2021 Qatar Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Formula 1 visited Qatar for the first time in 2021, and Lewis Hamilton set the standard under the Losail floodlights. The Mercedes driver controlled the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix from pole position, while Fernando Alonso returned to the podium after a seven-year wait and Max Verstappen recovered from a grid penalty to finish second.

Race Guide

Season: 2021 F1 World Championship
Race date: 21 November 2021
Race start time: 17:00 local time (UTC+03:00)
Circuit: Losail International Circuit
Laps: 57 laps
Circuit length: 5.380 km
Previous winner: None — inaugural Grand Prix

Pole position
Driver	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Time	1:20.827
Fastest lap
Driver	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing
Time	1:23.196 on lap 57
Podium
First	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Second	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing
Third	Fernando Alonso	Alpine

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
19 November 2021	Practice 1	13:30 – 14:30
19 November 2021	Practice 2	17:00 – 18:00
20 November 2021	Practice 3	14:00 – 15:00
20 November 2021	Qualifying	17:00 – 18:00
21 November 2021	Race	17:00

All times are local (UTC+03:00). The race time is the scheduled start.

Championship background

Hamilton’s victory in Brazil had reduced Verstappen’s lead to 14 points, leaving three races to settle the championship. Qatar joined the calendar in place of the cancelled Australian round, giving every team a new circuit to learn. The flowing layout and repeated high-speed corners placed a particular emphasis on tyre life as the weekend progressed.

Race entries

The regular 20-driver line-up remained unchanged, with no substitutes in practice or the race. Grid penalties for Verstappen and Bottas, announced after qualifying, would significantly alter the leading rows for Sunday.

Free Practice

Max Verstappen topped FP1 with a 1:23.723, ahead of Pierre Gasly (+0.437s) and Valtteri Bottas. Verstappen led the first practice session, ahead of Gasly and Hamilton, as the field began learning the circuit.

Valtteri Bottas topped FP2 with a 1:23.148, ahead of Pierre Gasly (+0.209s) and Max Verstappen. Bottas moved to the top in FP2, with Gasly again second. Mazepin did not take part after damage identified following the opening session.

Valtteri Bottas topped FP3 with a 1:22.310, ahead of Lewis Hamilton (+0.078s) and Max Verstappen. Bottas remained quickest in final practice, ahead of Hamilton and Verstappen, giving Mercedes confidence before qualifying.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2021 Qatar Grand Prix FP1, 19 November 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:23.723	22
2	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+0.437s	28
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.471s	24
4	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.786s	21
5	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	+0.925s	27
6	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+0.990s	26
7	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+1.067s	27
8	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	+1.192s	22
9	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	+1.249s	23
10	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+1.492s	19
11	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	+1.568s	24
12	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	+1.605s	19
13	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+1.965s	24
14	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.034s	23
15	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.105s	25
16	63	George Russell	Williams	+2.148s	24
17	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	+2.182s	21
18	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	+2.976s	21
19	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+2.989s	11
20	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	+3.777s	16

Free Practice 2 Classification

2021 Qatar Grand Prix FP2, 19 November 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:23.148	27
2	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+0.209s	27
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.350s	20
4	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.422s	25
5	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.484s	24
6	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+0.557s	26
7	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	+0.587s	28
8	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	+0.639s	20
9	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	+0.872s	27
10	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+0.885s	28
11	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	+0.893s	29
12	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	+0.908s	25
13	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.947s	23
14	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	+0.987s	24
15	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.483s	26
16	63	George Russell	Williams	+1.806s	27
17	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.924s	23
18	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+2.061s	28
19	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	+2.427s	27
—	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	No time	0

Nikita Mazepin did not take part in FP2 while Haas changed his damaged chassis.

Free Practice 3 Classification

2021 Qatar Grand Prix FP3, 20 November 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:22.310	17
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.078s	16
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.341s	10
4	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+0.525s	17
5	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	+0.536s	14
6	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+0.738s	17
7	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	+0.876s	13
8	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	+0.899s	18
9	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.966s	17
10	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	+1.257s	20
11	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	+1.401s	14
12	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	+1.574s	17
13	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+1.585s	16
14	63	George Russell	Williams	+1.613s	17
15	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+1.844s	17
16	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.936s	19
17	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.978s	17
18	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+2.189s	15
19	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	+2.370s	20
20	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas		1

Qualifying

Lewis Hamilton took pole position with a 1:20.827, finishing 0.455s ahead of Max Verstappen. Valtteri Bottas qualified third, but both drivers behind Hamilton received penalties for failing to respect yellow flags late in Q3: five places for Verstappen and three for Bottas.

Pierre Gasly was promoted to the front row, with Fernando Alonso starting third. The yellow flags followed Gasly’s late tyre and front-wing damage. Sergio Perez missed Q3 and qualified 11th, leaving both Red Bull Racing cars with positions to recover in the race.

Qualifying Classification

2021 Qatar Grand Prix Qualifying, 20 November 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:21.901	1:21.682	1:20.827	18
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:21.996	1:21.984	1:21.424	18
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:22.016	1:21.991	1:21.478	20
4	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	1:22.535	1:21.728	1:21.640	19
5	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	1:22.422	1:21.894	1:21.670	18
6	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:22.839	1:22.216	1:21.731	21
7	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	1:22.304	1:22.241	1:21.840	21
8	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	1:22.458	1:22.058	1:21.881	18
9	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	1:22.565	1:22.012	1:22.028	18
10	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	1:22.549	1:22.146	1:22.785	21
11	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	1:22.398	1:22.346	—	12
12	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	1:22.551	1:22.460	—	15
13	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:22.742	1:22.463	—	15
14	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	1:22.688	1:22.597	—	15
15	63	George Russell	Williams	1:22.863	1:22.756	—	16
16	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:23.156	—	—	9
17	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	1:23.213	—	—	10
18	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:23.262	—	—	8
19	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	1:23.407	—	—	9
20	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	1:25.859	—	—	9

Max Verstappen received a five-place grid penalty for failing to respect a double waved yellow flag in Q3.

Valtteri Bottas received a three-place grid penalty for failing to respect a single waved yellow flag in Q3.

What happened in the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix?

Lewis Hamilton won the first Qatar Grand Prix with a controlled lights-to-flag performance, reducing Max Verstappen‘s championship lead to eight points. Verstappen recovered from seventh on the grid to second and claimed fastest lap, while Fernando Alonso gave Alpine a memorable podium in third.

Hamilton kept the lead at the start and quickly established a useful gap. Verstappen gained several places immediately and then passed Gasly and Alonso to reach second early in the race, but Hamilton’s pace prevented a sustained challenge for victory.

Mercedes mirrored Verstappen’s main tyre changes, protecting track position while keeping Hamilton on a comparable strategy. The leading pair moved well clear of the rest, leaving a separate contest for the final podium position as teams weighed the risks of one stop against two.

Alonso committed to a one-stop race and managed his tyres carefully. Perez, who had recovered from 11th, made a second stop and then had to pass cars again. Esteban Ocon defended determinedly against the Red Bull Racing driver, helping his team-mate preserve the gap ahead.

Tyre failures became a major concern late in the race. Bottas suffered a puncture after extending his opening stint and eventually retired, while both Williams drivers also encountered front-left tyre problems. Norris made an additional stop when McLaren suspected a similar issue, dropping him down the order.

A late virtual safety car helped Alonso protect third from the closing Perez. It was his first podium since Hungary in 2014, and Ocon’s fifth place made the result particularly valuable for Alpine in its battle with AlphaTauri.

Lance Stroll finished sixth, followed by Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc, Norris and Sebastian Vettel. Gasly fell outside the points despite his front-row start. Hamilton’s second consecutive win had tightened the championship further, setting up the final two rounds with both leading drivers still firmly in contention.

2021 Qatar Grand Prix race results

The 2021 Qatar Grand Prix was held on 21 November 2021, with a scheduled start of 17:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	57	1:24:28.471	25
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	57	+25.743s	19
3	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	57	+59.457s	15
4	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	57	+62.306s	12
5	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	57	+80.570s	10
6	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	57	+81.274s	8
7	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	57	+81.911s	6
8	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	57	+83.126s	4
9	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	56	+1 lap	2
10	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	56	+1 lap	1
11	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	56	+1 lap	0
12	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	56	+1 lap	0
13	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	56	+1 lap	0
14	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	56	+1 lap	0
15	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	56	+1 lap	0
16	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	56	+1 lap	0
17	63	George Russell	Williams	55	+2 laps	0
18	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	55	+2 laps	0
Ret	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	50	Puncture	0
Ret	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	48	Puncture damage	0

Max Verstappen earned the additional point for fastest lap.

2021 Qatar Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	57	18:28:42	1:23.196	232.799
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	50	18:17:33	1:25.084	227.633
3	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	49	18:17:13	1:25.613	226.227
4	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	51	18:20:30	1:25.746	225.876
5	63	George Russell	Williams	55	18:28:35	1:25.768	225.818
6	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	53	18:23:57	1:26.358	224.275
7	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	53	18:23:22	1:26.434	224.078
8	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	46	18:13:02	1:26.555	223.765
9	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	46	18:13:00	1:26.570	223.726
10	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	48	18:15:33	1:26.682	223.437
11	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	46	18:13:13	1:27.019	222.572
12	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	50	18:19:29	1:27.043	222.510
13	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	46	18:12:55	1:27.061	222.464
14	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	50	18:19:26	1:27.198	222.115
15	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	39	18:03:13	1:27.246	221.992
16	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	55	18:28:57	1:27.340	221.754
17	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	44	18:10:01	1:27.356	221.713
18	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	40	18:04:59	1:27.823	220.534
19	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	46	18:13:53	1:28.412	219.065
20	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	44	18:10:53	1:28.732	218.275

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 Qatar Grand Prix.

2021 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Max Verstappen	NED	Red Bull Racing	351.5
2	Lewis Hamilton	GBR	Mercedes	343.5
3	Valtteri Bottas	FIN	Mercedes	203
4	Sergio Perez	MEX	Red Bull Racing	190
5	Lando Norris	GBR	McLaren	153
6	Charles Leclerc	MON	Ferrari	152
7	Carlos Sainz	ESP	Ferrari	145.5
8	Daniel Ricciardo	AUS	McLaren	105
9	Pierre Gasly	FRA	AlphaTauri	92
10	Fernando Alonso	ESP	Alpine	77
11	Esteban Ocon	FRA	Alpine	60
12	Sebastian Vettel	GER	Aston Martin	43
13	Lance Stroll	CAN	Aston Martin	34
14	Yuki Tsunoda	JPN	AlphaTauri	20
15	George Russell	GBR	Williams	16
16	Kimi Räikkönen	FIN	Alfa Romeo Racing	10
17	Nicholas Latifi	CAN	Williams	7
18	Antonio Giovinazzi	ITA	Alfa Romeo Racing	1
19	Mick Schumacher	GER	Haas	0
20	Robert Kubica	POL	Alfa Romeo Racing	0
21	Nikita Mazepin	RAF	Haas	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	546.5
2	Red Bull Racing	541.5
3	Ferrari	297.5
4	McLaren	258
5	Alpine	137
6	AlphaTauri	112
7	Aston Martin	77
8	Williams	23
9	Alfa Romeo Racing	11
10	Haas	0