Qatar GP 2021 results

Yesterday Lewis Hamilton was by far the fastest driver in qualifying. He starts today from pole position. Verstappen was second fastest, but did not slow down for the yellow flags, as did Bottas. That is why Bottas starts from P6 and Verstappen from P7. Gasly will now start alongside Hamilton on the front row with Alonso and Norris in row two.

At the start Hamilton manages to defend his lead. Verstappen is also well away and immediately works his way up to fourth place and after five laps he is even in P2. Bottas, meanwhile, falls back to P11.

In the early laps of the race, Max cannot keep up with Hamilton’s pace. Verstappen also has a little bit of damage to the front wing, causing him to lose time every lap.

Verstappen therefore opts for an early pit stop and goes in for new hard tires on lap 18. Hamilton does the same a lap later to cover the Red Bull. The gap then remains for about eight seconds between the two title rivals.

Halfway through the race, Bottas gets a flat tire. The Finn can make it back to the pit lane on his own, but it does raise questions about the tire life on this track. To ensure that Verstappen does not run the risk of a flat tire, he stops again for mediums on lap 41. Hamilton does the same one lap later.

Verstappen is unable to narrow the gap after that, but we do see more flat tires. This time it’s the two Williams. There is still air in Hamilton’s tires and he wins the first Grand Prix of Qatar. Verstappen manages to limit the damage with a second place and an extra point for the fastest lap. Fernando Alonso manages to keep the Red Bull away from Pérez and takes the last podium spot.

Qatar GP 2021 results