2021 Styrian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Formula 1 headed into the Styrian hills for the first half of a Red Bull Ring double-header, and Max Verstappen made the most of familiar territory. The 2021 Styrian Grand Prix brought a controlled victory for the championship leader, with Mercedes unable to mount the sustained challenge that had made the previous round in France so tense.

Race Guide

Season: 2021 F1 World Championship
Race date: 27 June 2021
Race start time: 15:00 local time (UTC+02:00)
Circuit: Red Bull Ring
Laps: 71 laps
Circuit length: 4.318 km
2020 winner: Lewis Hamilton

Pole position
Driver	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing
Time	1:03.841
Fastest lap
Driver	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Time	1:07.058 on lap 71
Podium
First	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing
Second	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Third	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
25 June 2021	Practice 1	11:30 – 12:30
25 June 2021	Practice 2	15:00 – 16:00
26 June 2021	Practice 3	12:00 – 13:00
26 June 2021	Qualifying	15:00 – 16:00
27 June 2021	Race	15:00

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

Championship background

Verstappen’s Paul Ricard victory had increased his lead to 12 points, while Red Bull Racing arrived at its home venue with three consecutive wins. The compact lap offered little recovery time between corners and kept qualifying margins tight. With a second race at the same circuit following a week later, every lesson from the Styrian weekend would have immediate value.

Race entries

The race entry list was unchanged. Robert Kubica replaced Kimi Räikkönen in Alfa Romeo Racing‘s car for FP1, with Räikkönen returning for the remaining sessions.

Free Practice

Max Verstappen topped FP1 with a 1:05.910, ahead of Pierre Gasly (+0.256s) and Lewis Hamilton. Verstappen began strongly, with Gasly also impressing for AlphaTauri in the opening session.

Max Verstappen topped FP2 with a 1:05.412, ahead of Daniel Ricciardo (+0.336s) and Esteban Ocon. Verstappen remained fastest in FP2, while Gasly missed the session because of a technical problem. Bottas spun in the pit lane and received a three-place grid penalty for dangerous driving.

Lewis Hamilton topped FP3 with a 1:04.369, ahead of Max Verstappen (+0.204s) and Valtteri Bottas. Hamilton led final practice, providing Mercedes with some encouragement before qualifying.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2021 Styrian Grand Prix FP1, 25 June 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:05.910	34
2	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+0.256s	33
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.422s	32
4	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.476s	34
5	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	+0.487s	36
6	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	+0.609s	36
7	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	+0.641s	35
8	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+0.674s	33
9	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+0.704s	29
10	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.719s	36
11	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+0.720s	33
12	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	+0.759s	38
13	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	+0.786s	33
14	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	+0.798s	32
15	63	George Russell	Williams	+0.938s	32
16	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.951s	35
17	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+1.270s	31
18	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	+1.563s	30
19	88	Robert Kubica	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.913s	30
20	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	+2.171s	31

Free Practice 2 Classification

2021 Styrian Grand Prix FP2, 25 June 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:05.412	37
2	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	+0.336s	35
3	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	+0.378s	35
4	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.384s	35
5	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	+0.415s	39
6	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	+0.522s	38
7	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.582s	39
8	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+0.667s	36
9	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	+0.677s	36
10	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+0.733s	37
11	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+0.735s	39
12	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.839s	32
13	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.858s	39
14	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+0.885s	41
15	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	+1.039s	39
16	63	George Russell	Williams	+1.216s	39
17	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	+1.474s	29
18	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	+1.992s	30
19	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+2.257s	32
—	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	No time	0

Pierre Gasly did not take part in FP2 after a power-unit concern.

Free Practice 3 Classification

2021 Styrian Grand Prix FP3, 26 June 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:04.369	19
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.204s	16
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.463s	25
4	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	+0.657s	21
5	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	+0.781s	23
6	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+0.929s	22
7	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.971s	21
8	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	+1.031s	24
9	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+1.076s	18
10	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	+1.123s	20
11	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.187s	24
12	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	+1.307s	22
13	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+1.329s	22
14	63	George Russell	Williams	+1.494s	23
15	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.573s	25
16	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	+1.623s	24
17	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	+1.747s	20
18	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+1.750s	22
19	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+2.285s	19
20	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	+2.323s	22

Qualifying

Max Verstappen claimed pole position with a 1:03.841, ahead of Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton. Bottas’s penalty from practice moved him back on the grid and promoted Hamilton to the front row, setting up another direct start-line contest between the title rivals.

Lando Norris qualified fourth for McLaren, followed by Sergio Perez and Pierre Gasly. Yuki Tsunoda reached Q3 but received a three-place penalty for impeding Bottas. George Russell narrowly missed the final session, leaving Williams close to an opportunity to challenge for points.

Qualifying Classification

2021 Styrian Grand Prix Qualifying, 26 June 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:04.489	1:04.433	1:03.841	20
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:04.537	1:04.443	1:04.035	23
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:04.672	1:04.512	1:04.067	25
4	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:04.584	1:04.298	1:04.120	17
5	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	1:04.638	1:04.197	1:04.168	21
6	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	1:04.765	1:04.429	1:04.236	18
7	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:04.745	1:04.646	1:04.472	21
8	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	1:04.608	1:04.631	1:04.514	21
9	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	1:04.971	1:04.582	1:04.574	18
10	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	1:04.821	1:04.663	1:04.708	18
11	63	George Russell	Williams	1:05.033	1:04.671	—	14
12	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	1:04.859	1:04.800	—	15
13	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	1:05.142	1:04.808	—	14
14	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	1:05.051	1:04.875	—	15
15	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:05.092	1:04.913	—	17
16	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	1:05.175	—	—	9
17	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	1:05.217	—	—	6
18	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:05.429	—	—	8
19	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	1:06.041	—	—	8
20	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	1:06.192	—	—	9

Valtteri Bottas received a three-place grid penalty for dangerous driving in the pit lane during second practice.

Yuki Tsunoda received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Valtteri Bottas during qualifying.

What happened in the 2021 Styrian Grand Prix?

Max Verstappen led every lap of the Styrian Grand Prix to take a convincing victory over Lewis Hamilton. The Red Bull Racing driver controlled the gap throughout, giving Mercedes little scope to repeat the strategic pressure that had defined their earlier races.

Verstappen kept the lead at the start, while an opening-lap collision between Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly disrupted the midfield. Gasly suffered a puncture and suspension damage that ended his race; Leclerc needed a replacement front wing and was left facing a recovery drive.

Lando Norris initially ran third but could not hold off Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas indefinitely. Once the leading four had moved clear, Norris managed his race to retain fifth, keeping McLaren firmly in the points without becoming drawn into a costly battle with faster cars.

The pit-stop sequence changed the final podium contest. A slow stop for Perez allowed Bottas to move ahead, and Red Bull Racing later brought Perez in again to attempt a late charge on fresher tyres. The Mexican closed rapidly but ran out of laps before he could take third back from the Mercedes.

Hamilton never found a sustained answer to Verstappen’s pace. With the win beyond reach, Mercedes made a late stop to give him a chance at fastest lap. He secured the bonus point on the final tour, while Verstappen completed another assured afternoon at the head of the field.

Carlos Sainz finished sixth and Leclerc recovered to seventh, giving Ferrari useful points after its disappointing French race. Leclerc’s progress through the midfield was one of the afternoon’s strongest drives. Lance Stroll, Fernando Alonso and Tsunoda completed the top ten.

George Russell had been running in a promising points position before technical trouble forced his Williams into a lengthy stop and eventual retirement. Daniel Ricciardo also lost ground after an early power issue and finished outside the points. At the front, Verstappen’s margin and control made clear that Mercedes had work to do before the teams returned to the same circuit for the Austrian Grand Prix.

2021 Styrian Grand Prix race results

The 2021 Styrian Grand Prix was held on 27 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	71	1:22:18.925	25
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	71	+35.743s	19
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	71	+46.907s	15
4	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	71	+47.434s	12
5	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	70	+1 lap	10
6	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	70	+1 lap	8
7	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	70	+1 lap	6
8	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	70	+1 lap	4
9	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	70	+1 lap	2
10	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	70	+1 lap	1
11	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	70	+1 lap	0
12	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	70	+1 lap	0
13	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	70	+1 lap	0
14	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	70	+1 lap	0
15	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	70	+1 lap	0
16	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	69	+2 laps	0
17	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	68	+3 laps	0
18	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	68	+3 laps	0
Ret	63	George Russell	Williams	36	Power unit	0
Ret	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	1	Collision	0

Lewis Hamilton earned the additional point for fastest lap.

2021 Styrian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	71	16:26:00	1:07.058	231.811
2	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	57	16:10:10	1:07.894	228.956
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	68	16:21:55	1:08.017	228.542
4	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	64	16:18:42	1:08.609	226.570
5	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	43	15:53:42	1:08.619	226.537
6	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	64	16:18:55	1:08.738	226.145
7	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	65	16:19:43	1:08.903	225.604
8	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	57	16:11:00	1:09.128	224.869
9	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	45	15:57:05	1:09.305	224.295
10	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	70	16:26:16	1:09.576	223.421
11	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	41	15:52:10	1:09.650	223.184
12	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	39	15:49:58	1:09.723	222.950
13	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	61	16:15:34	1:09.749	222.867
14	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	32	15:41:35	1:09.787	222.746
15	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	64	16:19:08	1:09.821	222.637
16	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	57	16:11:56	1:10.005	222.052
17	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	34	15:45:13	1:10.104	221.739
18	63	George Russell	Williams	28	15:37:55	1:10.499	220.496
19	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	39	15:50:34	1:10.951	219.092

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 Styrian Grand Prix.

2021 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Max Verstappen	NED	Red Bull Racing	156
2	Lewis Hamilton	GBR	Mercedes	138
3	Sergio Perez	MEX	Red Bull Racing	96
4	Lando Norris	GBR	McLaren	86
5	Valtteri Bottas	FIN	Mercedes	74
6	Charles Leclerc	MON	Ferrari	58
7	Carlos Sainz	ESP	Ferrari	50
8	Pierre Gasly	FRA	AlphaTauri	37
9	Daniel Ricciardo	AUS	McLaren	34
10	Sebastian Vettel	GER	Aston Martin	30
11	Fernando Alonso	ESP	Alpine	19
12	Lance Stroll	CAN	Aston Martin	14
13	Esteban Ocon	FRA	Alpine	12
14	Yuki Tsunoda	JPN	AlphaTauri	9
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	252
2	Mercedes	212
3	McLaren	120
4	Ferrari	108
5	AlphaTauri	46
6	Aston Martin	44
7	Alpine	31
8	Alfa Romeo Racing	2
9	Williams	0
10	Haas	0