2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix

Championship standings

Verstappen leads Hamilton by eight points — 351.5 to 343.5. In the Constructors’, Mercedes lead Red Bull by five points. Ferrari lead McLaren by 39.5 points in the battle for third.

Previous race

At Qatar, Hamilton was on pole while Verstappen was penalised for failing to respect double-waved yellow flags in qualifying and started from seventh. Hamilton led every lap to win. Verstappen recovered to second despite starting near the back, and Alonso ran a one-stop strategy to finish third — his first podium since the 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix. The result cut Verstappen’s championship lead from 14 to eight points.

Between-race developments

Williams co-founder and former owner Sir Frank Williams died on 28 November, one week before the race, at the age of 79. Teams have sported tributes on their cars; a minute’s silence will take place before the race start. Former Williams driver Damon Hill will do a lap of honour in the FW07, Williams’s first championship-winning car. Williams CEO Jost Capito has tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss the weekend.

Milestones

This is the first Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, held on a temporary street circuit in Jeddah. Alpine are running a special livery to commemorate their 100th race with sponsor Castrol.

Tyre choices

Pirelli brings the C2, C3, and C4 compounds.