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2021 Russian Grand Prix

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2021 Russian Grand Prix
Race 15 of 22[a] in the 2021 Formula One World Championship
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Layout of Sochi Autodrom
Layout of Sochi Autodrom
Race details
Date 26 September 2021
Official name Formula 1 VTB Russian Grand Prix 2021
Location Sochi Autodrom, Krasnodar Krai, Russia
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 5.848 km (3.633 miles)
Distance 53 laps, 309.745 km (192.466 miles)
Weather Cloudy and rainy
Pole position
Driver
McLaren-Mercedes
Time 1:41.993
Fastest lap
Driver United Kingdom Lando Norris McLaren-Mercedes
Time 1:37.423 on lap 39
Podium
First
Mercedes
Second
Red Bull Racing-Honda
Third
Ferrari
Lap leaders

The 2021 Russian Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 VTB Russian Grand Prix 2021) was a Formula One motor race, held on 26 September 2021 at the Sochi Autodrom.[3] It was the 15th round of the 2021 Formula One World Championship.[4] It was the tenth running of the Russian Grand Prix, and the eighth held in Sochi.[5] It was won by Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton, who took his 100th Formula One victory and the championship lead over Max Verstappen.

Background

Aerial View of Sochi Autodrom.

The event, held over the weekend of 24–26 September, at the Sochi Autodrom,[6] wаs the fifteenth round of the 2021 World Championship. The race take place two weeks after the Italian Grand Prix and two weeks before the Turkish Grand Prix.[4] Despite having to race as a neutral competitor, using the designation RAF (Russian Automobile Federation),[7] it was Nikita Mazepin's home race.[8]

The rules surrounding practice starts for the event have been clarified following controversy in the 2020 event when Lewis Hamilton was penalised with two five-second penalties for conducting two practice starts outside of the designated area. The race director's notes state that when doing practice starts, cars must line up and leave in the order they arrive unless another car is unduly delayed.[9]

Championship standings before the race

Heading into the race, Max Verstappen led the Driver's Championship with 226.5 points, five points ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Valtteri Bottas was third with 141 points, nine points ahead of Lando Norris in fourth. Sergio Pérez remained fifth with 118 points. In the Constructors' Championship, Mercedes led with 362.5 points, 18 ahead of Red Bull in second. McLaren were third with 215 points, 13.5 points ahead of Ferrari in fourth. Alpine were fifth with 95 points.[10]

Entrants

See also: 2021 Formula One World Championship § Entries

The drivers and teams were the same as the season entry list with no additional stand-in drivers for the race.[11] Kimi Räikkönen returned for this event,[12] after missing the previous two races due to testing positive for coronavirus.[13]

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 and Azerbaijan Grands Prix, but were not used in any races from the French Grand Prix to the Italian Grand Prix for legal reasons.[11]

Tyre choices

Sole tyre supplier Pirelli allocated the C3, C4, and C5 compounds of tyre to be used in the race.[14]

Penalties

At the previous race in Italy, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton made contact, and both retired from the race.[15] The stewards investigated the incident and ruled that Verstappen was predominantly to blame, and awarded him a three-place grid penalty for this event.[16]

Practice

The first practice session started at 11:30 MST, on 24 September 2021, and ended with no major incidents. Lando Norris spun and grazed the wall on his in lap but he was able to get back to the pits.[17] Valtteri Bottas finished first, with his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton in second. Red Bull's Max Verstappen was third.[18]

Free practice 2 started at 15:00 MST, on the same day. It ended with only 1 interruption. Antonio Giovinazzi spun and hit the wall, ending his session and causing a red flag.[19] At the end of the session, AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly ran over a curb and dislodged his front wing. No red flag was required because it was the end of the session. Bottas and Hamilton finished first and second again, withGasly in third.

Free practice 3 was scheduled to start at 12:00 MST, on 25 September 2021,[20] but it was cancelled due to adverse weather conditions.[21]

Qualifying

Qualifying started at 15:00 MST, on 25 September 2021.[6] Lando Norris started on pole for the first time in his Formula One career, having set the fastest time on slick tyres on a drying track. The result was McLaren's first pole position since the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix, and Norris became the 102nd driver in the history of the World Championship to achieve a pole position. Carlos Sainz Jr. of Ferrari qualified second to claim his first front-row start in Formula One. George Russell qualified 3rd for Williams, his second top-three starting position of the season, having previously qualified second for the Belgian Grand Prix.[22] Hamilton, who topped the first two segments of qualifying, finished the session in fourth, having crashed into the wall on the pit lane entry when coming in to change from intermediate tyres to slick tyres. His car needed a new front wing, and he was unable to build enough temperature in his tyres for his final flying lap due to the lack of time left in the session, as well as having to move out of the way of cars on their fast laps.[23] Hamilton's delayed stop also held up his teammate Valtteri Bottas, who had also come into the pits for slick tyres. Bottas qualified seventh. The other McLaren of Daniel Ricciardo qualified 5th. Charles Leclerc and Nicholas Latifi did not set lap times in the second segment of qualifying due to engine penalties that would demote them to the back of the grid, regardless of their qualifying results. Championship leader Max Verstappen did not set a lap time in the first segment for the same reason.[24]

Qualifying classification

Pos. No. Driver Constructor Qualifying times Final
grid
Q1 Q2 Q3
1 4 United Kingdom Lando Norris McLaren-Mercedes 1:47.238 1:45.827 1:41.993 1
2 55 Spain Carlos Sainz Jr. Ferrari 1:47.924 1:46.521 1:42.510 2
3 63 United Kingdom George Russell Williams-Mercedes 1:48.303 1:46.435 1:42.983 3
4 44 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:45.992 1:45.129 1:44.050 4
5 3 Australia Daniel Ricciardo McLaren-Mercedes 1:48.345 1:46.361 1:44.156 5
6 14 Spain Fernando Alonso Alpine-Renault 1:47.877 1:45.514 1:44.204 6
7 77 Finland Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:46.396 1:45.306 1:44.710 161
8 18 Canada Lance Stroll Aston Martin-Mercedes 1:48.322 1:46.360 1:44.956 7
9 11 Mexico Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing-Honda 1:46.455 1:45.834 1:45.337 8
10 31 France Esteban Ocon Alpine-Renault 1:48.099 1:46.070 1:45.865 9
11 5 Germany Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin-Mercedes 1:47.205 1:46.573 N/A 10
12 10 France Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri-Honda 1:47.828 1:46.641 N/A 11
13 22 Japan Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri-Honda 1:48.854 1:46.751 N/A 12
14 6 Canada Nicholas Latifi Williams-Mercedes 1:48.252 No time N/A 182
15 16 Monaco Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:48.470 No time N/A 193
16 7 Finland Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari 1:49.586 N/A N/A 13
17 47 Germany Mick Schumacher Haas-Ferrari 1:49.830 N/A N/A 14
18 99 Italy Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari 1:51.023 N/A N/A 174
19 9 Russian Automobile Federation Nikita Mazepin[b] Haas-Ferrari 1:53.764 N/A N/A 15
20 33 Netherlands Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing-Honda No time N/A N/A 205
107% time: 1:53.4116
Source:[26][27]
Notes
  • ^1 – Valtteri Bottas received a 15-place grid penalty for exceeding his quota of power unit elements.[28]
  • ^2 – Nicholas Latifi was required to start the race from the back of the grid for exceeding his quota of power unit elements.[29]
  • ^3 – Charles Leclerc was required to start the race from the back of the grid for exceeding his quota of power unit elements.[30]
  • ^4 – Antonio Giovinazzi received a five-place grid penalty for unscheduled gearbox change. The penalty was nullified by penalties incurred by other drivers. As a result, he made a net gain of one place from his qualifying position.[31]
  • ^5 – Max Verstappen received a three-place grid penalty for causing a collision at the previous round.[16] He was later required to start the race from the back of the grid for exceeding his quota of power unit elements.[32] Verstappen neglected to set a qualifying time because of his penalties.[33]
  • ^6 – As qualifying was held on a wet track, the 107% rule was not in force.[34]

Race

Cars on the starting grid

The race started at 15:00 MST, on 26 September 2021.[6] Carlos Sainz Jr. took the lead from Lando Norris into turn 2, while Lewis Hamilton fell down the order to sixth. Charles Leclerc climbed up to 12th after starting from 19th. On lap 13, Norris overtook Sainz to retake the lead of the race. In the closing laps, rain began to fall, resulting in many of the drivers pitting for intermediate tyres, including Hamilton, Verstappen, and Sainz, on lap 49. On lap 51, Norris aquaplaned at turn 5, allowing Lewis Hamilton to take the lead and win the race. Norris finally entered the pits at the end of the lap for intermediate tyres; however, Norris aquaplaned on the pit entry and crossed the white line seperating the pit lane entry from the track, for which he was reprimanded.[35] Norris finished the race in seventh. Verstappen finished the race in second from 20th on the starting grid, and Sainz finished in third, taking his fifth Formula One podium. Hamilton's race victory made him the first driver in Formula One history to take 100 wins.[36] It was the biggest winning margin in a race since the 2008 British Grand Prix.[37]

Race classification

Pos. No. Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 44 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 53 1:30:41.001 4 25
2 33 Netherlands Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing-Honda 53 +53.271 20 18
3 55 Spain Carlos Sainz Jr. Ferrari 53 +1:02.475 2 15
4 3 Australia Daniel Ricciardo McLaren-Mercedes 53 +1:05.607 5 12
5 77 Finland Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 53 +1:07.533 16 10
6 14 Spain Fernando Alonso Alpine-Renault 53 +1:21.321 6 8
7 4 United Kingdom Lando Norris McLaren-Mercedes 53 +1:27.224 1 71
8 7 Finland Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari 53 +1:28.955 13 4
9 11 Mexico Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing-Honda 53 +1:30.076 8 2
10 63 United Kingdom George Russell Williams-Mercedes 53 +1:40.551 3 1
11 18 Canada Lance Stroll Aston Martin-Mercedes 53 +1:56.1982 7
12 5 Germany Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin-Mercedes 52 +1 lap 10
13 10 France Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri-Honda 52 +1 lap 11
14 31 France Esteban Ocon Alpine-Renault 52 +1 lap 9
15 16 Monaco Charles Leclerc Ferrari 52 +1 lap 19
16 99 Italy Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari 52 +1 lap 17
17 22 Japan Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri-Honda 52 +1 lap 12
18 9 Russian Automobile Federation Nikita Mazepin[b] Haas-Ferrari 51 +2 laps 15
193 6 Canada Nicholas Latifi Williams-Mercedes 47 Accident damage 18
Ret 47 Germany Mick Schumacher Haas-Ferrari 32 Oil leak 14
Fastest lap: United Kingdom Lando Norris (McLaren-Mercedes) – 1:37.423 (lap 39)
Source:[27][38][39]
Notes
  • ^1 – Includes one point for fastest lap.
  • ^2 – Lance Stroll received a post-race ten-second time penalty for causing a collision with Pierre Gasly. His final position was not affected by the penalty.[38]
  • ^3 – Nicholas Latifi was classified as he completed more than 90% of the race distance.[38]

Championship standings after the race

  • Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.

Notes

  1. ^ Formula One plan to hold twenty-two Grands Prix. This remains subject to the cancellation of rounds due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the replacement of any rounds which are cancelled.[1][2]
  2. ^ 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.[25]

References

  1. ^ Richards, Giles (12 August 2021). "F1's off-track drama heats up as Covid threatens to scupper busy schedule". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  2. ^ Benson, Andrew (6 July 2021). "Australian Grand Prix: Formula 1 race and Moto GP round called off". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  3. ^ "2021 Formula 1 - Russian Grand Prix". All Sports DB. Retrieved 12 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ a b "F1 Schedule 2021". Formula 1. Retrieved 12 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ "Формула 1 в России" [Formula 1 in Russia]. Sochi Autodrom (in Russian). Retrieved 12 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ a b c "Russia - Schedule - Race Weekend". Formula 1. Retrieved 12 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ Smith, Luke (5 February 2021). "Mazepin set to race under neutral flag after CAS ruling". Motorsport. Retrieved 12 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ "Nikita Mazepin". F1 Chronicle. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ Mitchell, Scott (23 September 2021). "Sochi practice start note tweaked after Hamilton controversy". The Race. The Race Media Ltd. Retrieved 23 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ "Championship Points" (PDF). FIA. 12 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ^ a b "2021 Russian Grand Prix – Entry List" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 23 September 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  12. ^ "Russian Grand Prix: Kimi Raikkonen says he is fit to return to racing". Guav. 13 September 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ^ Rosser, Jack (4 September 2021). "Kimi Raikkonen out of Dutch Grand Prix after testing positive for coronavirus". UK Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 13 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ^ "Formula 1 2021 Season - Pirelli Unveils Tire Choices For All 23 GPs". F1Lead. 20 February 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ^ "Huge moment as Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton collide and crash out at Monza". Formula 1. 12 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ a b Morlidge, Matt (12 September 2021). "Max Verstappen handed three-place Russia grid penalty after Lewis Hamilton crash". Sky Sports. Retrieved 12 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. ^ Arpit, Gomes (24 September 2021). "WATCH: Lando Norris Embarrassingly Spins in Pit-Lane at Sochi During FP1". Essentially Sport. Retrieved 24 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ^ "FP1: Bottas leads Mercedes 1-2 in opening Russian GP practice session at Sochi". F1. 24 September 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. ^ Southwell, Hazel (24 September 2021). "Mercedes stay on top after Giovinazzi crash disrupts second practice". RaceFans. Retrieved 24 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ^ "2021 Russian Grand Prix". RaceFans. Retrieved 12 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. ^ "Final practice session for the Russian Grand Prix cancelled due to heavy rain at Sochi". Formula1.com. 25 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  22. ^ "Russian GP Qualifying Facts & Stats: A first pole for McLaren since 2012, and a first front row start for Sainz". www.formula1.com. Formula One. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  23. ^ "'It was 100% my fault' – Hamilton shoulders blame for pit lane crash that cost him shot at Sochi pole". www.formula1.com. Formula One. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  24. ^ "Norris beats Sainz and Russell to claim sensational maiden pole for Russian Grand Prix". www.formula1.com. Formula One. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  25. ^ 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.
  26. ^ "Formula 1 VTB Russian Grand Prix 2021 – Qualifying". Formula1.com. 25 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  27. ^ a b "Formula 1 VTB Russian Grand Prix 2021 – Starting Grid". Formula1.com. 25 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  28. ^ "Bottas to start Russian GP from the back with Verstappen and Leclerc after Mercedes PU change". www.formula1.com. 26 September 2021. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  29. ^ Simone Peluso (25 September 2021). "Sochi: anche Latifi cambia motore, partenza dal fondo". www.formulapassion.it (in Italian). Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  30. ^ "Ferrari to debut new engine in Russia, forcing Leclerc to start from back of the grid". www.formula1.com. 23 September 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  31. ^ Simone Peluso (26 September 2021). "Sochi, arretra anche Giovinazzi: sostituzione del cambio". www.formulapassion.it (in Italian). Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  32. ^ "Verstappen set to start Russian GP from the back of the grid after engine change". www.formula1.com. 24 September 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  33. ^ "What the teams said - Qualifying for the 2021 Russian Grand Prix". www.formula1.com. 25 September 2021. Retrieved 26 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  34. ^ "2021 Formula One Sporting Regulations" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 12 July 2021. p. 39. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  35. ^ "Offence - Car 4 - Pit entry" (PDF). FIA. Retrieved 26 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  36. ^ "Hamilton takes 100th F1 victory after late rain shower denies long-time leader Norris at Sochi". Formula1.com. 26 September 2021. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  37. ^ Turner, Kevin (26 September 2021). "Lewis Hamilton's 100 wins – 2008 British GP, 2020 Turkish GP and more". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  38. ^ a b c "Formula 1 VTB Russian Grand Prix 2021 – Race Result". Formula1.com. 26 September 2021. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  39. ^ "Formula 1 VTB Russian Grand Prix 2021 – Fastest Laps". Formula1.com. 26 September 2021. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
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2021 Italian Grand Prix 		FIA Formula One World Championship
2021 season 		Next race:
2021 Turkish Grand Prix
Previous race:
2020 Russian Grand Prix 		Russian Grand Prix Next race:
2022 Russian Grand Prix
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