2021 United States Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Formula 1 returned to Austin for the 2021 United States Grand Prix, and a huge crowd at Circuit of the Americas witnessed another close contest between the championship leaders. Max Verstappen held off Lewis Hamilton after an aggressive strategy from Red Bull Racing, winning by just 1.333s as the title fight continued under the Texas sun.

Race Guide

Season: 2021 F1 World Championship
Race date: 24 October 2021
Race start time: 14:00 local time (UTC-05:00)
Circuit: Circuit of the Americas
Laps: 56 laps
Circuit length: 5.513 km
2019 winner: Valtteri Bottas

Pole position
Driver	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing
Time	1:32.910
Fastest lap
Driver	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Time	1:38.485 on lap 41
Podium
First	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing
Second	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Third	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
22 October 2021	Practice 1	11:30 – 12:30
22 October 2021	Practice 2	15:00 – 16:00
23 October 2021	Practice 3	13:00 – 14:00
23 October 2021	Qualifying	16:00 – 17:00
24 October 2021	Race	14:00

All times are local (UTC-05:00). The race time is the scheduled start.

Championship background

Verstappen led Hamilton by six points after Turkey, while Mercedes remained ahead in the Constructors’ Championship. Austin returned after its 2020 cancellation and welcomed a large weekend crowd. The demanding combination of fast changes of direction, heavy braking and high temperatures made tyre management central to the contest, with both leading teams needing to balance track position against the strength of their final stint.

Race entries

The regular 20-driver race line-up remained unchanged. Valtteri Bottas received a five-place grid penalty for an engine change, while Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso and George Russell were committed to rear-grid starts after power-unit component changes.

Free Practice

Valtteri Bottas topped FP1 with a 1:34.874, ahead of Lewis Hamilton (+0.045s) and Max Verstappen. Bottas led a Mercedes one-two in FP1, giving the team an encouraging opening benchmark ahead of Verstappen.

Sergio Perez topped FP2 with a 1:34.946, ahead of Lando Norris (+0.257s) and Lewis Hamilton. Perez topped the second session, ahead of Norris and Hamilton, as Red Bull Racing found more competitive pace.

Sergio Perez topped FP3 with a 1:34.701, ahead of Carlos Sainz (+0.104s) and Max Verstappen. Perez was fastest again in final practice. Track-limits deletions affected both championship contenders, leaving Sainz second on the timing sheet.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2021 United States Grand Prix FP1, 22 October 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:34.874	17
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.045s	18
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.932s	16
4	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+1.460s	18
5	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+1.634s	20
6	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+1.737s	18
7	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	+1.924s	20
8	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+1.981s	11
9	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.000s	18
10	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.002s	18
11	63	George Russell	Williams	+2.092s	19
12	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	+2.096s	22
13	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+2.098s	20
14	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	+2.108s	20
15	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	+2.194s	12
16	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	+2.584s	18
17	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+2.589s	19
18	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	+3.080s	22
19	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	+3.992s	17
20	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	+7.365s	19

Free Practice 2 Classification

2021 United States Grand Prix FP2, 22 October 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	1:34.946	24
2	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.257s	20
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.364s	22
4	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.414s	24
5	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	+0.511s	21
6	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+0.615s	25
7	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.626s	23
8	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.878s	23
9	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+0.973s	24
10	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.192s	26
11	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	+1.212s	23
12	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+1.296s	25
13	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	+1.430s	18
14	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.612s	25
15	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	+1.772s	30
16	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	+2.037s	24
17	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	+2.095s	24
18	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+2.308s	26
19	63	George Russell	Williams	+2.544s	21
20	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	+3.080s	23

Free Practice 3 Classification

2021 United States Grand Prix FP3, 23 October 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	1:34.701	13
2	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	+0.104s	16
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.211s	13
4	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.244s	13
5	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.287s	15
6	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.518s	16
7	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	+0.644s	11
8	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+0.697s	17
9	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.987s	17
10	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	+1.010s	10
11	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	+1.150s	18
12	63	George Russell	Williams	+1.322s	9
13	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.361s	20
14	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+1.417s	8
15	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.551s	16
16	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+1.691s	13
17	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	+1.789s	12
18	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	+1.871s	16
19	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	+1.970s	15
20	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	+28.755s	15

Qualifying

Max Verstappen secured pole position with a 1:32.910, beating Lewis Hamilton by 0.209s. Sergio Perez qualified third, giving Red Bull Racing two cars near the front, while Valtteri Bottas set the fourth-fastest time before his grid penalty was applied.

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz occupied fifth and sixth in the session, ahead of the McLaren pair. With Bottas dropping back, Leclerc moved onto the second row for the race. The front-row line-up placed the two title contenders side by side at the foot of Austin’s steep climb to Turn 1.

Qualifying Classification

2021 United States Grand Prix Qualifying, 23 October 2021

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:34.352	1:33.464	1:32.910	16
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:34.579	1:33.797	1:33.119	16
3	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	1:34.369	1:34.178	1:33.134	19
4	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:34.590	1:33.959	1:33.475	15
5	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:34.153	1:33.928	1:33.606	17
6	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	1:34.558	1:34.126	1:33.792	15
7	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	1:34.407	1:34.643	1:33.808	15
8	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:34.551	1:33.880	1:33.887	14
9	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	1:34.567	1:34.583	1:34.118	17
10	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	1:35.360	1:35.137	1:34.918	18
11	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	1:35.747	1:35.377	—	12
12	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	1:35.281	1:35.500	—	9
13	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:35.920	1:35.794	—	8
14	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	1:35.756	1:44.549	—	12
15	63	George Russell	Williams	1:35.746	No time	—	11
16	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	1:35.983	—	—	7
17	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	1:35.995	—	—	6
18	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:36.311	—	—	7
19	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	1:36.499	—	—	9
20	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	1:36.796	—	—	8

Valtteri Bottas received a five-place grid penalty for a new internal combustion engine.

Sebastian Vettel was required to start the race from the back of the grid for exceeding his quota of power unit elements.

Fernando Alonso was required to start the race from the back of the grid for exceeding his quota of power unit elements.

George Russell was required to start the race from the back of the grid for exceeding his quota of power unit elements.

What happened in the 2021 United States Grand Prix?

Max Verstappen won a tense United States Grand Prix after Red Bull Racing used early pit stops to gain track position and then relied on its driver to protect it. Lewis Hamilton closed rapidly in the final stint but could not find a way past, while Sergio Perez completed a double podium for Red Bull Racing.

Hamilton made the better start and took the lead on the inside at Turn 1. Verstappen stayed close enough to threaten, but following the Mercedes through the fast first sector was demanding on his tyres. Red Bull Racing chose to act before the gap became unmanageable.

Verstappen stopped first and used the undercut to move ahead when Hamilton came in. That changed the shape of the race: Mercedes now needed either to reverse the strategy or give Hamilton enough tyre advantage to pass on track.

The second stops followed a similar pattern. Verstappen came in earlier, while Hamilton extended his stint and returned on fresher tyres with a gap to close. The final laps became a test of whether Verstappen could preserve enough grip while dealing with traffic and Hamilton’s growing pressure.

Hamilton reduced the deficit to little more than a second, but Verstappen found the pace he needed in the closing stages and kept the lead to the flag. Hamilton took the fastest-lap bonus point, limiting the championship loss, while Perez finished third after a physically demanding race.

Charles Leclerc delivered a strong fourth for Ferrari. Daniel Ricciardo took fifth for McLaren, with Bottas recovering to sixth and passing Sainz late on. Lando Norris, Yuki Tsunoda and Vettel completed the points, the latter recovering from a penalised start.

Pierre Gasly retired with suspension trouble, and both Alpines also failed to finish. The result gave Verstappen another important victory at a venue where Mercedes had been expected to challenge strongly. With five rounds remaining, the championship leader had created a little more room, but the narrow margin in Austin showed how little separated the two contenders.

2021 United States Grand Prix race results

The 2021 United States Grand Prix was held on 24 October 2021, with a scheduled start of 14:00 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	56	1:34:36.552	25
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	56	+1.333s	19
3	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	56	+42.223s	15
4	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	56	+52.246s	12
5	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	56	+76.854s	10
6	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	56	+80.128s	8
7	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	56	+83.545s	6
8	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	56	+84.395s	4
9	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	55	+1 lap	2
10	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	55	+1 lap	1
11	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	55	+1 lap	0
12	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	55	+1 lap	0
13	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	55	+1 lap	0
14	63	George Russell	Williams	55	+1 lap	0
15	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	55	+1 lap	0
16	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	54	+2 laps	0
17	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	54	+2 laps	0
Ret	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	49	Rear wing	0
Ret	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	40	Mechanical	0
Ret	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	14	Suspension	0

Lewis Hamilton earned the additional point for fastest lap.

2021 United States Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	41	15:13:29	1:38.485	201.521
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	52	15:31:38	1:39.096	200.278
3	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	41	15:13:57	1:39.303	199.861
4	11	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing	32	14:58:43	1:39.566	199.333
5	14	Fernando Alonso	Alpine	46	15:23:43	1:40.067	198.335
6	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	41	15:14:20	1:40.147	198.176
7	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	41	15:14:25	1:40.228	198.016
8	3	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren	43	15:17:39	1:40.345	197.785
9	55	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	40	15:12:37	1:40.377	197.722
10	5	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin	40	15:13:33	1:40.481	197.517
11	63	George Russell	Williams	36	15:06:57	1:41.120	196.269
12	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	44	15:20:15	1:41.145	196.221
13	22	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	47	15:25:14	1:41.151	196.209
14	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	36	15:06:54	1:41.189	196.135
15	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	43	15:18:31	1:41.340	195.843
16	47	Mick Schumacher	Haas	36	15:07:25	1:41.395	195.737
17	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	46	15:24:16	1:41.818	194.924
18	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	12	14:24:53	1:42.015	194.547
19	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine	28	14:53:30	1:42.194	194.207
20	9	Nikita Mazepin	Haas	42	15:18:57	1:42.886	192.900

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 United States Grand Prix.

2021 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Max Verstappen	NED	Red Bull Racing	287.5
2	Lewis Hamilton	GBR	Mercedes	275.5
3	Valtteri Bottas	FIN	Mercedes	185
4	Sergio Perez	MEX	Red Bull Racing	150
5	Lando Norris	GBR	McLaren	149
6	Charles Leclerc	MON	Ferrari	128
7	Carlos Sainz	ESP	Ferrari	122.5
8	Daniel Ricciardo	AUS	McLaren	105
9	Pierre Gasly	FRA	AlphaTauri	74
10	Fernando Alonso	ESP	Alpine	58
11	Esteban Ocon	FRA	Alpine	46
12	Sebastian Vettel	GER	Aston Martin	36
13	Lance Stroll	CAN	Aston Martin	26
14	Yuki Tsunoda	JPN	AlphaTauri	20
15	George Russell	GBR	Williams	16
16	Nicholas Latifi	CAN	Williams	7
17	Kimi Räikkönen	FIN	Alfa Romeo Racing	6
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	460.5
2	Red Bull Racing	437.5
3	McLaren	254
4	Ferrari	250.5
5	Alpine	104
6	AlphaTauri	94
7	Aston Martin	62
8	Williams	23
9	Alfa Romeo Racing	7
10	Haas	0