2021 United States Grand Prix

The 2021 United States Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Aramco United States Grand Prix 2021) was a Formula One motor race, held on October 24, 2021, at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, United States. The race was the 17th round of the 2021 Formula One World Championship and the 50th running of the United States Grand Prix, the 42nd time the race was run as a World Championship event since the inaugural 1950 season, and the ninth time a World Championship round was held at the venue.

2021 United States Grand Prix
Race 17 of 22[1] in the 2021 Formula One World Championship
← Previous raceNext race →
Layout of the Circuit of the Americas
Race details[2][3]
Date October 24, 2021 (2021-10-24)
Official name Formula 1 Aramco United States Grand Prix 2021
Location Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 5.513 km (3.426 miles)
Distance 56 laps, 308.405 km (191.634 miles)
Weather Sunny
Attendance 400,000[4]
Pole position
Driver Red Bull Racing-Honda
Time 1:32.910
Fastest lap
Driver United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
Time 1:38.485 on lap 41
Podium
First Red Bull Racing-Honda
Second Mercedes
Third Red Bull Racing-Honda
Lap leaders

Background

edit
 
Aerial view of Circuit of the Americas.

The race returned after being cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] There was a 20% risk of rain for qualifying and 40% for the race.[6] From this race onward, any practice times set during waved yellow flags would be deleted.[7] The final two rounds of the 2021 W Series were held as support races for the Grand Prix.[8][9] This was the ninth time that Austin has hosted a Formula One Grand Prix.[5] Some restrictions on paddock access related to the COVID-19 pandemic were lowered starting from this event.[10]

Championship standings before the race

edit

After finishing second in the preceding Turkish Grand Prix, Max Verstappen led the drivers' championship from Lewis Hamilton by six points, Verstappen with 262.5 and Hamilton with 256.5. Behind them, Valtteri Bottas was in third place with 177 points. Lando Norris trailed him by 32 points, and Sergio Pérez trailed Norris by 10 points. In the constructors' championship, Mercedes led Red Bull Racing by 36 points. Behind them, third-placed McLaren led fourth-placed Ferrari by 7.5 points with 240 points, with Alpine a distant fifth with 104 points.

 
Verstappen, the race winner, during Friday's free practice.

Entrants

edit

The drivers and teams were the same as the season entry list with no additional stand-in drivers for the race.[11]

The title sponsor of Ferrari, Mission Winnow, returned for this race. The name and sponsor logos were used by Ferrari at the Bahrain, Emilia Romagna, Portuguese, Spanish, Monaco, Azerbaijan, and Russian Grands Prix, but were not used in any races from the French Grand Prix to the Italian Grand Prix, and the Turkish Grand Prix, for legal reasons.[11] For this weekend exclusively, Honda-powered teams Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri raced with sponsorship by Honda's American brand Acura, replacing the engine manufacturer's logos in their cars' respective liveries.[12]

Tyre choices

edit

Sole tyre supplier Pirelli allocated the C2, C3, and C4 compounds of tyre to be used in the race.[13]

Practice

edit

The first practice session started at 11:30 local time (UTC−05:00) on Friday, October 22.[14] Valtteri Bottas was the fastest in the session, with Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen behind.[15] The second session started at 15:00 local time, also on Friday, and ended with Sergio Pérez fastest ahead of Lando Norris and Hamilton.[16] The third practice session started at 13:00 local time on Saturday, October 23. There were very stiff winds and high temperatures catching the drivers out throughout the session and Verstappen and Hamilton both had quicker lap times deleted for exceeding track limits on Turns 19 and 9, respectively, Pérez was once again the fastest driver, ahead of Carlos Sainz Jr. for Ferrari and Verstappen.[17]

Qualifying

edit

Qualifying started at 16:00 local time (UTC−05:00) on Saturday, October 23.[14] The surface temperature was around 37 °C (99 °F).[clarification needed][18] Before qualifying, Red Bull made alterations to the rear wings of their cars after a crack was found on one of them.[19] Verstappen qualified on pole.[10] Hamilton qualified second, a fifth of a second slower than Verstappen.[18] Pérez qualified third, while Bottas qualified fourth, although the latter had a five-place grid penalty and was relegated to ninth on the starting grid.[19]

Qualifying classification

edit
Pos. No. Driver Constructor Qualifying times Final
grid
Q1 Q2 Q3
1 33   Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing-Honda 1:34.352 1:33.464 1:32.910 1
2 44   Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:34.579 1:33.797 1:33.119 2
3 11   Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing-Honda 1:34.369 1:34.178 1:33.134 3
4 77   Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:34.590 1:33.959 1:33.475 91
5 16   Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:34.153 1:33.928 1:33.606 4
6 55   Carlos Sainz Jr. Ferrari 1:34.558 1:34.126 1:33.792 5
7 3   Daniel Ricciardo McLaren-Mercedes 1:34.407 1:34.643 1:33.808 6
8 4   Lando Norris McLaren-Mercedes 1:34.551 1:33.880 1:33.887 7
9 10   Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri-Honda 1:34.567 1:34.583 1:34.118 8
10 22   Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri-Honda 1:35.360 1:35.137 1:34.918 10
11 31   Esteban Ocon Alpine-Renault 1:35.747 1:35.377 N/A 11
12 5   Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin-Mercedes 1:35.281 1:35.500 N/A 182
13 99   Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari 1:35.920 1:35.794 N/A 12
14 14   Fernando Alonso Alpine-Renault 1:35.756 1:44.549 N/A 193
15 63   George Russell Williams-Mercedes 1:35.746 No time N/A 204
16 18   Lance Stroll Aston Martin-Mercedes 1:35.983 N/A N/A 13
17 6   Nicholas Latifi Williams-Mercedes 1:35.995 N/A N/A 14
18 7   Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari 1:36.311 N/A N/A 15
19 47   Mick Schumacher Haas-Ferrari 1:36.499 N/A N/A 16
20 9   Nikita Mazepin[a] Haas-Ferrari 1:36.796 N/A N/A 17
107% time: 1:40.743
Source:[21][22]

Notes

  • ^1Valtteri Bottas received a five-place grid penalty for a new internal combustion engine.[23]
  • ^2Sebastian Vettel was required to start the race from the back of the grid for exceeding his quota of power unit elements.[23]
  • ^3Fernando Alonso was required to start the race from the back of the grid for exceeding his quota of power unit elements.[24]
  • ^4George Russell was required to start the race from the back of the grid for exceeding his quota of power unit elements.[23]

Race

edit

The race started at 14:00 local time (UTC−05:00) on Sunday, October 24, and was run over fifty-six laps.[14][5]

Race classification

edit
Pos. No. Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 33   Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing-Honda 56 1:34:36.552 1 25
2 44   Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 56 +1.333 2 191
3 11   Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing-Honda 56 +42.223 3 15
4 16   Charles Leclerc Ferrari 56 +52.246 4 12
5 3   Daniel Ricciardo McLaren-Mercedes 56 +1:16.854 6 10
6 77   Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 56 +1:20.128 9 8
7 55   Carlos Sainz Jr. Ferrari 56 +1:23.545 5 6
8 4   Lando Norris McLaren-Mercedes 56 +1:24.395 7 4
9 22   Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri-Honda 55 +1 lap 10 2
10 5   Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin-Mercedes 55 +1 lap 18 1
11 99   Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari 55 +1 lap 12
12 18   Lance Stroll Aston Martin-Mercedes 55 +1 lap 13
13 7   Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari 55 +1 lap 15
14 63   George Russell Williams-Mercedes 55 +1 lap 20
15 6   Nicholas Latifi Williams-Mercedes 55 +1 lap 14
16 47   Mick Schumacher Haas-Ferrari 54 +2 laps 16
17 9   Nikita Mazepin[a] Haas-Ferrari 54 +2 laps 17
Ret 14   Fernando Alonso Alpine-Renault 49 Rear wing 19
Ret 31   Esteban Ocon Alpine-Renault 40 Mechanical 11
Ret 10   Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri-Honda 14 Suspension 8
Fastest lap:   Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) – 1:38.485 (lap 41)
Source:[22][25][26]

Notes

  • ^1 – Includes one point for fastest lap.

Championship standings after the race

edit
  • Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
  • Bold text and an asterisk indicates competitors who still had a theoretical chance of becoming World Champion.

See also

edit

Notes

edit
  1. ^ a b Nikita Mazepin is Russian, but he competed as a neutral competitor using the designation RAF (Russian Automobile Federation), as the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld a ban on Russia competing at World Championships. The ban was implemented by the World Anti-Doping Agency in response to the state-sponsored doping program of Russian athletes.[20]

References

edit
  1. ^ Smith, Luke (August 28, 2021). "Formula 1 reveals updated 2021 calendar, drops to 22 races". Autosport. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  2. ^ "United States 2021". Formula1. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  3. ^ Dodgins, Tony; Hamilton, Maurice; Hughes, Mark; Kirby, Gordon (January 8, 2021). Autocourse 2020-2021. Cheltenham, United Kingdom: Icon Publishing Limited. pp. 272–281. ISBN 978-1910584-42-2.
  4. ^ "Formula 1 announces TV, race attendance and digital audience figures for 2021". Formula1.com. February 17, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Baldwin, Alan; Osmond, Ed (October 20, 2021). "Motor racing-Formula One statistics for the U.S. Grand Prix". Reuters. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  6. ^ "What's the weather forecast for the United States Grand Prix?". Formula 1. October 21, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  7. ^ "Drivers to have lap times set under double waved yellows deleted from US Grand Prix". www.formula1.com. October 21, 2021. Archived from the original on October 22, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  8. ^ Baldwin, Alan; Davis, Toby (October 21, 2021). "Motor racing-W Series heads for Texan title-decider with a tie at the top". Reuters. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  9. ^ Richards, Giles (October 22, 2021). "W Series gears up for gripping finale for co-leaders Powell and Chadwick". The Guardian. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  10. ^ a b Benson, Andrew (October 24, 2021). "United States GP: Why are Red Bull quickest again?". BBC Sport. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  11. ^ a b "2021 United States Grand Prix – Entry List" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. October 21, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  12. ^ "Acura brand returns to F1 with Red Bull and AlphaTauri at US GP". www.autosport.com. October 20, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  13. ^ "Formula 1 2021 Season - Pirelli Unveils Tire Choices For All 23 GPs". F1Lead. February 20, 2021. Archived from the original on February 21, 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  14. ^ a b c "United States timetable". Formula 1. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  15. ^ "FP1: Bottas leads Hamilton and Verstappen in opening US Grand Prix practice session". Formula1. October 22, 2021. Archived from the original on October 22, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  16. ^ "FP2: Perez leads Norris in second practice as frustrated Verstappen falls foul of traffic". Formula1. October 22, 2021. Archived from the original on October 22, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  17. ^ "FP3: Perez tops final practice at Austin as Verstappen and Hamilton have quicker laps deleted". Formula1. October 23, 2021. Archived from the original on October 23, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  18. ^ a b Dart, Tom (October 23, 2021). "Hamilton laments 'real struggle' as Verstappen pips him to F1 US GP pole". The Observer. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  19. ^ a b Baldwin, Alan; Ferris, Ken; Wallis, Daniel (October 24, 2021). "Verstappen on pole and Hamilton alongside in Texas". Reuters. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  20. ^ Luke Smith (February 5, 2021). "Mazepin set to race under neutral flag after CAS ruling extends to F1". motorsport.com. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  21. ^ "Formula 1 Aramco United States Grand Prix 2021 – Qualifying". Formula1.com. October 23, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  22. ^ a b "Formula 1 Aramco United States Grand Prix 2021 – Starting Grid". Formula1.com. October 23, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  23. ^ a b c "Bottas, Russell and Vettel hit with United States Grand Prix grid penalties after PU changes". www.formula1.com. October 22, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  24. ^ "Alonso set for back of the grid start in the US Grand Prix after changing PU components". www.formula1.com. October 23, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  25. ^ "Formula 1 Aramco United States Grand Prix 2021 – Race Result". Formula1.com. October 24, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  26. ^ "Formula 1 Aramco United States Grand Prix 2021 – Fastest Laps". Formula1.com. October 24, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  27. ^ a b "United States 2021 - Championship". www.statsf1.com.
edit
Previous race:
2021 Turkish Grand Prix
FIA Formula One World Championship
2021 season
Next race:
2021 Mexico City Grand Prix
Previous race:
2019 United States Grand Prix
United States Grand Prix Next race:
2022 United States Grand Prix