The 2021 Styrian Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 BWT Großer Preis der Steiermark 2021) was a

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship ...

motor race that took place on 27 June 2021 at the

Red Bull Ring The Red Bull Ring is a motorsport race track in Spielberg, Austria, Spielberg, Styria, Austria. The race circuit was founded as Österreichring (translation: Austrian Circuit) and hosted the Austrian Grand Prix for 18 consecutive years, from t ...

in Spielberg, Austria as the eighth round of the

2021 Formula One World Championship The 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship was a motor racing championship for Formula One cars which was the 72nd running of the Formula One World Championship. It is recognised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the ...

. It is the second

Styrian Grand Prix The Styrian Grand Prix (german: Großer Preis der Steiermark) was a Formula One motor racing event held at the Red Bull Ring, named after Styria, the province of Austria in which the circuit is located. Created in 2020 to maximize the number of ...

, and the thirty-fourth Grand Prix held at the venue. The event was added to the schedule after other races were cancelled because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

, forming the second leg of a series of three races on back-to-back weekends. The race was won from

pole position In a motorsports race, the pole position is usually the best and "statistically the most advantageous" starting position on the track. The pole position is usually earned by the driver with the best qualifying times in the trials before the ra ...

Red Bull Racing Red Bull Racing, also simply known as Red Bull or RBR and currently competing as Oracle Red Bull Racing, is a Formula One racing team, racing under an Austrian licence and based in the United Kingdom. It is one of two Formula One teams owned ...

driver

Max Verstappen Max Emilian Verstappen (; born 30 September 1997) is a Belgian-Dutch Auto racing, racing driver and the 2021 Formula One World Championship, 2021 and 2022 Formula One World Championship, 2022 Formula One World Champion. He Formula One drivers ...

, who led every lap of the race.

Lewis Hamilton Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton (born 7 January 1985) is a British racing driver currently competing in Formula One for Mercedes. In Formula One, Hamilton has won a joint-record seven World Drivers' Championship titles (tied with Mic ...

, driving for the Mercedes team, finished second and set the

fastest lap In motorsport, the fastest lap is the quickest lap run during a race. Some racing series, like Formula One, Formula 2 and Formula E award championship points for a driver or team that set the fastest lap. In Grand Prix motorcycle racing no point ...

, with his teammate

Valtteri Bottas Valtteri Viktor Bottas (; born 28 August 1989) is a Finnish racing driver currently competing in Formula One for Alfa Romeo, having previously driven for Mercedes from to and Williams from to . Bottas has scored race wins and podiums. He ...

finishing third.

Background

The event was held over the weekend of 25–27 June, and is officially named the ''Formula 1 BWT Großer Preis der Steiermark 2021''. It was the eighth round of the

, and the second

following the first edition held the previous year. It was held at the , ten-corner

in Spielberg, Austria, the sixteenth world championship

Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

held on the modern version of the circuit, and the thirty-fourth in total. Of the locations on the 2021 schedule, Spielberg falls behind only Mexico City in terms of altitude. Changes had been made to the verge and barrier at the second and third corners and to the kerb at the sixth turn since the previous year. It was hoped that the changes made would prevent drivers from gaining an advatange by leaving the track. The kerbs at the venue are known for the demand they place on the suspension of cars that run over them. The event was added to the schedule after the

Canadian Grand Prix The Canadian Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix du Canada) is an annual motor racing event held since 1961. It has been part of the Formula One World Championship since 1967. It was first staged at Mosport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, as a sp ...

was cancelled and the Turkish Grand Prix was postponed, both because of the

. As a result of these changes, the Styrian Grand Prix formed the second leg of a series of three races on consecutive weekends, following the 2021 French Grand Prix in

Le Castellet, Var Le Castellet (; oc, Lo Castelet) is a commune in the Var department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. It consists of a small feudal village perched on a cliff edge and its surroundings.2021 Austrian Grand Prix, which was also held in Spielberg. The addition of a fourth group of three back-to-back races to the already-crowded calendar received criticism, with concerns expressed over the workload and its effect on the mental health of workers who travel to the races. This race was held with a limited number of spectators in attendance, while the following week's

Austrian Grand Prix The Austrian Grand Prix (german: Großer Preis von Österreich) is a Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile sanctioned motor racing event that was held in , –, –, and then returned to the Formula One calendar in . History The A ...

had a much larger crowd. At the time outdoor events in Austria could have no more than three-thousand attendees, however the large size of the venue meant spectators could be split into five separate groups, allowing a crowd of fifteen-thousand. The 2021 W Series hosted its season's first round as a support race. Sole

Formula One tyre Formula One tyres play a significant role in the performance of a Formula One car. The tyres have undergone major changes throughout the history of Formula One with different manufacturers and specifications used in the sport. Design and usage ...

supplier

Pirelli Pirelli & C. S.p.A. is a multinational tyre manufacturer based in Milan, Italy. The company, which has been listed on the Milan Stock Exchange since 1922, is the 6th-largest tyre manufacturer and is focused on the consumer production of tyres ...

were expected to bring their middle three dry-weather tyre compounds in terms of hardness—the C2, C3, and C4—which were originally intended for the next round. Ten constructors and twenty drivers participated, with no changes from the season entry list.

Robert Kubica Robert Józef Kubica (; born 7 December 1984) is a Polish racing and rally driver. He was the first and, , the only Polish racing driver to compete in Formula One. Between 2006 and 2009 he drove for the BMW Sauber F1 team, promoted from test d ...

drove for Alfa Romeo Racing in the first free practice session in place of

Kimi Räikkönen Kimi-Matias Räikkönen (; born 17 October 1979), nicknamed "The Iceman", is a Finnish racing driver who competed in Formula One between 2001 and 2021 for Sauber, McLaren, Ferrari, Lotus, and Alfa Romeo. Räikkönen won the 2007 Formula One W ...

entered the event leading the World Championship, with a twelve-point advantage ahead of

, while

led the World Championship by thirty-seven points from the Mercedes team. Verstappen, who had won at the circuit twice before, felt that the race would be close between Red Bull and Mercedes and that understanding the weather conditions would be important. Hamilton described Spielberg as "a power-hungry circuit", believing that Red Bull had a straight-line speed advantage and that it would be necessary for Mercedes to "maximise absolutely everything" to compete with them.

Practice

The first practice session passed without major incident and ended with Red Bull's Verstappen fastest ahead of

Scuderia AlphaTauri Scuderia AlphaTauri, or simply AlphaTauri, is an Italian Formula One racing team and constructor. It is one of two Formula One constructors owned by Austrian beverage company Red Bull, the other being Red Bull Racing. The constructor was rebra ...

Pierre Gasly Pierre Gasly (; born 7 February 1996) is a French racing driver, currently competing in Formula One under the French flag, racing for Scuderia AlphaTauri. He is the 2016 GP2 Series champion, and the runner-up in the 2014 Formula Renault 3.5 S ...

and Mercedes driver Hamilton.

Sergio Pérez Sergio Michel "Checo" Pérez Mendoza (; born 26 January 1990), is a Mexican racing driver who races in Formula One for Red Bull Racing, having previously driven for Sauber, McLaren, Force India, and Racing Point. He won his first Formula ...

and

Carlos Sainz Jr Carlos Sainz Vázquez de Castro (; born 1 September 1994), otherwise known as Carlos Sainz Jr. or simply Carlos Sainz, is a Spanish racing driver currently competing in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari. He is the son of Carlos Sainz Sr., a d ...

were amongst the drivers who had spins during this session. There was some very light rain during Friday's running which did not effect proceedings significantly. Verstappen set the fastest official time in the second free practice session with

Daniel Ricciardo Daniel Joseph Ricciardo ( "Ricardo", ; born 1 July 1989) is an Italian-Australian racing driver who last raced in Formula One driving for McLaren, under the Australian flag. He made his debut at the 2011 British Grand Prix with the HR ...

second for

McLaren McLaren Racing Limited is a British motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor, the second oldest active team, and the second most successful Formul ...

and the Alpine team’s

Esteban Ocon Esteban José Jean-Pierre Ocon-Khelfane (; born 17 September 1996) is a French racing driver who competes for Alpine in Formula One. He made his Formula One debut for Manor Racing in the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix, replacing Rio Haryanto. He ...

third, after Hamilton had a faster lap time disallowed for a track limits violation.

spun in the pit lane after leaving in second gear; he was penalised for this, being required to start from three positions further back in the race and having two penalty points added to his

FIA Super Licence The FIA Super Licence is a driver's qualification allowing the holder to compete in the Formula One World Championship. Requirements Super Licence To qualify for an FIA Racing Super Licence an applicant must meet the requirements of the FIA's In ...

. Gasly did not participate in this session because the Alpha Tauri mechanics were attempting to diagnose a fault with his car's engine. Hamilton set the fastest lap in the third practice session followed by Verstappen in second, and Bottas in third. Verstappen felt that Hamilton had impeded him during his fast runs. Bottas and Gasly nearly collided in the pit lane while Gasly was exiting his pit garage.

Qualifying

Qualifying started at 15:00 local time on the Saturday. Temperatures that day were around . The session is composed of three segments. At the end of the first two parts the five slowest drivers have their qualifying positions set and are prevented from participating in the rest of the qualifying session. The final segment determines the top ten qualifying positions. The qualifying results are then used to determine the starting order of the race. Verstappen set the fastest time of the final segment of qualifying to claim pole position. This was the sixth pole of Verstappen's Formula One career, and his third of 2021. Bottas qualified second, with his penalty pushing him back to fifth, with Hamilton qualifying third and

Lando Norris Lando Norris (born 13 November 1999) is a Belgian-British racing driver currently competing in Formula One with McLaren, racing under the British flag. He won the MSA Formula championship in 2015, and the Toyota Racing Series, Eurocup Formu ...

fourth. McLaren had an advantage over

Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari S.p.A. () is the racing division of luxury Italian auto manufacturer Ferrari and the racing team that competes in Formula One racing. The team is also known by the nickname "The Prancing Horse", in reference to their logo. ...

in qualifying because of the design of their

drag reduction system In motor racing, the drag reduction system (DRS) is a form of driver-adjustable bodywork aimed at reducing aerodynamic drag in order to increase top speed and promote overtaking. It is an adjustable rear wing of the car, which moves in respons ...

. Pérez was only able to make one run on new soft tyres during the final segment after he had to use a set during the first segment. Bottas, Hamilton, Norris, and Verstappen only made one run in the first segment as their times were sufficient to progress. Congestion was sometimes an issue during qualifying on the short layout, with

Yuki Tsunoda Yuki Tsunoda (Japanese: 角田裕毅, ''Tsunoda Yūki'', ; born 11 May 2000) is a Japanese racing driver who is racing for Scuderia AlphaTauri in Formula One. Supported by Honda since 2016 through the , he was the 2018 Japanese F4 champion a ...

, who qualified eighth, ordered to start from three places further back as a penalty for holding up Bottas. Hamilton passed several other drivers during the final outlap of qualifying because he was worried about maintaining tyre temperature, however this resulted in his tyres getting dirt on them, which slowed him down. Gasly was fast enough to qualify sixth.

Charles Leclerc Charles Marc Hervé Perceval Leclerc (; born 16 October 1997) is a Monégasque racing driver, currently racing in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari. He won the GP3 Series championship in 2016 and the FIA Formula 2 Championship in . Leclerc ma ...

qualified seventh for Scuderia Ferrari.

Fernando Alonso Fernando Alonso Díaz (; born 29 July 1981) is a Spanish racing driver currently competing for Alpine in Formula One. He won the series' World Drivers' Championship in and with Renault, and has also driven for McLaren, Ferrari, and M ...

set the ninth fastest time of the final session, having beaten George Russell out of the second session by less than a hundredth of a second. Lance Stroll was further from the pace in the final segment and qualified tenth for the Aston Martin team. A slow final sector in an understeering Ferrari meant Sainz qualified twelfth. Ricciardo qualified thirteenth with a time half-a-second slower than teammate Norris in the second segment, which McLaren believed was a result of the circuit's heavy braking zones.

Sebastian Vettel Sebastian Vettel (; born 3 July 1987) is a German racing driver who competed in Formula One from 2007 to 2022 for BMW Sauber, Toro Rosso, Red Bull, Ferrari, and Aston Martin. Vettel is one of the most successful drivers in Formula One histor ...

experienced issues with understeer and had his best lap in the second segment deleted after he went off the track, meaning he qualified fourteenth.

Nicholas Latifi Nicholas Daniel Latifi (born 29 June 1995) is a Canadian racing driver who last raced for Williams Racing under the Canadian flag in the 2022 Formula One World Championship. Latifi made his Formula One debut at the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix ...

encountered traffic during his final attempt, and qualified sixteenth. Ocon qualified seventeenth after he was nearly a quarter of a second slower than teammate Alonso in the first segment. Räikkönen went off into the gravel trap at the fourth corner during his first attempt, and qualified eighteenth with a fastest time in the first segment a third of a second slower than teammate

Antonio Giovinazzi Antonio Maria Giovinazzi (; born 14 December 1993) is an Italian racing driver who currently serves as the reserve driver for Scuderia Ferrari, Haas and Alfa Romeo Racing. He was the 2015 FIA Formula 3 European Championship runner-up and rac ...

, who qualified fifteenth after losing time through the last turn. The

Haas Formula Haas Formula LLC, competing as Haas F1 Team, is an American-licensed Formula One racing team established by NASCAR Cup Series team co-owner Gene Haas in April 2014. The team originally intended to make its debut at the start of the season ...

cars were the slowest, with

Mick Schumacher Mick Schumacher (; born 22 March 1999) is a German racing driver who is the current reserve driver for the Mercedes AMG Formula One Team. Schumacher began his career in karting in 2008, progressing to the German ADAC Formula 4 by 2015. After ...

quicker than

Nikita Mazepin Nikita Dmitryevich Mazepin ( rus, Ники́та Дми́триевич Мазе́пин, p=nʲɪˈkʲitə ˈdmʲɪtrʲɪjɪvʲɪtɕ mɐˈzʲepʲɪn; born 2 March 1999) is a Russian professional racing driver who competes in rally raid. A for ...

. Haas were the only team whose drivers were over a second slower than Verstappen's benchmark in the first segment, with Schumacher six-tenths of a second behind Räikkönen.

Qualifying classification

Notes

* –

received a three-place grid penalty for dangerous driving in the pit lane during second practice. * –

received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Valtteri Bottas during qualifying.

Race

The race started at 15:00 local time on the Sunday. It lasted seventy-one laps for a total distance of . The ambient temperature before the start was . Verstappen and the two Mercedes drivers started on the medium compound tyres. The rest of the top-ten qualifiers started on the soft tyres, while those who did not reach the final segment of qualifying mostly opted for the mediums. Räikkönen was the only driver who started on the hardest tyre compound. Pérez passed Norris at the third corner, but Norris regained the position at the fourth turn. Scuderia Ferrari driver Leclerc collided with Gasly on the first lap, meaning the Alpha Tauri driver had to retire from the race, while Leclerc made a pit stop to replace his car's front wing. The incident also resulted in Giovinazzi spinning. Stroll overtook Alonso on the first lap, while Latifi also made a pit stop because his car's rear-right tyre was punctured. Ricciardo passed Tsunoda on the first lap at the second-to-last corner. Giovinazzi overtook Schumacher on third lap and Mazepin on the fourth lap to move up into fifteenth position. Ricciardo was overtaken by four other drivers on the seventh lap after a technical issue caused his McLaren to lose power. Pérez overtook Norris for third place on the tenth lap, with Bottas following him through a lap later. By this point Verstappen was ten seconds ahead of his teammate. Leclerc overtook Schumacher on the thirteenth lap and Mazepin on the fourteenth lap to move up into sixteenth position. Although cloud cover appeared over the track during the race, the weather remained warm enough for teams to have concerns about cooling their cars. Verstappen built a four-second lead from Hamilton and then slowed to the same pace as his pursuer. Mazepin made a pit stop on the twenty-first lap. Leclerc overtook Giovinazzi on the twenty-second lap and Ocon on the twenty-fourth lap to move up into fourteenth position. Verstappen's lead increased on the twenty-fifth lap when Hamilton almost lost control of his car following a tyre vibration. At the end of the twenty-fifth lap Russell, who had been in eighth position, had a pit stop which lasted eighteen seconds while the team recharged his car's pneumatic system. Russell's teammate Latifi also made a pit stop on the twenty-fifth lap. Giovinazzi had dropped behind Schumacher when he made a pit stop on the twenty-third lap, but got back past the Haas driver on the twenty-sixth lap. Pérez came into the pits for new tyres at the end of the twenty-sixth lap, however an issue changing the rear-left wheel meant his pit stop was slow, and when Bottas (who pitted one lap later) emerged from the pit lane he had gotten ahead of Pérez. Tsunoda also made a pit stop on the twenty-sixth lap, while Alonso and Vettel had pit stops on the twenty-seventh lap. Before Pérez pitted Hamilton could not make a pit stop without emerging behind the Red Bull driver. Hamilton made his first pit stop at the end of the twenty-eighth lap, with Verstappen doing the same on the following lap. Verstappen's existing advantage and the concise length of the circuit meant that Hamilton could not utilise the greater grip of fresh tyres to get ahead of Verstappen while the Red Bull was in the pit lane. Stroll also made a pit stop on the twenty-eighth lap, while Norris made his on the thirty-first lap and Schumacher made his on the thirty-third. Russell retired on the thirty-sixth lap after his car's engine had hydraulic problems. The outcome was disappointing for the Williams team, who had not scored a point since the 2019 German Grand Prix and were running in a points-scoring position before the issues emerged. Räikkönen and Ocon made pit stops on the thirty-sixth lap. Leclerc made a second pit stop on the thirty-seventh lap; he exited the pitlane in fourteenth place. Sainz and Ricciardo made pit stops on the forty-first lap, while Leclerc overtook Räikkönen for thirteenth position and Schumacher overtook Mazepin for sixteenth. Verstappen reported some brake problems during the latter part of the race, which may have been related to the kerbing at the ninth and tenth corners. Sainz overtook Stroll for sixth place on the forty-fourth lap and Leclerc overtook Giovinazzi for eleventh on the forty-fifth. Leclerc overtook Vettel for tenth on the forty-ninth lap. Ricciardo overtook Ocon for fourteenth position on the fifty-third lap. Pérez made a second pit stop at the end of the fifty-fourth lap, after which he was twenty seconds behind Bottas; the new tyres allowed him to close the gap to less than two seconds by the end of the race. Verstappen won from Hamilton, with Bottas in third ahead of Pérez. Norris remained in fifth until the end, aided by a relatively late pit stop for new tyres. Pérez was nearly twenty-seven seconds ahead of Norris at the finish. Leclerc climbed through the order to finish seventh after making a pit stop to repair damage sustained in the collision with Gasly. After his second pit stop he overtook both Alfa Romeos and Aston Martins as well as Tsunoda and Alonso. Leclerc overtook Tsunoda on the fifty-fourth lap, Alonso on the fifty-fifth lap, and Stroll on the fifty-ninth. Leclerc felt that his recovery from the back of the field was amongst his best drives in a Formula One race. His Ferrari teammate Sainz finished one place ahead of him, having gained six places from his starting position. Sainz was slowed when he found himself a lap behind Hamilton, who was on older tyres. Hamilton eventually allowed Sainz through to unlap himself. Stroll, Alonso, and Tsunoda made up the rest of the top-ten points-scoring positions. Räikkönen overtook his teammate Giovinazzi on the fifty-seventh lap before passing Vettel for eleventh on the sixty-seventh lap. Ricciardo finished thirteenth after spending much of the race unable to pass slower cars, having passed Giovinazzi on the fifty-eighth lap. The McLaren driver felt he could have scored points without the engine problem his car had early in the race. Latifi finished seventeenth after he overtook Mazepin on the sixty-third lap. Mazepin was the last finisher in eighteenth, forty-two seconds behind teammate Schumacher. The Haas driver suggested he was slower because his car was heavier. Some light rainfall was reported towards the end of the race, but it did not significantly effect proceedings. Verstappen extended his lead over Hamilton in the Championship to eighteen points while Red Bull extended theirs over Mercedes in the Championship to forty. The low drag setup on the Red Bull RB16B's rear wing gave them a speed advantage. Red Bull had installed upgrades on Verstappen's car before the event. Hamilton said that Red Bull had "made some big improvements over the last couple of races and it's impossible to keep up"; he wanted Mercedes to develop upgrades to make their car faster, but Mercedes had no plans to do so. Mercedes suspected that their car setup may have overemphasised speed over a single lap at the expense of being fast for an entire race distance. Mercedes wanted to reduce rear-tyre wear for the next race at the same venue. Hamilton claimed the additional point for setting the

of the race; he was seventeen seconds behind Verstappen when Mercedes called him in to the pits towards the end of the race for a new set of tyres which would enable him to do so. This was the forty-third time Hamilton had finished a Grand Prix in second place, equalling the record held by

Michael Schumacher Michael Schumacher (; ; born 3 January 1969) is a German former racing driver who competed in Formula One for Jordan, Benetton, Ferrari, and Mercedes. Schumacher has a joint-record seven World Drivers' Championship titles (tied with Lewis ...

. Verstappen performed celebratory burnouts after the finish, and was warned by officials to not repeat such an act at future events. Red Bull team principal

Christian Horner Christian Edward Johnston Horner (born 16 November 1973) is a British former racing driver and current Team Principal of the Red Bull Formula One team, a position he has held since 2005, winning eleven world titles (five World Constructors' Ch ...

praised Verstappen, calling it "the most dominant win we had all year against Mercedes." This was the first time since the 2013 season that Mercedes had not won in four consecutive races. Verstappen led every lap and lapped all the drivers apart from Hamilton, Pérez and Bottas. This was the first time in 2021 that a McLaren had not finished on the lead lap. This was Verstappen's second win in a row after winning in France a week before this race, marking the first time Verstappen had won two consecutive .

Race classification

Notes

* – Includes one point for fastest lap.

Championship standings after the race

;Drivers' Championship standings ;Constructors' Championship standings * Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.

Notes

References

External links

{{F1GP 2020-29 Styrian Grand Prix Styrian

Background

Practice

Qualifying

Qualifying classification

Notes

Race

Race classification

Notes

Championship standings after the race

See also

Notes

References

External links