Sir Lewis Hamilton closed the gap in the Drivers’ Championship to Formula 1 title rival Max Verstappen to just four points after a supreme victory at the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix.
The Mercedes driver looked untouchable as he led the first Formula 1 race in the Gulf state from start to finish, with Red Bull unable to match the seven-time world champion’s pace.
There was debate ahead of the race as to whether teams would be able to run a one stop strategy, but multiple drivers including Valtteri Bottas, George Russell and Nicholas Latifi all suffered punctures as the Pirelli rubber struggled under loads in the final laps of the race as they tried the risky strategy.
Alpine’s Fernando Alonso took the final podium place despite late worries over whether his tyres were last, with the Spaniard helped by a late virtual safety car to clear away the beached Williams of Latifi.
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:24:28.471 |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +25:743 |
| 3 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine | +59:457 |
| 4 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull | +1:02:306 |
| 5 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | +1:20.570 |
| 6 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +1:21.274 |
| 7 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | +1:21.911 |
| 8 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +1:23.126 |
| 9 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +1 Lap |
| 10 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin | +1 Lap |
| 11 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri | +1 Lap |
| 12 | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren | +1 Lap |
| 13 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | +1 Lap |
| 14 | Kimi Raikkonen | Alfa Romeo | +1 Lap |
| 15 | Antonio Giovinnazi | Alfa Romeo | +1 Lap |
| 16 | Mick Schumacher | Haas | +1 Lap |
| 17 | George Russell | Williams | +2 Laps |
| 18 | Nikita Mazepin | Haas | +2 Laps |
| 19 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams | DNF |
| 20 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | DNF |
