2021 São Paulo Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

The 2021 São Paulo Grand Prix produced one of the season’s outstanding recovery drives, as Lewis Hamilton overcame disqualification from qualifying and a further grid penalty to win at Interlagos. His charge through the field culminated in a hard-fought pass on Max Verstappen, keeping the championship battle alive with three rounds remaining.

Race Guide

Season: 2021 F1 World Championship
Race date: 14 November 2021
Race start time: 14:00 local time (UTC-03:00)
Circuit: Autódromo José Carlos Pace (Interlagos)
Laps: 71 laps
Circuit length: 4.309 km
Previous Interlagos winner (2019): Max Verstappen

Pole position
Driver	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes
Basis	Sprint qualifying winner
Fastest lap
Driver	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing
Time	1:11.010 on lap 71
Podium
First	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Second	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing
Third	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
12 November 2021	Practice 1	12:30 – 13:30
12 November 2021	Qualifying	16:00 – 17:00
13 November 2021	Practice 2	12:00 – 13:00
13 November 2021	Sprint Race	16:30 – 17:00
14 November 2021	Race	14:00

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

Championship background

Verstappen led by 19 points after Mexico, while Mercedes was only one point ahead in the Constructors’ Championship. Interlagos returned after its 2020 cancellation, now under the São Paulo Grand Prix title, and hosted the third sprint weekend of the season. With extra points available and little room for a poor result, both leading teams faced a weekend of heightened stakes.

Race entries

The regular race and practice line-ups were unchanged. Kimi Räikkönen reached his 350th Grand Prix entry, while the sprint format again provided two practice sessions and two competitive races across the weekend.

Free Practice

Lewis Hamilton topped FP1 with a 1:09.050, ahead of Max Verstappen (+0.367s) and Sergio Perez. Hamilton led the opening session ahead of Verstappen and Perez, establishing strong pace before Friday qualifying.

Fernando Alonso topped FP2 with a 1:11.238, ahead of Max Verstappen (+0.864s) and Valtteri Bottas. Alonso set the fastest time in FP2, ahead of Verstappen and Bottas. The session took place as Hamilton’s qualifying technical investigation remained a major focus.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2021 São Paulo Grand Prix FP1, 12 November 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:09.050	31
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.367s	22
3	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	+0.442s	28
4	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.517s	30
5	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+0.830s	32
6	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+1.074s	31
7	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+1.092s	32
8	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	+1.095s	27
9	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	+1.151s	26
10	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+1.302s	27
11	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	+1.324s	33
12	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	+1.363s	28
13	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.393s	31
14	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.537s	31
15	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+1.560s	27
16	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	+1.835s	27
17	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+1.852s	23
18	63	George Russell	Williams	+1.888s	24
19	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	+1.940s	25
20	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	+2.292s	28

Qualifying

Lewis Hamilton initially set the quickest time on Friday, but his Mercedes was subsequently disqualified from qualifying because its DRS opening did not comply with the technical rules. Max Verstappen therefore headed the final classification for the sprint grid, followed by Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez.

Hamilton was permitted to start the sprint from the back. A separate five-place engine penalty would then apply to his Grand Prix grid position, creating two distinct recovery tasks across the weekend. The qualifying table below shows the final classification after the disqualification.

Qualifying Classification

2021 São Paulo Grand Prix Qualifying, 12 November 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:09.329	1:08.499	1:08.372	17
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:09.040	1:08.426	1:08.469	23
3	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	1:09.172	1:08.973	1:08.483	22
4	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	1:09.347	1:08.903	1:08.777	18
5	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	1:09.046	1:09.031	1:08.826	19
6	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:09.155	1:08.859	1:08.960	22
7	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:09.365	1:09.030	1:08.980	22
8	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	1:09.374	1:09.093	1:09.039	22
9	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	1:09.391	1:09.137	1:09.113	19
10	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	1:09.430	1:09.189	—	14
11	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	1:09.451	1:09.399	—	15
12	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	1:09.350	1:09.483	—	9
13	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:09.598	1:09.503	—	15
14	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:09.342	1:10.227	—	14
15	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	1:09.663	—	—	9
16	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	1:09.897	—	—	9
17	63	George Russell	Williams	1:09.953	—	—	10
18	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	1:10.329	—	—	11
19	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	1:10.589	—	—	10
DSQ	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:08.733	1:08.068	1:07.934	23

Lewis Hamilton qualified first, but was disqualified because his DRS was found not to be in conformity with the rules. He was allowed to race in the sprint qualifying at the stewards’ discretion.

Free Practice 2 Classification

2021 São Paulo Grand Prix FP2, 13 November 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	1:11.238	23
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.864s	26
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+1.117s	24
4	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	+1.169s	26
5	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+1.503s	25
6	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	+1.665s	29
7	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.759s	37
8	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+1.840s	31
9	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+1.861s	33
10	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.117s	39
11	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+2.188s	41
12	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	+2.210s	25
13	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+2.343s	23
14	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+2.370s	32
15	63	George Russell	Williams	+2.377s	24
16	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	+2.488s	38
17	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	+2.509s	42
18	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+2.787s	24
19	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	+2.828s	40
20	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	+3.671s	37

Sprint Race

Valtteri Bottas made a strong start on soft tyres and held off Max Verstappen to win the 24-lap sprint, taking three points and Grand Prix pole position. Verstappen finished second and Carlos Sainz third, with the Ferrari driver keeping Perez behind.

Hamilton charged from last to fifth, passing car after car in a performance that demonstrated the Mercedes‘ pace. His five-place engine penalty nevertheless meant he started Sunday’s Grand Prix tenth. Räikkönen was required to start the main race from the pit lane after a rear-wing assembly change.

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  2021 Sao Paulo GP Sprint Race: Full Report & Highlights

Sprint Race Classification

2021 São Paulo Grand Prix Sprint Race, 13 November 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	24	29:09.559	3
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	24	+1.170s	2
3	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	24	+18.723s	1
4	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	24	+19.787s	0
5	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	24	+20.872s	0
6	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	24	+22.558s	0
7	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	24	+25.056s	0
8	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	24	+34.158s	0
9	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	24	+34.632s	0
10	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	24	+34.867s	0
11	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	24	+35.869s	0
12	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	24	+36.578s	0
13	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	24	+41.880s	0
14	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	24	+44.037s	0
15	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	24	+46.150s	0
16	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	24	+46.760s	0
17	63	George Russell	Williams	24	+47.739s	0
18	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	24	+50.014s	0
19	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	24	+61.680s	0
20	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	24	+67.474s	0

Lewis Hamilton received a five-place grid penalty for exceeding his quota of internal combustion engines (ICE).

Kimi Räikkönen qualified 18th, but was required to start the race from the pit lane due to a rear wing assembly change under parc fermé conditions.

What happened in the 2021 São Paulo Grand Prix?

Lewis Hamilton won the São Paulo Grand Prix after a determined charge from tenth on the grid, eventually passing Max Verstappen and pulling clear. Valtteri Bottas finished third, giving Mercedes a double podium after a weekend that had begun with a major technical setback.

Verstappen took the lead from Bottas at the start, with Sergio Perez moving into contention behind him. Hamilton made immediate progress through the field and was soon released by Bottas to continue the pursuit. His pace left little doubt that the race would become a direct contest with the Red Bull Racing cars.

Hamilton passed Perez after an exchange of positions and began closing on Verstappen. Safety-car and virtual-safety-car periods interrupted the rhythm, but they did not remove the central question: whether Hamilton could turn his speed into a clean pass on the championship leader.

The leading drivers completed their stops and Hamilton resumed the chase. An attempt around the outside at Turn 4 ended with both cars running wide, and the stewards did not investigate further at the time. Hamilton kept attacking rather than allowing the lost opportunity to settle the contest.

The decisive move came later on the run to Turn 4, when Hamilton drew ahead and completed the pass. Verstappen could not respond, and Hamilton built a winning margin of 10.496s. Bottas took third, while Perez stopped late and claimed fastest lap to take a point away from Hamilton.

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finished fifth and sixth for Ferrari. Pierre Gasly passed both Alpines to take seventh, with Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon eighth and ninth. Lando Norris recovered from an opening-lap puncture to claim the final point.

Daniel Ricciardo and Lance Stroll retired, while Vettel narrowly missed the points. Hamilton’s victory reduced Verstappen’s championship lead to 14 points after the sprint and Grand Prix were combined. Interlagos had rewarded a weekend of sustained attacking driving and shifted the momentum again before the final three races.

2021 São Paulo Grand Prix race results

The 2021 São Paulo Grand Prix was held on 14 November 2021, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	71	1:32:22.851	25
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	71	+10.496s	18
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	71	+13.576s	15
4	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	71	+39.940s	13
5	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	71	+49.517s	10
6	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	71	+51.820s	8
7	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	70	+1 lap	6
8	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	70	+1 lap	4
9	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	70	+1 lap	2
10	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	70	+1 lap	1
11	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	70	+1 lap	0
12	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	70	+1 lap	0
13	63	George Russell	Williams	70	+1 lap	0
14	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	70	+1 lap	0
15	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	70	+1 lap	0
16	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	70	+1 lap	0
17	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	69	+2 laps	0
18	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	69	+2 laps	0
Ret	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	49	Power loss	0
Ret	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	47	Collision damage	0

Sergio Perez earned the additional point for fastest lap.

2021 São Paulo Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	71	15:35:54	1:11.010	218.453
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	46	15:04:49	1:11.982	215.503
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	47	15:06:01	1:12.486	214.005
4	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	49	15:08:35	1:12.526	213.887
5	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	54	15:16:04	1:12.621	213.607
6	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	63	15:26:21	1:12.710	213.346
7	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	61	15:23:51	1:12.822	213.018
8	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	53	15:14:14	1:13.227	211.839
9	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	69	15:34:25	1:13.634	210.668
10	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	53	15:14:28	1:13.761	210.306
11	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	66	15:32:43	1:13.793	210.215
12	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	37	14:54:19	1:13.922	209.848
13	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	62	15:26:16	1:14.204	209.050
14	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	44	15:03:40	1:14.227	208.985
15	63	George Russell	Williams	45	15:04:53	1:14.355	208.626
16	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	48	15:07:56	1:14.430	208.415
17	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	40	14:57:47	1:14.443	208.379
18	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	57	15:20:07	1:14.616	207.896
19	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	36	14:53:48	1:14.954	206.958
20	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	25	14:38:59	1:15.344	205.887

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 São Paulo Grand Prix.

2021 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Max Verstappen	NED	Red Bull Racing	332.5
2	Lewis Hamilton	GBR	Mercedes	318.5
3	Valtteri Bottas	FIN	Mercedes	203
4	Sergio Perez	MEX	Red Bull Racing	178
5	Lando Norris	GBR	McLaren	151
6	Charles Leclerc	MON	Ferrari	148
7	Carlos Sainz	ESP	Ferrari	139.5
8	Daniel Ricciardo	AUS	McLaren	105
9	Pierre Gasly	FRA	AlphaTauri	92
10	Fernando Alonso	ESP	Alpine	62
11	Esteban Ocon	FRA	Alpine	50
12	Sebastian Vettel	GER	Aston Martin	42
13	Lance Stroll	CAN	Aston Martin	26
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	521.5
2	Red Bull Racing	510.5
3	Ferrari	287.5
4	McLaren	256
5	Alpine	112
6	AlphaTauri	112
7	Aston Martin	68
8	Williams	23
9	Alfa Romeo Racing	11
10	Haas	0