	16
16	63	George Russell	Williams	+2.064s	16
17	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	+2.124s	17
18	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+2.284s	16
19	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	+2.843s	14
20	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	+3.342s	13

Qualifying

Max Verstappen produced the only lap below 1m30s to take pole position, his 1:29.990 beating Lewis Hamilton by 0.258s. Valtteri Bottas qualified third and Sergio Perez fourth, placing both Mercedes and Red Bull Racing cars at the centre of the strategic contest.

Carlos Sainz led the midfield in fifth, ahead of Pierre Gasly and Charles Leclerc. Lando Norris, Fernando Alonso and Daniel Ricciardo completed the top ten. Mick Schumacher reached Q2 but could not participate after crashing at the end of Q1, while Yuki Tsunoda‘s early accident left him without a qualifying time.

Qualifying Classification

2021 French Grand Prix Qualifying, 19 June 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:31.001	1:31.080	1:29.990	16
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:31.237	1:30.788	1:30.248	20
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:31.669	1:30.735	1:30.376	16
4	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	1:31.560	1:30.971	1:30.445	16
5	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	1:32.079	1:31.146	1:30.840	19
6	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	1:31.898	1:31.353	1:30.868	22
7	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:32.209	1:31.567	1:30.987	20
8	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:31.733	1:31.542	1:31.252	18
9	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	1:32.158	1:31.549	1:31.340	17
10	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	1:32.181	1:31.615	1:31.382	21
11	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	1:32.139	1:31.736	—	10
12	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	1:32.132	1:31.767	—	12
13	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:32.722	1:31.813	—	13
14	63	George Russell	Williams	1:33.060	1:32.065	—	13
15	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	1:32.942	No time	—	7
16	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	1:33.062	—	—	7
17	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:33.354	—	—	7
18	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	1:33.554	—	—	7
NC	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	2:12.584	—	—	7
—	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	No time	—	—	2

Lance Stroll failed to set a time within the 107% requirement, but was permitted to race at the stewards’ discretion.

Yuki Tsunoda failed to set a time during qualifying, but was permitted to race at the stewards’ discretion. He received a five-place grid penalty for an unscheduled gearbox change. This made no difference as he was already due to start from last place. He was then required to start the race from the pit lane for a floor and suspension setup change in parc fermé.

What happened in the 2021 French Grand Prix?

Max Verstappen won a gripping French Grand Prix after chasing down Lewis Hamilton on a two-stop strategy and passing him with just one lap remaining. Sergio Perez added third place, giving Red Bull Racing a double podium and turning the pressure back onto Mercedes.

The afternoon had begun badly for Verstappen. He ran wide at the opening corners and surrendered the lead to Hamilton, who settled into the position that Red Bull Racing had hoped to defend. Bottas stayed close enough to make the leading battle a strategic contest involving both Mercedes cars.

The first pit stops changed the order. Verstappen stopped before Hamilton and made the most of his fresh tyres, emerging ahead when the Mercedes driver completed his own stop. The undercut had proved stronger than expected, but holding the lead to the finish still required another difficult decision.

Red Bull Racing chose to stop Verstappen again, sacrificing track position and asking him to close a sizeable gap on newer tyres. Mercedes kept Hamilton and Bottas out, setting up a direct contest between an extra pit stop and the time that could be recovered on track.

Verstappen passed Bottas and continued to reduce Hamilton’s advantage. Hamilton defended his position until the closing stages, but his older tyres left him exposed when the Red Bull Racing arrived. Verstappen made the decisive pass on lap 52 and completed the remaining distance to secure victory, also taking the fastest-lap bonus point.

Perez’s longer opening stint gave him the tyre life to pass Bottas late on for third. Behind the leading four, Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo delivered fifth and sixth for McLaren, a particularly valuable result on a day when both Ferraris struggled with tyre wear and finished outside the points.

Pierre Gasly took seventh at his home race, followed by Fernando Alonso and the Aston Martin pair of Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll. All 20 cars finished, but the lack of retirements did nothing to diminish the tension at the front. Red Bull Racing had beaten Mercedes in a straight strategic fight, and Verstappen headed to Austria with renewed momentum.

2021 French Grand Prix race results

The 2021 French Grand Prix was held on 20 June 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	53	1:27:25.770	26
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	53	+2.904s	18
3	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	53	+8.811s	15
4	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	53	+14.618s	12
5	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	53	+64.032s	10
6	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	53	+75.857s	8
7	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	53	+76.596s	6
8	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	53	+77.695s	4
9	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	53	+79.666s	2
10	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	53	+91.946s	1
11	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	53	+99.337s	0
12	63	George Russell	Williams	52	+1 lap	0
13	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	52	+1 lap	0
14	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	52	+1 lap	0
15	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	52	+1 lap	0
16	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	52	+1 lap	0
17	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	52	+1 lap	0
18	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	52	+1 lap	0
19	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	52	+1 lap	0
20	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	52	+1 lap	0

Max Verstappen earned the additional point for fastest lap.

2021 French Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	35	16:01:43	1:36.404	218.156
2	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	53	16:31:00	1:36.693	217.504
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	19	15:35:21	1:36.960	216.905
4	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	52	16:30:34	1:37.138	216.508
5	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	44	16:16:11	1:37.410	215.903
6	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	52	16:30:18	1:37.425	215.870
7	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	44	16:17:23	1:37.646	215.382
8	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	43	16:16:13	1:37.681	215.304
9	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	44	16:17:38	1:37.828	214.981
10	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	46	16:21:16	1:37.992	214.621
11	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	44	16:17:21	1:38.103	214.378
12	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	50	16:27:58	1:38.313	213.920
13	63	George Russell	Williams	52	16:31:00	1:38.314	213.918
14	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	45	16:18:56	1:38.324	213.896
15	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	33	15:59:36	1:38.645	213.200
16	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	36	16:04:36	1:38.702	213.077
17	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	51	16:30:07	1:38.847	212.765
18	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	19	15:35:52	1:38.931	212.584
19	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	18	15:34:24	1:38.980	212.479
20	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	34	16:01:54	1:39.317	211.758

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 French Grand Prix.

2021 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Max Verstappen	NED	Red Bull Racing	131
2	Lewis Hamilton	GBR	Mercedes	119
3	Sergio Perez	MEX	Red Bull Racing	84
4	Lando Norris	GBR	McLaren	76
5	Valtteri Bottas	FIN	Mercedes	59
6	Charles Leclerc	MON	Ferrari	52
7	Carlos Sainz	ESP	Ferrari	42
8	Pierre Gasly	FRA	AlphaTauri	37
9	Daniel Ricciardo	AUS	McLaren	34
10	Sebastian Vettel	GER	Aston Martin	30
11	Fernando Alonso	ESP	Alpine	17
12	Esteban Ocon	FRA	Alpine	12
13	Lance Stroll	CAN	Aston Martin	10
14	Yuki Tsunoda	JPN	AlphaTauri	8
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	215
2	Mercedes	178
3	McLaren	110
4	Ferrari	94
5	AlphaTauri	45
6	Aston Martin	40
7	Alpine	29
8	Alfa Romeo Racing	2
9	Williams	0
10	Haas	0