2021 Portuguese Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Formula 1 returned to the rollercoaster contours of Portimão for the 2021 Portuguese Grand Prix, with the opening two rounds having already produced a win apiece for Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. Round 3 brought another absorbing contest, as Hamilton combined decisive overtaking with measured race management to come out on top in the Algarve.

Race Guide

Season: 2021 F1 World Championship
Race date: 2 May 2021
Race start time: 15:00 local time (UTC+01:00)
Circuit: Algarve International Circuit
Laps: 66 laps
Circuit length: 4.653 km
2020 winner: Lewis Hamilton

Pole position
Driver	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes
Time	1:18.348
Fastest lap
Driver	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes
Time	1:19.865 on lap 65
Podium
First	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Second	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing
Third	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes

Weekend Schedule

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

All times are local (UTC+01:00). The race time is the scheduled start.

Championship background

Imola had reduced Hamilton’s advantage to a single point, leaving little room for error as the championship moved to Portugal. The Algarve International Circuit had joined the calendar in 2020 and retained its place for a second season, presenting the drivers with a flowing sequence of climbs, dips and exposed corners. A second DRS zone added another opportunity to attack, while the slippery surface made finding consistent grip an important part of the weekend.

Race entries

The regular 20-driver race line-up remained unchanged. Callum Ilott made his Formula 1 practice debut with Alfa Romeo Racing, taking Antonio Giovinazzi‘s car for FP1 before handing it back for the remainder of the weekend.

Free Practice

Valtteri Bottas topped FP1 with a 1:19.648, ahead of Max Verstappen (+0.025s) and Sergio Perez. Bottas began the weekend with a narrow advantage over the two Red Bull Racing cars, showing that Mercedes had arrived ready to challenge.

Lewis Hamilton topped FP2 with a 1:19.837, ahead of Max Verstappen (+0.143s) and Valtteri Bottas. Hamilton recovered from a less comfortable opening session to lead the afternoon running, keeping the contest between the leading teams finely balanced.

Max Verstappen topped FP3 with a 1:18.489, ahead of Lewis Hamilton (+0.236s) and Valtteri Bottas. Verstappen responded on Saturday morning, giving Red Bull Racing the final practice benchmark before qualifying.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2021 Portuguese Grand Prix FP1, 30 April 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:19.648	31
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.025s	23
3	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	+0.198s	22
4	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.236s	27
5	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.319s	32
6	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+0.796s	31
7	63	George Russell	Williams	+0.881s	29
8	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.987s	26
9	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+1.032s	27
10	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	+1.152s	27
11	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+1.246s	29
12	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	+1.347s	31
13	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	+1.442s	28
14	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	+1.655s	31
15	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.733s	25
16	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	+1.757s	31
17	98	Callum Ilott	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.158s	21
18	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	+2.291s	29
19	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+2.645s	29
20	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	+4.576s	29

Free Practice 2 Classification

2021 Portuguese Grand Prix FP2, 30 April 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:19.837	33
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.143s	26
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.344s	28
4	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+0.360s	33
5	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	+0.383s	32
6	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	+0.398s	31
7	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.523s	33
8	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	+0.581s	31
9	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+0.590s	31
10	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	+0.679s	28
11	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+0.721s	34
12	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.920s	28
13	63	George Russell	Williams	+1.139s	32
14	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	+1.216s	33
15	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	+1.237s	32
16	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.388s	22
17	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.401s	32
18	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	+1.700s	29
19	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+2.018s	31
20	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	+2.801s	28

Free Practice 3 Classification

2021 Portuguese Grand Prix FP3, 1 May 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:18.489	21
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.236s	21
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.331s	19
4	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	+0.351s	25
5	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	+0.371s	19
6	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.512s	23
7	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+0.561s	24
8	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.783s	18
9	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+0.885s	26
10	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+0.926s	26
11	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	+0.996s	25
12	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	+1.093s	19
13	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.099s	23
14	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	+1.460s	20
15	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	+1.544s	22
16	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+1.601s	17
17	63	George Russell	Williams	+1.638s	18
18	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	+1.725s	21
19	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+2.192s	19
20	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	+2.201s	20

Qualifying

Valtteri Bottas edged Lewis Hamilton by just 0.007s to claim pole position, his 1:18.348 giving Mercedes a front-row lockout. Hamilton’s pursuit of a 100th career pole would have to wait, while Max Verstappen qualified third after losing a quicker attempt to track limits.

Sergio Perez completed the second row, with Carlos Sainz fifth for Ferrari and Esteban Ocon sixth for Alpine. Lando Norris led Charles Leclerc on the fourth row. Neither of the Mercedes drivers nor Verstappen improved on their final Q3 attempts, so Bottas’s earlier lap remained the target nobody could beat.

Qualifying Classification

2021 Portuguese Grand Prix Qualifying, 1 May 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:18.722	1:18.458	1:18.348	23
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:18.857	1:17.968	1:18.355	24
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:19.485	1:18.650	1:18.746	20
4	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	1:19.337	1:18.845	1:18.890	22
5	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	1:19.309	1:18.813	1:19.039	23
6	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	1:19.092	1:18.586	1:19.042	17
7	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:18.794	1:18.481	1:19.116	24
8	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:19.373	1:18.769	1:19.306	29
9	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	1:19.464	1:19.052	1:19.475	26
10	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	1:19.403	1:18.970	1:19.659	22
11	63	George Russell	Williams	1:19.797	1:19.109	—	15
12	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:19.410	1:19.216	—	19
13	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	1:19.728	1:19.456	—	12
14	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	1:19.684	1:19.463	—	17
15	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:19.748	1:19.812	—	19
16	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	1:19.839	—	—	11
17	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	1:19.913	—	—	10
18	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	1:20.285	—	—	9
19	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	1:20.452	—	—	11
20	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	1:20.912	—	—	11

What happened in the 2021 Portuguese Grand Prix?

Lewis Hamilton delivered the decisive moves of the afternoon to win the Portuguese Grand Prix, passing both championship rival Max Verstappen and Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas on his way to victory. It was a race that rewarded patience as well as commitment, and the reigning champion combined both to strengthen his early-season position.

Bottas held the lead at the start, but an early collision between the Alfa Romeo Racing cars interrupted proceedings. Kimi Räikkönen damaged his front wing after touching Antonio Giovinazzi and retired, bringing out the safety car while his team-mate continued.

Verstappen seized his opportunity at the restart, passing Hamilton to take second and putting the Mercedes driver on the back foot. Hamilton soon answered, closing on the Red Bull Racing car and reclaiming the position before setting his sights on Bottas.

The race-winning move came when Hamilton attacked his team-mate around the outside at Turn 1. Once ahead, he began to establish control, leaving Bottas and Verstappen to fight over second. Red Bull Racing‘s pit strategy helped Verstappen emerge ahead of the Finn after their stops, and he kept that advantage to the finish.

Sergio Perez extended his opening stint and briefly led before making his stop, eventually taking fourth. Lando Norris continued his strong start to the season in fifth, ahead of Charles Leclerc. Alpine enjoyed an encouraging afternoon as Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso finished seventh and eighth, with Daniel Ricciardo recovering from a Q1 exit to ninth and Pierre Gasly taking the final point.

Carlos Sainz slipped outside the points as his afternoon became more difficult, while the two leading teams had one final contest to settle. Bottas set the fastest valid lap on fresh tyres; Verstappen went quicker on his final tour, but that time was deleted for exceeding track limits, leaving the bonus point with Mercedes.

Hamilton’s second victory of the season restored some breathing space after Imola, but Verstappen’s second place kept the title battle close. The teams had little time to regroup, with the Spanish Grand Prix following just one week later.

2021 Portuguese Grand Prix race results

The 2021 Portuguese Grand Prix was held on 2 May 2021, with a scheduled start of 15:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	66	1:34:31.421	25
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	66	+29.148s	18
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	66	+33.530s	16
4	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	66	+39.735s	12
5	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	66	+51.369s	10
6	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	66	+55.781s	8
7	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	66	+63.749s	6
8	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	66	+64.808s	4
9	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	66	+75.369s	2
10	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	66	+76.463s	1
11	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	66	+78.955s	0
12	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	65	+1 lap	0
13	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	65	+1 lap	0
14	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	65	+1 lap	0
15	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	65	+1 lap	0
16	63	George Russell	Williams	65	+1 lap	0
17	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	64	+2 laps	0
18	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	64	+2 laps	0
19	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	64	+2 laps	0
Ret	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	1	Collision	0

Includes one point for fastest lap. Max Verstappen ‘s fastest lap of 1:19.849 on lap 66 was deleted by the stewards for exceeding track limits.

Nikita Mazepin received a five-second time penalty for ignoring blue flags. The penalty made no difference as he was classified in the last position.

2021 Portuguese Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	65	16:36:46	1:19.865	209.738
2	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	55	16:23:11	1:20.643	207.715
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	62	16:32:12	1:20.695	207.581
4	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	47	16:11:48	1:20.933	206.971
5	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	66	16:38:39	1:21.032	206.718
6	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	63	16:34:21	1:21.496	205.541
7	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	55	16:23:24	1:21.696	205.038
8	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	34	15:54:39	1:21.886	204.562
9	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	59	16:29:21	1:21.970	204.352
10	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	64	16:36:04	1:21.987	204.310
11	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	65	16:37:28	1:22.014	204.243
12	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	61	16:32:29	1:22.058	204.133
13	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	60	16:30:42	1:22.167	203.862
14	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	60	16:30:33	1:22.325	203.471
15	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	60	16:30:44	1:22.416	203.246
16	63	George Russell	Williams	60	16:31:42	1:22.654	202.661
17	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	61	16:33:25	1:22.755	202.414
18	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	60	16:32:01	1:23.155	201.440
19	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	64	16:38:44	1:23.641	200.270

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 Portuguese Grand Prix.

2021 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Lewis Hamilton	GBR	Mercedes	69
2	Max Verstappen	NED	Red Bull Racing	61
3	Lando Norris	GBR	McLaren	37
4	Valtteri Bottas	FIN	Mercedes	32
5	Charles Leclerc	MON	Ferrari	28
6	Sergio Perez	MEX	Red Bull Racing	22
7	Daniel Ricciardo	AUS	McLaren	16
8	Carlos Sainz	ESP	Ferrari	14
9	Esteban Ocon	FRA	Alpine	8
10	Pierre Gasly	FRA	AlphaTauri	7
11	Lance Stroll	CAN	Aston Martin	5
12	Fernando Alonso	ESP	Alpine	5
13	Yuki Tsunoda	JPN	AlphaTauri	2
14	Kimi Räikkönen	FIN	Alfa Romeo Racing	0
15	Antonio Giovinazzi	ITA	Alfa Romeo Racing	0
16	Sebastian Vettel	GER	Aston Martin	0
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	Mercedes	101
2	Red Bull Racing	83
3	McLaren	53
4	Ferrari	42
5	Alpine	13
6	AlphaTauri	9
7	Aston Martin	5
8	Alfa Romeo Racing	0
9	Williams	0
10	Haas	0