2021 Italian Grand Prix

The 2021 Italian Grand Prix (officially the Formula 1 Heineken Gran Premio D'Italia 2021) was the 14th race of the 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship, held at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza between September 10 and September 12 2021. The race weekend was the second weekend to trial the new sprint qualifying format.
Daniel Ricciardo gave 's first victory since 2012 with Lando Norris and Valtteri Bottas finishing behind, the latter starting from last due to engine penalties, as both title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen both collided and retired.
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==Background==
In the build-up to the race a number of driver changes were announced. On Monday after the Dutch Grand Prix weekend, Valtteri Bottas was announced to be joining in a multi-year deal beginning 2022, replacing the outgoing Kimi Räikkönen. George Russell thus took over Bottas' seat at Mercedes, while Alexander Albon, who was dropped from Red Bull at the end of 2020 was announced to make his return to F1 joining alongside Nicholas Latifi.
Robert Kubica was announced to be driving for for the weekend, as Räikkönen was yet to recover from COVID-19.
Alfa Romeo and both ran special liveries for the weekend. Alfa Romeo ran a special Italian livery, while Aston Martin ran a James Bond branding to promote the upcoming latest Bond film No Time To Die.
===Entry List===
The full entry list for the is outlined below:
No. 	Driver 	Entrant 	Constructor 	Chassis 	Engine 	Model 	Tyre
3 	Daniel Ricciardo 	McLaren F1 Team 	 	MCL35M 	 	M12 1.6L V6t 	
4 	Lando Norris 	McLaren F1 Team 	 	MCL35M 	 	M12 1.6L V6t 	
5 	Sebastian Vettel 	Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team 	 	AMR21 	 	M12 1.6L V6t 	
6 	Nicholas Latifi 	Williams Racing 	 	FW43B 	 	M12 1.6L V6t 	
9 	Nikita Mazepin 	Uralkali Haas F1 Team 	 	VF-21 	 	065/6 1.6L V6t 	
10 	Pierre Gasly 	Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda 	 	AT02 	 	RA621H 1.6L V6t 	
11 	Sergio Pérez 	Red Bull Racing Honda 	 	RB16B 	 	RA621H 1.6L V6t 	
14 	Fernando Alonso 	Alpine F1 Team 	 	A521 	 	E-Tech 21 1.6L V6t 	
16 	Charles Leclerc 	Scuderia Ferrari 	 	SF21 	 	065/6 1.6L V6t 	
18 	Lance Stroll 	Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team 	 	AMR21 	 	M12 1.6L V6t 	
22 	Yuki Tsunoda 	Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda 	 	AT02 	 	RA621H 1.6L V6t 	
31 	Esteban Ocon 	Alpine F1 Team 	 	A521 	 	E-Tech 21 1.6L V6t 	
33 	Max Verstappen 	Red Bull Racing Honda 	 	RB16B 	 	RA621H 1.6L V6t 	
44 	Lewis Hamilton 	Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team 	 	F1 W12 	 	M12 1.6L V6t 	
47 	Mick Schumacher 	Uralkali Haas F1 Team 	 	VF-21 	 	065/6 1.6L V6t 	
55 	Carlos Sainz, Jr. 	Scuderia Ferrari 	 	SF21 	 	065/6 1.6L V6t 	
63 	George Russell 	Williams Racing 	 	FW43B 	 	M12 1.6L V6t 	
77 	Valtteri Bottas 	Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team 	 	F1 W12 	 	M12 1.6L V6t 	
88 	Robert Kubica 	Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN 	 	C41 	 	065/6 1.6L V6t 	
99 	Antonio Giovinazzi 	Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN 	 	C41 	 	065/6 1.6L V6t 	
Source:%20-%20Entry%20List.pdf - Entry List (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 14 November 2021	Source:%20-%20Entry%20List.pdf - Entry List (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 14 November 2021	Source:%20-%20Entry%20List.pdf - Entry List (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 14 November 2021	Source:%20-%20Entry%20List.pdf - Entry List (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 14 November 2021	Source:%20-%20Entry%20List.pdf - Entry List (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 14 November 2021	Source:%20-%20Entry%20List.pdf - Entry List (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 14 November 2021	Source:%20-%20Entry%20List.pdf - Entry List (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 14 November 2021	Source:%20-%20Entry%20List.pdf - Entry List (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 14 November 2021
==Practice Overview==
The full practice results for the are outlined below:
No. 	Driver 	Team 	FP1 	FP1 	FP2 	FP2
No. 	Driver 	Team 	Time 	Pos 	Time 	Pos
3 	Daniel Ricciardo 	 	1:22.003 	9 	1:24.774 	12
4 	Lando Norris 	 	1:22.103 	12 	1:24.665 	10
5 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	1:21.824 	6 	1:25.935 	18
6 	Nicholas Latifi 	 	1:23.442 	18 	1:24.805 	13
9 	Nikita Mazepin 	 	1:23.445 	19 	1:25.729 	16
10 	Pierre Gasly 	 	1:21.719 	5 	1:24.654 	9
11 	Sergio Pérez 	 	1:22.039 	10 	1:23.917 	4
14 	Fernando Alonso 	 	1:21.926 	8 	1:24.539 	8
16 	Charles Leclerc 	 	1:22.102 	11 	1:24.770 	11
18 	Lance Stroll 	 	1:21.676 	4 	1:25.763 	17
22 	Yuki Tsunoda 	 	1:22.530 	14 	1:25.422 	15
31 	Esteban Ocon 	 	1:22.534 	15 	1:24.263 	5
33 	Max Verstappen 	 	1:21.378 	2 	1:23.662 	3
44 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	1:20.926 	1 	1:23.246 	1
47 	Mick Schumacher 	 	1:23.551 	20 	1:26.012 	19
55 	Carlos Sainz, Jr. 	 	1:21.914 	7 	1:26.124 	20
63 	George Russell 	 	1:23.092 	17 	1:25.083 	14
77 	Valtteri Bottas 	 	1:21.451 	3 	1:23.468 	2
88 	Robert Kubica 	Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN 	1:23.009 	16 	1:24.280 	6
99 	Antonio Giovinazzi 	 	1:22.270 	13 	1:24.502 	7
Source: %20-%20P1%20Classification.pdf - FP1 Classification (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.%20-%20P2%20Classification.pdf - FP2 Classification (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.	Source: %20-%20P1%20Classification.pdf - FP1 Classification (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.%20-%20P2%20Classification.pdf - FP2 Classification (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.	Source: %20-%20P1%20Classification.pdf - FP1 Classification (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.%20-%20P2%20Classification.pdf - FP2 Classification (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.	Source: %20-%20P1%20Classification.pdf - FP1 Classification (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.%20-%20P2%20Classification.pdf - FP2 Classification (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.	Source: %20-%20P1%20Classification.pdf - FP1 Classification (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.%20-%20P2%20Classification.pdf - FP2 Classification (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.	Source: %20-%20P1%20Classification.pdf - FP1 Classification (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.%20-%20P2%20Classification.pdf - FP2 Classification (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.	Source: %20-%20P1%20Classification.pdf - FP1 Classification (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.%20-%20P2%20Classification.pdf - FP2 Classification (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.
==Qualifying==
===Q1===
Hamilton topped Q1 with Russell initially joining Latifi, Schumacher, Kubica and Mazepin in out of Q1, only for him to be promoted into Q2 after Tsunoda's lap time was deleted for track limits violation.
===Q2===
Hamilton topped Q2 again, despite being involved in a near-miss with Vettel as all drivers left to begin their final runs. Eliminated in Q2 were Vettel, Stroll, Alonso, Ocon and Russell. Aston Martin and Alpine were subsequently fined €5,000 each for unsafe releases.
=== Q3===
Despite dipping his wheels into the Roggia gravel on his first run, Bottas nevertheless improved to set the overall fastest time, with Hamilton almost a hundredths of a second behind and Verstappen in third.
===Qualifying Results===
The full qualifying results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Team 	 	Q1 	Q1 	 	Q2 	Q2 	 	Q3 	Q3 	Grid
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Team 	 	Pos. 	Time 	 	Pos. 	Time 	 	Pos. 	Time 	Grid
1 	77 	Valtteri Bottas 	 	 	2 	1:20.685 	 	2 	1:19.936 	 	1 	1:19.555 	1
2 	44 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	 	1 	1:20.543 	 	1 	1:19.936 	 	2 	1:19.651 	2
3 	33 	Max Verstappen 	 	 	4 	1:21.035 	 	4 	1:20.229 	 	3 	1:19.966 	3
4 	4 	Lando Norris 	 	 	3 	1:20.916 	 	3 	1:20.059 	 	4 	1:19.989 	4
5 	3 	Daniel Ricciardo 	 	 	8 	1:21.292 	 	5 	1:20.435 	 	5 	1:19.995 	5
6 	10 	Pierre Gasly 	 	 	12 	1:21.440 	 	6 	1:20.556 	 	6 	1:20.260 	6
7 	55 	Carlos Sainz, Jr. 	 	 	5 	1:21.118 	 	8 	1:20.750 	 	7 	1:20.462 	7
8 	16 	Charles Leclerc 	 	 	7 	1:21.219 	 	9 	1:20.767 	 	8 	1:20.510 	8
9 	11 	Sergio Pérez 	 	 	9 	1:21.308 	 	10 	1:20.882 	 	9 	1:20.611 	9
10 	99 	Antonio Giovinazzi 	 	 	6 	1:21.197 	 	7 	1:20.726 	 	10 	1:20.808 	10
11 	5 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	 	10 	1:21.394 	 	11 	1:20.913 	 	 	 	11
12 	18 	Lance Stroll 	 	 	11 	1:21.415 	 	12 	1:21.020 	 	 	 	12
13 	14 	Fernando Alonso 	 	 	13 	1:21.487 	 	13 	1:21.069 	 	 	 	13
14 	31 	Esteban Ocon 	 	 	14 	1:21.500 	 	14 	1:21.103 	 	 	 	14
15 	63 	George Russell 	 	 	15 	1:21.890 	 	15 	1:21.392 	 	 	 	15
16 	6 	Nicholas Latifi 	 	 	16 	1:21.925 	 	 	 	 	 	 	16
17 	22 	Yuki Tsunoda 	 	 	17 	1:21.973 	 	 	 	 	 	 	17
18 	47 	Mick Schumacher 	 	 	18 	1:22.248 	 	 	 	 	 	 	18
19 	88 	
 Robert Kubica 	 	 	19 	1:22.530 	 	 	 	 	 	 	19
20 	9 	Nikita Mazepin 	 	 	20 	1:22.716 	 	 	 	 	 	 	20
107% Time: 1:26.181 	107% Time: 1:26.181 	107% Time: 1:26.181 	107% Time: 1:26.181 	107% Time: 1:26.181 	107% Time: 1:26.181 	107% Time: 1:26.181 	107% Time: 1:26.181 	107% Time: 1:26.181 	107% Time: 1:26.181 	107% Time: 1:26.181 	107% Time: 1:26.181 	107% Time: 1:26.181 	107% Time: 1:26.181
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*Bold indicates the fastest driver's time in each session.
===Race Grid ===
The starting grid of the feature race of the is outined below:
Show Grid
==Sprint Qualifying==
===Report===
Bottas led away at the start, while Hamilton started poorly, dropping behind Verstappen, the McLarens and Gasly, but was promoted a place when Gasly broke his front wing after making contact with Ricciardo, and eventually crashing at Curva Grande. Tsunoda also tipped Kubica into a spin, requiring him to change his front wing. Perez meanwhile was forced off wide by Stroll and cut the chicane ahead of him, before being ordered to give the position back. Despite his efforts, Hamilton wasn't able to clear the McLarens, and wound up 5th as his team-mate won the sprint ahead of Verstappen, nevertheless the Dutchman gaining pole as Bottas had to start from the back of the grid due to an engine penalty. Ricciardo would thus line up 2nd on the front row, with Norris behind alongside Hamilton.
===Results===
The full results for the Sprint Qualifying are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor	Laps 	Time/Retired	Grid 	Points 	Race Grid
1 	77 	Valtteri Bottas 	 	18 	27:54.078 	1 	3 	19*
2 	33 	Max Verstappen 	 	18 	+2.325 	3 	2 	1
3 	3 	Daniel Ricciardo 	 	18 	+14.534 	5 	1 	2
4 	4 	Lando Norris 	 	18 	+18.835 	4 	 	3
5 	44 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	18 	+20.011 	2 	 	4
6 	16 	Charles Leclerc 	 	18 	+23.442 	8 	 	5
7 	55 	Carlos Sainz, Jr. 	 	18 	+27.952 	7 	 	6
8 	99 	Antonio Giovinazzi	 	18 	+31.089 	10 	 	7
9 	11 	Sergio Pérez 	 	18 	+31.680 	9 	 	8
10 	18 	Lance Stroll 	 	18 	+38.671 	12 	 	9
11 	14 	Fernando Alonso 	 	18 	+39.795 	13 	 	10
12 	5 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	18 	+41.177 	11 	 	11
13 	31 	Esteban Ocon 	 	18 	+43.373 	14 	 	12
14 	6 	Nicholas Latifi 	 	18 	+45.977 	16 	 	13
15 	63 	George Russell 	 	18 	+46.821 	15 	 	14
16 	22 	Yuki Tsunoda 	 	18 	+49.977 	17 	 	15
17 	9 	Nikita Mazepin 	 	18 	+1:02.599 	20 	 	16
18 	88 	Robert Kubica 	 	18 	+1:05.096 	19 	 	17
19 	47 	Mick Schumacher 	 	18 	+1:06.154 	18 	 	18
Ret 	10 	Pierre Gasly 	 	0 	Accident 	6 	 	PL†
Source:	Source:	Source: 	Source: 	Source:	Source: 	Source:	Source:	Source:
* * Bottas was required to start the main race from the back of the grid for exceeding his quota of power unit elements.
*† Gasly received a five-place grid penalty for an unscheduled gearbox change. He was also required to start the race from the back of the grid for exceeding his quota of power unit elements. He was then required to start the race from the pit lane for a new energy store specification.
===Sprint Qualifying Grid===
Show Grid
==Race ==
===Report===
Before the race, Gasly reported problems en route to the grid. His AlphaTauri team-mate Tsunoda was faring the same, being wheeled into the garage before the race started, therefore failing to start.
As the lights went out, Ricciardo got the jump on Verstappen, as Hamilton managed to get past Norris. He attempted to pass Verstappen at the Roggia chicane, only to be forced off wide, running over the kerbs and dropping back behind Norris. At the same time, Giovinazzi was forced off-wide by Leclerc, before being collected and spun by Sainz, getting a 5-second penalty as a result. The debris left behind by Giovinazzi triggered a brief virtual safety car. Gasly's problem worsened on the first lap and he eventually retired. As the McLaren drivers duly kept the title rivals at bay, Bottas, on the other hand, was in a charge from last. Ocon banged wheels with Vettel heading into the Roggia chicane, the latest race winner handed a 5-second time penalty as a result.
On the 22nd lap, Ricciardo was the first one to pit. Verstappen followed two laps later, but a slow stop put him down to 9th place, at the same time Hamilton had just managed to clear Norris. Hamilton later pitted, and just as he emerged in between Norris and Verstappen, both went side by side into the Rettifilo chicane, Verstappen forced off slightly wide before he was mounted onto the Mercedes and ultimately putting them both into the gravel trap and retiring, the Dutchman being handed a 3-place grid penalty at the next round as a result. The safety car was called out as a result, allowing drivers who are yet to stop do so.
Ricciardo led away at the restart, with Leclerc behind before he was passed by Norris at the Curva Grande. He then ceded the position to Perez, the Mexican cutting the Roggia chicane doing so and receiving a 5-second time penalty as a result, and then later to Bottas. Schumacher meanwhile made contact with his countryman Vettel at the restart, before being tagged by Mazepin into a spin, resulting in a 5-second penalty for the Russian. Mazepin would then retire with an issue at the Ascari chicane.
Ricciardo would then be left untroubled, hence cruising to the line to take his first victory since the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix, taking the fastest lap on the final lap as well ahead of Norris. Bottas managed to claim the final podium place after Perez' penalty was applied dropping him to 5th behind Leclerc, having been trying to make a pass until the finish. Completing in the points were Sainz, Stroll, Alonso, Russell and Ocon, with Stroll being investigated for failing to respect yellow flags.
===Results===
The full results for the Main Race are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	3 	Daniel Ricciardo 	 	53 	1:21:54.365 	2 	26FL
2 	4 	Lando Norris 	 	53 	+1.747 	3 	18
3 	77 	Valtteri Bottas 	 	53 	+4.921 	19 	15
4 	16 	Charles Leclerc 	 	53 	+7.309 	5 	12
5 	11 	Sergio Pérez 	 	53 	+8.723* 	8 	10
6 	55 	Carlos Sainz, Jr. 	 	53 	+10.535 	6 	8
7 	18 	Lance Stroll 	 	53 	+15.804 	9 	6
8 	14 	Fernando Alonso 	 	53 	+17.201 	10 	4
9 	63 	George Russell 	 	53 	+19.742 	14 	2
10 	31 	Esteban Ocon 	 	53 	+20.868 	12 	1
11 	6 	Nicholas Latifi 	 	53 	+23.743 	13 	
12 	5 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	53 	+24.621 	11 	
13 	99 	Antonio Giovinazzi	 	53 	+27.216 	7 	
14 	88 	Robert Kubica 	 	53 	+29.769 	17 	
15 	47 	Mick Schumacher 	 	53 	+51.088 	18 	
Ret 	9 	Nikita Mazepin 	 	41 	Engine† 	16 	
Ret 	44 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	25 	Collision 	4 	
Ret 	33 	Max Verstappen 	 	25 	Collision 	1 	
Ret 	10 	Pierre Gasly 	 	3 	System issue 	PL 	
DNS 	22 	Yuki Tsunoda 	 	0 	Braking issue	15 	
Source:	Source:	Source: 	Source: 	Source:	Source: 	Source:	Source:
** Perez originally finished 3rd, but was given a 5-second time penalty for cutting a corner and gaining advantage.
*† Mazepin was given a 5-second time penalty for causing a collision with Schumacher, but it was not applied as he had retired.
==Milestones==
*8th race victory for Daniel Ricciardo, his first since the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix.
*183rd race victory for , their first victory since the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix, and the first 1-2 finish since the 2010 Canadian Grand Prix.
==Standings==
Verstappen could only extend the championship advantage to 5 points from Hamilton due to his finish in the sprint qualifying yet failing to finish the race along with his title rival. Bottas' sprint qualifying victory as well as his charge from last to the podium ensured that he retained third and maintained the difference ahead of Norris and further from Perez in the battle for third, with Ricciardo's victory allowing him to get ahead of Gasly who failed to finish as well.
As for the constructors' standings, Bottas' efforts meant that Mercedes extended their lead ahead of Red Bull to 18 points, with McLaren taking back third once again from their 1-2 finish.
Drivers' World Championship	Drivers' World Championship	Drivers' World Championship	Drivers' World Championship
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Max Verstappen 	226.5 	
2 	Lewis Hamilton 	221.5 	
3 	Valtteri Bottas 	141 	
4 	Lando Norris 	132 	
5 	Sergio Pérez 	118 	
6 	Charles Leclerc 	104 	
7 	Carlos Sainz, Jr. 	97.5 	
8 	Daniel Ricciardo 	83 	1
9 	Pierre Gasly 	66 	1
10 	Fernando Alonso 	50 	
11 	Esteban Ocon 	45 	
12 	Sebastian Vettel 	35 	
13 	Lance Stroll 	24 	1
14 	Yuki Tsunoda 	18 	1
15 	George Russell 	15 	
16 	Nicholas Latifi 	7 	
17 	Kimi Räikkönen 	2 	
18 	Antonio Giovinazzi 	1 	
Constructors' World Championship	Constructors' World Championship	Constructors' World Championship	Constructors' World Championship
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	362.5 	
2 	 	344.5 	
3 	 	215 	1
4 	 	201.5 	1
5 	 	95 	
6 	 	84 	
7 	 	59 	
8 	 	22 	
9 	 	3 	
Only point-scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos: 
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References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:2021 Formula One Season
Category:2021 Grands Prix
Category:Italian Grand Prix
Category:Formula One races in Italy