Qualifying 2021 Qatar GP

Lewis Hamilton has just taken pole position in qualifying for the 2021 Qatar GP. Max Verstappen takes P2 and will start next to Hamilton on the front row tomorrow. Bottas and Gasly leave from the second row.

Q1 and Q2

In the first session of qualifying, Verstappen, Bottas and Hamilton alternate the fastest times. The sun has set, causing the temperature to drop further and the times to speed up. Every time we see that the driver who sets his time last is the fastest.

As is often the case this season, the fastest drivers will try to set their times on the medium tires in Q2. The teams prefer to start on the mediums tomorrow, in order to gain a strategic advantage. Pérez is struggling to set a time fast enough to finish in the top ten on those tyres. Later he still drives on the soft tires, but then he can’t get past P11. Sergio Perez is out and Max will have to do it tomorrow without the help of his teammate.

Q3

In the final twelve minutes of qualifying, the drivers have two laps to take pole position. When the drivers do their first fast lap, Hamilton is fastest. Verstappen is just over a tenth behind the Mercedes. Bottas is then in a provisional third place.

Verstappen and Hamilton are both faster in the second attempts, but Lewis is a lot faster. Verstappen and Bottas are unable to finish their lap due to a puncture at Gasly, but it didn’t look like they were going faster than Hamilton. The Briton takes pole position and he will be joined again tomorrow by Verstappen on the front row. Bottas and Gasly start from the second row.

Qualifying 2021 Qatar GP

Dates and times of the 2021 Qatar GP

Sunday, November 21, 2021

Race: 3:00 p.m.