2021 Belgian Grand Prix

The 2021 Belgian Grand Prix (officially the Formula 1 Rolex Belgian Grand Prix 2021) was the 12th race of the 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship, held at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps between August 27 and August 29 2021.
Max Verstappen took pole position in a wet qualifying as Lando Norris crashed heavily at the Eau Rouge corner. Before the start of the race, Sergio Pérez crashed at Les Combes, hence unable to initially start. The start was delayed for nearly half an hour before the formation lap began. However, the weather conditions were too dangerous to continue, with the start procedure suspended. The race got underway again with a 1-hour time limit after a two and a half hour delay, which allowed Perez' car to be repaired in time, but was red-flagged again after two laps were completed. With the conditions continuing to deteriorate, it was ultimately decided that the race would not be restarted, hence Verstappen was declared the winner, and with half-points awarded. George Russell, who qualified a surprise second took his maiden podium, with Lewis Hamilton in third.
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==Background==
Heading into the 12th round after the summer break, Lewis Hamilton reclaimed the drivers' championship standings lead from Max Verstappen after outscoring him for two consecutive races, while Mercedes also reclaimed the standings lead from Red Bull in the constructors' standings.
===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 	
7 	Kimi Räikkönen 	Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN 	 	C41 	 	065/6 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 	
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 Nov 2021	Source:%20-%20Entry%20List.pdf - Entry List (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 14 Nov 2021	Source:%20-%20Entry%20List.pdf - Entry List (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 14 Nov 2021	Source:%20-%20Entry%20List.pdf - Entry List (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 14 Nov 2021	Source:%20-%20Entry%20List.pdf - Entry List (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 14 Nov 2021	Source:%20-%20Entry%20List.pdf - Entry List (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 14 Nov 2021	Source:%20-%20Entry%20List.pdf - Entry List (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 14 Nov 2021	Source:%20-%20Entry%20List.pdf - Entry List (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 14 Nov 2021
==Practice Overview==
The full practice results for the are outlined below:
No. 	Driver 	Team 	FP1 	FP1 	FP2 	FP2 	FP3 	FP3
No. 	Driver 	Team 	Time 	Pos 	Time 	Pos 	Time 	Pos
3 	Daniel Ricciardo 	 	1:46.683 	12 	1:46.118 	15 	2:00.456 	13
4 	Lando Norris 	 	1:46.336 	8 	1:45.386 	9 	1:58.509 	4
5 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	1:46.177 	7 	1:45.336 	8 	1:59.436 	8
6 	Nicholas Latifi 	 	1:47.101 	16 	1:46.198 	16 	1:59.981 	12
7 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	1:48.125 	17 	1:45.967 	14 	2:04.382 	20
9 	Nikita Mazepin 	 	1:48.705 	19 	1:47.335 	19 	2:01.792 	19
10 	Pierre Gasly 	 	1:45.699 	3 	1:44.965 	5 	1:59.324 	7
11 	Sergio Pérez 	 	1:46.127 	6 	1:45.404 	10 	1:57.871 	2
14 	Fernando Alonso 	 	1:46.612 	10 	1:44.953 	4 	1:59.613 	10
16 	Charles Leclerc 	 	1:45.818 	4 	1:46.836 	18 	2:01.370 	16
18 	Lance Stroll 	 	1:46.649 	11 	1:45.180 	6 	1:59.205 	6
22 	Yuki Tsunoda 	 	1:46.928 	15 	1:45.758 	12 	2:01.510 	17
31 	Esteban Ocon 	 	1:46.497 	9 	1:45.302 	7 	1:58.913 	5
33 	Max Verstappen 	 	1:45.363 	2 	1:44.472 	1 	1:56.924 	1
44 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	1:48.224 	18 	1:44.544 	3 	1:57.996 	3
47 	Mick Schumacher 	 	1:49.059 	20 	1:47.529 	20 	2:01.269 	15
55 	Carlos Sainz, Jr. 	 	1:45.935 	5 	1:45.517 	11 	2:00.749 	14
63 	George Russell 	 	1:46.772 	14 	1:46.665 	17 	1:59.492 	9
77 	Valtteri Bottas 	 	1:45.199 	1 	1:44.513 	2 	1:59.808 	11
99 	Antonio Giovinazzi 	 	1:46.755 	13 	1:45.789 	13 	2:01.512 	18
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.%20-%20P3%20Classification.pdf - FP3 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.%20-%20P3%20Classification.pdf - FP3 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.%20-%20P3%20Classification.pdf - FP3 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.%20-%20P3%20Classification.pdf - FP3 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.%20-%20P3%20Classification.pdf - FP3 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.%20-%20P3%20Classification.pdf - FP3 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.%20-%20P3%20Classification.pdf - FP3 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.%20-%20P3%20Classification.pdf - FP3 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.%20-%20P3%20Classification.pdf - FP3 Classification (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile.
==Qualifying==
===Q1===
The start of qualifying was delayed for 12 minutes due to rain. Eliminated in Q1 were Giovinazzi, Tsunoda, Schumacher, Raikkonen and Mazepin.
===Q2===
Eliminated in Q2 were Leclerc, Latifi, Sainz, Alonso and Stroll, who would start 20th with his grid penalty from the previous race applied.
===Q3===
The rain intensified before Q3 began, and as Norris began his flying lap, he lost control and crashed heavily into the barriers at Eau Rouge, spinning and coming to a halt and stopping the session for 40 minutes. Russell briefly went fastest before Verstappen beat his time, with Hamilton starting behind the duo. Bottas, who qualified in 8th, would start 13th with his grid penalty applied.
===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 	33 	Max Verstappen 	 	 	2 	1:58.717 	 	5 	1:56.559 	 	1 	1:59.765 	1
2 	63 	George Russell 	 	 	5 	1:59.864 	 	8 	1:56.950 	 	2 	2:00.086 	2
3 	44 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	 	3 	1:59.218 	 	2 	1:56.229 	 	3 	2:00.099 	3
4 	3 	Daniel Ricciardo 	 	 	12 	2:01.583 	 	9 	1:57.127 	 	4 	2:00.864 	4
5 	5 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	 	7 	2:00.175 	 	6 	1:56.814 	 	5 	2:00.935 	5
6 	10 	Pierre Gasly 	 	 	8 	2:00.387 	 	4 	1:56.440 	 	6 	2:01.164 	6
7 	11 	Sergio Pérez 	 	 	4 	1:59.334 	 	7 	1:56.886 	 	7 	2:02.112 	7
8 	77 	Valtteri Bottas 	 	 	6 	1:59.870 	 	3 	1:56.295 	 	8 	2:02.502 	13*
9 	31 	Esteban Ocon 	 	 	15 	2:01.824 	 	10 	1:57.354 	 	9 	2:03.513 	8
10 	4 	Lando Norris 	 	 	1 	1:58.301 	 	1 	1:56.025 	 	10 	No time set 	14
11 	16 	Charles Leclerc 	 	 	9 	2:00.728 	 	11 	1:57.721 	 	 	 	9
12 	6 	Nicholas Latifi 	 	 	10 	2:00.966 	 	12 	1:58.056 	 	 	 	10
13 	55 	Carlos Sainz, Jr. 	 	 	11 	2:01.184 	 	13 	1:58.137 	 	 	 	11
14 	14 	Fernando Alonso 	 	 	14 	2:01.653 	 	14 	1:58.205 	 	 	 	12
15 	18 	Lance Stroll 	 	 	13 	2:01.597 	 	15 	1:58.231 	 	 	 	20*
16 	99 	Antonio Giovinazzi 	 	 	16 	2:02.306 	 	 	 	 	 	 	15
17 	22 	Yuki Tsunoda 	 	 	17 	2:02.413 	 	 	 	 	 	 	16
18 	47 	Mick Schumacher 	 	 	18 	2:03.973 	 	 	 	 	 	 	17
19 	7 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	 	19 	2:04.452 	 	 	 	 	 	 	18
20 	9 	Nikita Mazepin 	 	 	20 	2:04.939 	 	 	 	 	 	 	19
107% Time: 2:06.582‡ 	107% Time: 2:06.582‡ 	107% Time: 2:06.582‡ 	107% Time: 2:06.582‡ 	107% Time: 2:06.582‡ 	107% Time: 2:06.582‡ 	107% Time: 2:06.582‡ 	107% Time: 2:06.582‡ 	107% Time: 2:06.582‡ 	107% Time: 2:06.582‡ 	107% Time: 2:06.582‡ 	107% Time: 2:06.582‡ 	107% Time: 2:06.582‡ 	107% Time: 2:06.582‡
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*Bold indicates the fastest driver's time in each session.
** Bottas and Stroll were given five-place grid penalties for causing collisions in the previous race.
*† Norris did not set a lap time due to an accident during qualifying. He was then given a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change.
*‡ As qualifying was held on a wet session, the 107% Rule was not enforced.
===Grid===
The starting grid of the feature race of the is outined below:
Show Grid
Note - Bottas and Stroll penalised five grid places for causing a collision at the previous round. Norris penalised five grid places for an unscheduled gearbox change. Raikkonen required to start from the pit lane, as car modified whilst under Parc Ferme conditions.
==Race==
===Report===
Before the race, Perez crashed at Les Combes on his way to the grid, due to rainy conditions. The team determined that his car was too damaged to take the race start.
The start was delayed repeatedly until 3.25 pm local time, with the entire field starting the formation lap behind the safety car. However, visibility was poor, and the start procedure was announced to be suspended, with the restart not commencing until 6.17 pm local time. During this period, Perez' car was managed to be repaired after it was deemed that he was allowed to start, while Stroll changed into a different spec rear wing during the wait.
The race got underway behind the safety car for two laps until it was red-flagged again as conditions still did not improve. At this point, it was decided not to restart the race, and hence Verstappen was declared the winner, with Russell taking his first podium in second and Hamilton in third, and the race had half-points awarded as the race did not reach 75% race distance, with the rest of the Top 10 classified as how they started, those who started behind Perez gained a place as Perez was reclassified last after the restart.
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor	Laps 	Time/Retired	Grid 	Points*
1 	33 	Max Verstappen 	 	1 	3:27.071 	1 	12.5
2 	63 	George Russell 	 	1 	+1.995 	2 	9
3 	44 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	1 	+2.601 	3 	7.5
4 	3 	Daniel Ricciardo 	 	1 	+4.496 	4 	6
5 	5 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	1 	+7.479 	5 	5
6 	10 	Pierre Gasly 	 	1 	+10.177 	6 	4
7 	31 	Esteban Ocon 	 	1 	+11.579 	8 	3
8 	16 	Charles Leclerc 	 	1 	+12.608 	9 	2
9 	6 	Nicholas Latifi 	 	1 	+15.484 	10 	1
10 	55 	Carlos Sainz, Jr. 	 	1 	+16.166 	11 	0.5
11 	14 	Fernando Alonso 	 	1 	+20.590 	12 	
12 	77 	Valtteri Bottas 	 	1 	+22.414 	13 	
13 	99 	Antonio Giovinazzi	 	1 	+24.163 	16 	
14 	4 	Lando Norris 	 	1 	+27.109 	14 	
15 	22 	Yuki Tsunoda 	 	1 	+28.329 	17 	
16 	47 	Mick Schumacher 	 	1 	+29.507 	18 	
17 	9 	Nikita Mazepin 	 	1 	+31.993 	19 	
18 	7 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	1 	+36.054 	PL† 	
19 	11 	Sergio Pérez 	 	1 	+38.205 	PL‡ 	
20 	18 	Lance Stroll 	 	1 	+44.108† 	PL† 	
Source:	Source:	Source: 	Source: 	Source:	Source: 	Source:	Source:
** Half-points were awarded as the race did not reach 75% of the scheduled distance.
*†Räikkönen and Stroll started from the pit lane after having their rear wing assemblies changed. Stroll's was changed during the delay, and received an additional 10-second time penalty applied after the race.
*‡ Perez initially was unable to start after crashing his car while on his way to the grid before the race. He was later given permission to start after his car was repaired during the delay.
==Milestones==
*150th race of the V6 turbo-hybrid engine era.
* 200th race entry for Daniel Ricciardo.
*50th race entries for Lando Norris and George Russell.
*50th race for with engines.
*150th race for with engines.
*8th pole position for Max Verstappen.
*Maiden podium finish for George Russell.
*First podium for since the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
*The sixth time in F1 history half-points are awarded, the first time since the 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix.
*The race breaks the record for the shortest ever race time and distance, previously held by the 1991 Australian Grand Prix.
==Standings==
The half-points awarding meant that Verstappen could only reduce the drivers' championship leading gap to 3 points behind Hamilton and also 7 constructors' championship points behind Mercedes. While there were no changes in the drivers' standings, the only change was Russell gaining a place ahead of his team-mate thanks to his podium finish. Ricciardo's high classification ahead of the Ferraris meant that McLaren reclaimed third in the constructors' standings ahead of the Scuderia, with Williams moving further from Alfa Romeo thanks to Russell's podium.
Drivers' World Championship	Drivers' World Championship	Drivers' World Championship	Drivers' World Championship
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Lewis Hamilton 	202.5 	
2 	Max Verstappen 	199.5 	
3 	Lando Norris 	113 	
4 	Valtteri Bottas 	108 	
5 	Sergio Pérez 	104 	
6 	Carlos Sainz, Jr. 	83.5 	
7 	Charles Leclerc 	82 	
8 	Daniel Ricciardo 	56 	1
9 	Pierre Gasly 	54 	1
10 	Esteban Ocon 	42 	
11 	Fernando Alonso 	38 	
12 	Sebastian Vettel 	35 	
13 	Yuki Tsunoda 	18 	
14 	Lance Stroll 	18 	
15 	George Russell 	13 	1
16 	Nicholas Latifi 	7 	1
17 	Kimi Räikkönen 	2 	
18 	Antonio Giovinazzi 	1 	
Constructors' World Championship	Constructors' World Championship	Constructors' World Championship	Constructors' World Championship
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	310.5 	
2 	 	303.5 	
3 	 	169 	1
4 	 	165.5 	1
5 	 	80 	
6 	 	72 	
7 	 	53 	
8 	 	20 	
9 	 	3 	
Only point-scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==See Also==
==References==
Images and Videos:
*
References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:2021 Formula One Season
Category:2021 Grands Prix
Category:Belgian Grand Prix