2021 Qatar Grand Prix

Championship standings

Verstappen leads the Drivers’ Championship with 332.5 points, 14 ahead of Hamilton. Bottas is third on 203, 25 ahead of Pérez in fourth. Norris is fifth with 151. In the Constructors’, Mercedes lead with 521.5 points, 11 ahead of Red Bull. Ferrari are third with 287.5, ahead of McLaren’s 256. Alpine and AlphaTauri are level on 112 points in fifth and sixth, with Alpine ahead by virtue of a race win.

Previous race

At the São Paulo Grand Prix, Hamilton was disqualified from qualifying for a technical infringement the following day. Bottas won the sprint race, starting Sunday’s Grand Prix from pole. Hamilton finished fifth in the sprint from the back of the grid, and carried a further five-place penalty for a new engine. Verstappen finished second in the sprint, extending his championship lead by two points. Hamilton won the Grand Prix from Verstappen, with Bottas completing the podium, cutting Verstappen’s lead from 21 to 14 points.

Milestones

This is the first Qatar Grand Prix. The race is held at the Lusail International Circuit — a night race venue that has hosted MotoGP since 2004. A ten-year contract to host the event from 2023 at a new purpose-built circuit was announced alongside the debut; there will be no Qatar Grand Prix in 2022 as the country hosts the FIFA World Cup.

Tyre choices

Pirelli brings the C1, C2, and C3 compounds — the hardest selection available.

Practice

Verstappen topped FP1 ahead of Gasly and Hamilton. Bottas led FP2 with Gasly and Verstappen second and third. In FP3, Bottas was again fastest, with Hamilton second.