QATAR. Doha: Lewis Hamilton claimed his second consecutive victory after a brilliant pole to finish win at the inaugural Qatar Formula One Grand Prix.
He finished 25 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen at the Losail International Circuit in Doha, Qatar. This was Hamilton’s seventh win this season.
Verstappen started at the seventh position and recovered five places to finish second after having been given a grid penalty. He was given the bonus points for posting the fastest lap in the closing stages.
Meanwhile, Alpine driver Fernando Alonso secured the third position. This was his first podium finish since 2014. Verstappen’s team-mate Red Bull’s Sergio Perez had to settle for fourth place while Alpine’s Esteban Ocon finished fifth.
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll finished sixth, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc secured seventh and eighth while Lando Norris came ninth for McLaren. Stroll’s team mate Sebastian Vettel secured.
Verstappen, Bottas, Valteri Bottas and Carlos Sainz were accused of not following yellow flag rules near the end of qualifying. Verstappen was served with a five-place grid penalty and Valtteri Bottas lost three places but Carlos Sainz was not penalized.
You can watch the highlights of the Qatar Grand Prix at F1’s official website.
“It was pretty straightforward, it’s pretty lonely at the front,” Mercedes’s driver Lewis Hamilton told Sky Sports.
“Of course I enjoy those races … we needed those points today, so a really solid job from the team.”
“Of course our starting position was a bit compromised, but we had a really good start,” said RedBull driver Max Verstappen. “At the end of the day to get that fastest lap was nice, it’s going to be difficult to the end.”
Qatar Grand Prix Top 5
- Lewis Hamilton (Team Mercedes AMG Petronas), Time: 1:24:28.471, Points: 25
- Max Verstappen (Team RedBull Racing Honda), Time: + +25.743s,
Points: 19 - Fernando Alonso (Team Alpine-Renault), Time: +59.457s, Points: 15
- Sergio Pérez (Team Red Bull Racing Honda), Time: +62.306s, Points: 12
- Esteban Ocon (Team Alpine-Renault) , Time: +80.570s, Points: 10
Driver Standing after Qatar Grand Prix
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing), Points: 351.5
- Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), Points: 343.5
- Valteri Bottas (Mercedes), Points: 203
Constructors Standings after Qatar Grand Prix
- Mercedes – (Hamilton / Bottas), Points: 546.5
- Red Bull Racing – (Verstappen / Perez), Points: 541.5
- Ferrari – (Charles / Carlos), Points: 297.5
About Losail International Circuit and Qatar Grand Prix
Losail International Circuit is a motor racing circuit situated in the north of Doha. Built at the cost of US$58 million, the Losail International circuit is 5.380 kilometers in length.
The circuit opened in 2004 to the inaugural 2004 Marlboro Qatar motorcycle Grand Prix. The circuit was built by Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation. In 2007, permanent outdoor lighting for night races started functioning. The first night race in MotoGP history was the 2008 Qatar motorcycle Grand Prix in March 2008.
Designed primarily with motorcycle racing in mind, the 5.4-kilometer Losail International Circuit is a fast and flowing track, where medium- and high-speed corners predominate. The track is surrounded by artificial grass to stop the sand from encroaching on the track. The inaugural FIA Formula One World Championship 2021 was held last weekend. Qatar has signed an additional 10-year deal to host the sport from 2023.
Conclusion
With just two Grand Prix events remaining for this season in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, the title race for this year will become interesting.
Two consecutive wins for the defending and seven-time champion Mercedes’s driver Lewis Hamilton one in Brazil and the second one in Qatar last weekend have moved him within eight points to his nearest title rival RedBull driver Max Verstappen.
The winner of the next two races one in Jeddah and the other one in Abu Dhabi will decide the fate of the 2021 Championships.
Coming next in the Formula One season for 2021 is the ‘Saudi Arabian Grand Prix’ which is scheduled from December 3 to 5 at Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
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