Qatar Grand Prix History | Under the theme of penalties and tyres

The race started at 17:00 local time on 21 November. It was sunny and dry, with temperatures between 20 and 28 degrees. The race length was 57 laps. The top three in the championship at the start of the race: Max Verstappen was first with 332.5 points. Lewis Hamilton was second with 318.5, and Valtteri Bottas was third with 203 points.

Penalties for Bottas and Verstappen

Qualifying was a reflection of the championship standings, with Hamilton on P1, Verstappen on P2, Bottas on P3, and Gasly surprisingly on P4. However, Verstappen received a penalty of five grid places to his race overall for ignoring double yellow flags in Q3. Bottas also had a penalty, leaving Alonso next to his former teammate on the front row. At the start, Hamilton was fast away, on the heels of Alonso and Gasly. Verstappen had a good start and was fourth after the first corner.

There was again much to do around Pirelli during the Qatar race. The Italian tyre supplier had advised teams against going for a one-stop strategy. But several teams did not heed this, resulting in four drivers with a blowout left at the front, eventually even causing Bottas and Latifi to retire.

Hamilton did not relinquish the lead after the start and won the race. Max Verstappen was second, and Fernando Alonso third, taking his first podium since the 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix. Verstappen set the fastest lap on the very last lap, putting Hamilton through a Grand Slam. Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez finished fourth.

The standings after the Qatar Grand Prix: Verstappen first with 351.5, Hamilton second with 343.5, and Bottas remained third with 203. After Qatar, there were still two races to go in 2021: the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix and the illustrious Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.