2021 São Paulo Grand Prix

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2021 São Paulo Grand Prix
Race 19 of 22[1] in the 2021 Formula One World Championship
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Layout of the Interlagos Circuit
Race details[2]
Date 14 November 2021
Official name Formula 1 Heineken Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2021
Location Interlagos Circuit, São Paulo, Brazil
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 4.309 km (2.677 miles)
Distance 71 laps, 305.879 km (190.064 miles)
Weather Sunny
Attendance 181,000[3]
Pole position
Driver Mercedes
Grid positions set by results of sprint qualifying
Fastest lap
Driver Mexico Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing-Honda
Time 1:11.010 on lap 71
Podium
First Mercedes
Second Red Bull Racing-Honda
Third Mercedes
Lap leaders

The 2021 São Paulo Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Heineken Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2021) was a Formula One motor race, held on 14 November 2021 at the Interlagos Circuit in São Paulo, Brazil. The race was the 19th round of the 2021 Formula One World Championship. The event marked the 49th edition of the Grand Prix and the first time the event was known as the São Paulo Grand Prix, with previous editions being known as the Brazilian Grand Prix.

After getting disqualified from Friday qualifying due to an inconformity with his drag reduction system (DRS), Lewis Hamilton would recover to fifth in the sprint, and after taking a further grid penalty for the race itself for exceeding the quota of internal combustion engines allocated to him, would win after duelling with, and passing, a leading Max Verstappen. Sprint polesitter Valtteri Bottas finished in third, which alongside Hamilton's victory further extended Mercedes' advantage over Red Bull Racing in the fight for the Constructors' Championship; Verstappen would remain ahead of Hamilton in the Drivers' Championship standings.

Background

Satellite view of the circuit in 2018

The race marked its debut in the Formula One Championship calendar under the name São Paulo Grand Prix, with previous editions being known as the Brazilian Grand Prix. In November 2020, a deal was signed which would see Formula One continue to race at Interlagos until 2025, albeit under the title of São Paulo Grand Prix.[4][5] The governing body, the FIA lifted the curfew on that limits overnight working after weather conditions meant the equipment arrived late to the venue.[6] This is the 38th time that Interlagos has been visited by the championship.[7] The race was originally to take place on this date, but it was firstly rescheduled to 7 November due to the postponement of the Australian Grand Prix;[a] then it was rescheduled again to its original date due to the reduction of the overall number of Grands Prix in the calendar, from 23 to 22.[8][9]

Championship standings

Heading into the race Max Verstappen led the World Drivers' Standings with 312.5 points, 19 points ahead of second-placed Lewis Hamilton. Valtteri Bottas was in third on 185 points, too far behind Verstappen to be able to win the title, but 20 points ahead of Sergio Pérez in fourth with Lando Norris fifth on 150 points. In the World Constructors' Standings, Mercedes led with 478.5 points, one point ahead of second-placed Red Bull Racing. Ferrari were third with 268.5 points ahead of McLaren on 255. Alpine and AlphaTauri were fifth and sixth with 106 points each, with Alpine being ahead courtesy of a win, compared to no wins for AlphaTauri.[10]

Entrants

The drivers and teams were the same as the season entry list with no additional stand-in drivers for the race or practice.[11] Kimi Räikkönen achieved his 350th Grand Prix entry in this race and became the first F1 driver to reach that milestone.

Tyre choices

Sole tyre supplier Pirelli allocated the C2, C3, and C4 compounds of tyre to be used during this Grand Prix weekend.[12]

Practice

The weekend saw two practice sessions, each lasting one hour. The first took place on 12 November at 12:30 local time (UTC-3) and the second took place at 12:00 on 13 November.[13]

Qualifying

Qualifying took place at 16:00 on 12 November,[13] with the results determining the starting order for sprint qualifying.[14]

Post-qualifying

After the qualifying session, Hamilton was referred to the stewards for an alleged technical infringement. The technical delegate's report stated that Hamilton's drag reduction system's opening slot was larger than the permitted 85 mm (3.3 in). The rear wing assembly of Hamilton's car was removed and impounded pending investigations. He was later disqualified from qualifying, forcing him to start at the back of the grid for the sprint qualifying.[15]

Verstappen was referred to the stewards for an alleged violation of article 2.5.1 of the FIA International Sporting Code, after he appeared to have touched Hamilton's car during parc fermé. Verstappen received a €50,000 fine.[16]

Qualifying classification

Pos. No. Driver Constructor Qualifying times SQ
grid
Q1 Q2 Q3
1 33 Netherlands Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing-Honda 1:09.329 1:08.499 1:08.372 1
2 77 Finland Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:09.040 1:08.426 1:08.469 2
3 11 Mexico Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing-Honda 1:09.172 1:08.973 1:08.483 3
4 10 France Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri-Honda 1:09.347 1:08.903 1:08.777 4
5 55 Spain Carlos Sainz Jr. Ferrari 1:09.046 1:09.031 1:08.826 5
6 16 Monaco Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:09.155 1:08.859 1:08.960 6
7 4 United Kingdom Lando Norris McLaren-Mercedes 1:09.365 1:09.030 1:08.980 7
8 3 Australia Daniel Ricciardo McLaren-Mercedes 1:09.374 1:09.093 1:09.039 8
9 14 Spain Fernando Alonso Alpine-Renault 1:09.391 1:09.137 1:09.113 9
10 31 France Esteban Ocon Alpine-Renault 1:09.430 1:09.189 N/A 10
11 5 Germany Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin-Mercedes 1:09.451 1:09.399 N/A 11
12 22 Japan Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri-Honda 1:09.350 1:09.483 N/A 12
13 7 Finland Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari 1:09.598 1:09.503 N/A 13
14 99 Italy Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari 1:09.342 1:10.227 N/A 14
15 18 Canada Lance Stroll Aston Martin-Mercedes 1:09.663 N/A N/A 15
16 6 Canada Nicholas Latifi Williams-Mercedes 1:09.897 N/A N/A 16
17 63 United Kingdom George Russell Williams-Mercedes 1:09.953 N/A N/A 17
18 47 Germany Mick Schumacher Haas-Ferrari 1:10.329 N/A N/A 18
19 9 Russian Automobile Federation Nikita Mazepin[b] Haas-Ferrari 1:10.589 N/A N/A 19
DSQ 44 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:08.733 1:08.068 1:07.934 201
107% time: 1:13.544
Source:[18][19]

Notes

  • ^1Lewis Hamilton qualified first, but was disqualified because his DRS was found not to be in conformity with the rules. He was allowed to race in the sprint qualifying at the stewards' discretion.[20]

Sprint qualifying

Sprint qualifying took place on 13 November at 16:30 and was contested over 24 laps,[13] with the results determining the starting order for the race.[14]

Sprint qualifying classification

Pos. No. Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points Final
grid
1 77 Finland Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 24 29:09.559 2 3 1
2 33 Netherlands Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing-Honda 24 +1.170 1 2 2
3 55 Spain Carlos Sainz Jr. Ferrari 24 +18.723 5 1 3
4 11 Mexico Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing-Honda 24 +19.787 3 4
5 44 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 24 +20.872 20 102
6 4 United Kingdom Lando Norris McLaren-Mercedes 24 +22.558 7 5
7 16 Monaco Charles Leclerc Ferrari 24 +25.056 6 6
8 10 France Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri-Honda 24 +34.158 4 7
9 31 France Esteban Ocon Alpine-Renault 24 +34.632 10 8
10 5 Germany Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin-Mercedes 24 +34.867 11 9
11 3 Australia Daniel Ricciardo McLaren-Mercedes 24 +35.869 8 11
12 14 Spain Fernando Alonso Alpine-Renault 24 +36.578 9 12
13 99 Italy Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari 24 +41.880 14 13
14 18 Canada Lance Stroll Aston Martin-Mercedes 24 +44.037 15 14
15 22 Japan Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri-Honda 24 +46.150 12 15
16 6 Canada Nicholas Latifi Williams-Mercedes 24 +46.760 16 16
17 63 United Kingdom George Russell Williams-Mercedes 24 +47.739 17 17
18 7 Finland Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari 24 +50.014 13 PL3
19 47 Germany Mick Schumacher Haas-Ferrari 24 +1:01.680 18 18
20 9 Russian Automobile Federation Nikita Mazepin[b] Haas-Ferrari 24 +1:07.474 19 19
Fastest lap: Netherlands Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing-Honda) – 1:12.114 (lap 9)
Source:[19][21][22]

Notes

  • ^2Lewis Hamilton received a five-place grid penalty for exceeding his quota of internal combustion engines (ICE).[23]
  • ^3Kimi Räikkönen qualified 18th, but was required to start the race from the pit lane due to a rear wing assembly change under parc fermé conditions.[24]

Race

The race was won by Hamilton, with Verstappen and Bottas completing the podium, and Pérez setting the fastest lap.[13]

Race classification

Pos. No. Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 44 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 71 1:32:22.851 10 25
2 33 Netherlands Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing-Honda 71 +10.496 2 18
3 77 Finland Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 71 +13.576 1 15
4 11 Mexico Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing-Honda 71 +39.940 4 131
5 16 Monaco Charles Leclerc Ferrari 71 +49.517 6 10
6 55 Spain Carlos Sainz Jr. Ferrari 71 +51.820 3 8
7 10 France Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri-Honda 70 +1 lap 7 6
8 31 France Esteban Ocon Alpine-Renault 70 +1 lap 8 4
9 14 Spain Fernando Alonso Alpine-Renault 70 +1 lap 12 2
10 4 United Kingdom Lando Norris McLaren-Mercedes 70 +1 lap 5 1
11 5 Germany Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin-Mercedes 70 +1 lap 9
12 7 Finland Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari 70 +1 lap PL
13 63 United Kingdom George Russell Williams-Mercedes 70 +1 lap 17
14 99 Italy Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari 70 +1 lap 13
15 22 Japan Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri-Honda 70 +1 lap 15
16 6 Canada Nicholas Latifi Williams-Mercedes 70 +1 lap 16
17 9 Russian Automobile Federation Nikita Mazepin[b] Haas-Ferrari 69 +2 laps 19
18 47 Germany Mick Schumacher Haas-Ferrari 69 +2 laps 18
Ret 3 Australia Daniel Ricciardo McLaren-Mercedes 49 Power loss 11
Ret 18 Canada Lance Stroll Aston Martin-Mercedes 47 Collision damage 14
Fastest lap: Mexico Sergio Pérez (Red Bull Racing-Honda) – 1:11.010 (lap 71)
Source:[22][25][26]

Notes

  • ^1 – Includes one point for fastest lap.

Championship standings after the race

  • 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.

Notes

  1. ^ The Australian Grand Prix would later be cancelled.
  2. ^ a b c 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.[17]

References

  1. ^ Smith, Luke (28 August 2021). "Formula 1 reveals updated 2021 calendar, drops to 22 races". Autosport. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  2. ^ "Brazil 2021". Formula1. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  3. ^ "Formula 1 announces TV, race attendance and digital audience figures for 2021". Formula1.com. 17 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  4. ^ Noble, Jonathan. "Sao Paulo agrees deal with F1 to host Brazilian GP until 2025". Autosport.com. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  5. ^ "Sao Paulo's Interlagos Circuit to host Brazilian Grand Prix until 2025". www.formula1.com. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  6. ^ Benson, Andrew (11 November 2021). "Sao Paulo Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton says 'every race a must-win' in battle with Max Verstappen". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  7. ^ Baldwin, Alan; Ed, Osmond (10 November 2021). "Formula One statistics for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix". Reuters. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  8. ^ "F1 Schedule 2021 – Bahrain to host season opener as Australia moves later in calendar and Imola returns". F1. 12 January 2021. Archived from the original on 12 January 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  9. ^ "Formula 1 announces revised 22-race calendar for 2021". Formula1. 28 August 2021. Archived from the original on 28 August 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  10. ^ "Championship points" (PDF). FIA. 7 November 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  11. ^ "2021 Brazilian Grand Prix – Entry List" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 11 November 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  12. ^ "Formula 1 2021 Season - Pirelli Unveils Tire Choices For All 23 GPs". F1Lead. 20 February 2021. Archived from the original on 21 February 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  13. ^ a b c d "Brazil timetable". Formula 1. Archived from the original on 6 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  14. ^ a b Thukral, Rachit (12 November 2021). "Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix qualifying – Start time, how to watch, channel". www.motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 12 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  15. ^ "2021 Brazilian Grand Prix - Car 44 - Offence - DRS" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 13 November 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 November 2021.
  16. ^ "Hamilton at risk of penalty over DRS technical infringement in Brazil – as Verstappen is also summoned to stewards". Formula1. 12 November 2021. Archived from the original on 12 November 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  17. ^ Luke Smith (5 February 2021). "Mazepin set to race under neutral flag after CAS ruling extends to F1". motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  18. ^ "Formula 1 Heineken Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2021 – Qualifying". Formula1.com. 12 November 2021. Archived from the original on 5 September 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  19. ^ a b "Formula 1 Heineken Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2021 – Sprint Grid". Formula1.com. 12 November 2021. Archived from the original on 2 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  20. ^ "Hamilton disqualified from Brazil qualifying after DRS infringement". www.formula1.com. 13 November 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  21. ^ "Formula 1 Heineken Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2021 – Sprint". F1. 13 November 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  22. ^ a b "Formula 1 Heineken Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2021 – Starting Grid". F1. 13 November 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  23. ^ "Hamilton set for five place grid penalty after taking new Mercedes engine in Brazil". www.formula1.com. 12 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  24. ^ "Offence - Car 7 - Rear Wing Assembly" (PDF). FIA. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 November 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  25. ^ "Formula 1 Heineken Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2021 – Race Result". Formula1.com. 14 November 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  26. ^ "Formula 1 Heineken Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2021 – Fastest Laps". Formula1.com. 14 November 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  27. ^ a b "Sâo Paulo 2021 - Championship". www.statsf1.com.

External links

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