The 2021 Belgian Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Rolex Belgian Grand Prix 2021) was a Formula One motor race held on 29 August 2021 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. It was the 12th round of the 2021 Formula One World Championship. The race was also the 77th overall running of the Belgian Grand Prix, the 66th time the event was run as part of the Formula One World Championship, and the 54th World Championship Belgian Grand Prix held at the Spa circuit. The race was won by Max Verstappen, ahead of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton.
The race was planned to run for 44 laps, but ended during the third lap due to wet conditions. Laps one and two took place behind the safety car before a red flag stopped the race on lap three. The sporting regulations required the results be taken from the end of lap one, with half points given to drivers who finished in the top 10 positions as less than 75% of the originally scheduled race distance had been completed.
As of , it holds the record for the shortest Formula One World Championship race in terms of distance () and number of laps raced (1). This beats the previous short-distance record of set at the 1991 Australian Grand Prix and the fewest laps record, 12, set at the 1971 German Grand Prix. The race was also marked the first time since the 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix that half points were awarded, the sixth time this occurred in Formula One. Regulation changes for the 2022 season meant that half-points could no longer be awarded in subsequent seasons. The decision to run two laps behind the safety car and red flagging the race on lap three stirred much controversy. The FIA and then race director Michael Masi were criticised by media, fans, teams and drivers for their decision-making during the weekend, and particularly on race day.
This was the only World Championship race not to have any running under full green flag conditions. The lack of green flag running led many commentators to question the validity and sporting integrity of officially classifying and awarding points when the only laps completed were behind the safety car with no overtaking permitted. Some commentators and competitors accused Formula One of putting commercial interests above those of paying spectators and fans in general by not abandoning the event with no race result, and not giving spectators a partial ticket refund. Other commentators and competitors felt the awarding of half points was justified to reward competitors who had qualified well, even if the race scenario was not ideal.
In response to the negative reactions, the sport set about finding suitable methods of preventing a repeat scenario. It was decided to change the sporting regulations, which from 2022 onwards state a race must involve a minimum of two laps under green flag without a safety car or virtual safety car for points to be awarded. Subsequent changes in point structure for shortened races from 2022 meant that reduced points would be awarded to fewer drivers (depending on distance covered) in cases where a race ends under a red flag. Following confusion over how points were awarded at the subsequent 2022 Japanese Grand Prix this regulation was tweaked further for 2023 to ensure that the number of points allocated was purely based on percentage distance raced irrespective of whether a race finishes under red or green flag conditions. Additionally, since 2022, Formula One has been exploring how to improve the raceability of cars in wet conditions in an attempt to reduce the need for safety cars and red flags in wet conditions. In 2023 Pirelli announced they have introduced a new Full Wet tyre compound to improve racing conditions during wet conditions, not requiring tire blankets. This new blanketless full wet was raced for the first time at the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix. Pirelli has also subsequently proposed the addition of either a third wet weather tyre compound be added to their tyre range or to be introduced as a single wet tyre with improved performance and consistency across different levels of on track wetness- to help improve racing in wet conditions. However an attempt to introduce 'spray guards' to help achieve this objective was unsuccessful and has subsequently been abandoned.
Background The event, which was held over the weekend of 27–29 August at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, was the 12th round of the 2021 Formula One World Championship after a four-week summer break. It marked the sixty-sixth time the Belgian Grand Prix appeared on the season calendar. It rained throughout the weekend which excited some drivers. Mick Schumacher stated that he was "looking forward to getting onto some rain", while Lando Norris said that he was "hoping for a bit of rain" in the race. Nikita Mazepin stated that he "hope[s] it's dry."
This Grand Prix was the first to enforce article 12.8.4 of Formula One technical regulations, which stated "devices which are used to fit or remove wheel fasteners may only be powered by compressed air or nitrogen. Any sensor systems may only act passively." Wheel guns came with sensors that informed mechanics when the wheel was securely fastened. Some teams designed their wheel guns to send this signal in anticipation of the wheel being fastened, mitigating reaction time and resulting in quicker service. The governing body deemed this practice unsafe, as it meant cars were potentially released from the pit stop without the wheels being securely fastened. The new technical directive banned this practice and new tolerance parameters were introduced to enforce the rule. A 0.15 second period between the tyres being securely fastened and the dropping of the jack, and a 0.2 second period from the dropping of the jack to the car being released by the pit crew. This made any benefits of the outlawed practices obsolete. In a further clarification, it was revealed the FIA could ensure adherence to the new tolerance limits by using an intelligent wheel gun. The change was originally planned for the Hungarian Grand Prix, but was postponed to this race.
Championship standings before the race Following the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix one month earlier, Lewis Hamilton led the Drivers' Championship by 8 points from Max Verstappen. Lando Norris, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Pérez were third, fourth and fifth, respectively. Mercedes led the Constructors' Championship by 12 points from Red Bull Racing. Scuderia Ferrari were third and McLaren fourth, each with 163 points (140 points behind Mercedes).
Entrants
The drivers and teams were the same as the season entry list with no additional stand-in drivers for the race. The entry list contained five former winners of the Belgian Grand Prix, these being Lewis Hamilton (with wins in 2010, 2015, 2017 and 2020), Kimi Räikkönen (with wins in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2009), Sebastian Vettel (with wins in 2011, 2013 and 2018), Charles Leclerc (who won in 2019) and Daniel Ricciardo (who won in 2014) for whom this race was also a 200th Grand Prix start.
Tyre choices Sole tyre supplier Pirelli allocated the C2, C3, and C4 compounds of tyre to be used in the race.
Penalties After causing collisions at the previous race, Valtteri Bottas and Lance Stroll each received a five-place grid penalty for the Grand Prix.
Practice Free practice 1 took place on 27 August at 11:30 CEST and ended without major incident. Yuki Tsunoda and Kimi Räikkönen spun at La Source in separate incidents. Räikkönen also hit the inside pit wall, ending his session. Charles Leclerc ran wide at turn 7, but was able to recover without incident. The Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas was fastest, followed by Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen, and Scuderia AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly. Championship leader Lewis Hamilton finished in 18th, after his lap was impeded by a slow Nicholas Latifi.
Free practice 2 took place at 15:00 CEST on the same day. The session was interrupted by two incidents, both resulting in red flags. First, Leclerc lost control over the rear end on the exit of Les Combes and crashed into the wall, ending his session. Verstappen had an incident at Malmedy, also losing control of the rear and hitting the wall. Esteban Ocon also spun, but was able to recover and return to the pits. Verstappen finished fastest, with Bottas in second and Hamilton in third.
Free practice 3 took place on 28 August at 12:00 CEST. The final practice session ended with no major incidents, but saw many drivers sliding off the track. Bottas, Nikita Mazepin, George Russell, Sebastian Vettel, and Carlos Sainz Jr. all went off during FP3. Räikkönen finished his session early when his brakes failed—he managed to recover to the pits but didn't come back out. Gasly also spun. The Red Bulls took first and second, with Verstappen beating teammate Pérez, while Hamilton finished third.
Qualifying Qualifying took place on 28 August and was due to start at 15:00 CEST. Due to extreme rainfall, the start was delayed to 15:12. Everyone started on the full wet tyres, except for George Russell and Nicholas Latifi, who were first and second after the first qualifying laps. Everyone then fitted the intermediate tyres. The first session ended with Lando Norris in first, Max Verstappen in second, and Lewis Hamilton in third. Nikita Mazepin, Kimi Räikkönen, Mick Schumacher, Yuki Tsunoda, and Antonio Giovinazzi were eliminated from the remainder of qualifying.
All drivers completed the second session on intermediate tyres. Norris once again was first, with Hamilton second and Valtteri Bottas third. Lance Stroll, Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz Jr., Nicholas Latifi, and Charles Leclerc were eliminated from the remainder of qualifying. The third segment of qualifying started with worsening rain. Immediately, drivers were calling for a delayed session or red flag. Norris soon aquaplaned at Eau Rouge resulting in a heavy crash at Raidillon and a red flag. Sebastian Vettel stopped at the scene to check on Norris after complaining over the radio about the dangerous conditions. Verstappen took pole on his final lap, with George Russell in second, and Hamilton third. Russell secured Williams Racing's first front row start since the 2017 Italian Grand Prix, and equalled his career-best start, it remained his best start until he achieved pole at the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix. Norris was cleared for Sunday's race after precautionary checks and an X-ray following his Q3 crash. After the Grand Prix, race director Michael Masi admitted it was a mistake to let the third segment of qualifying start on time.
Qualifying classification DriverConstructor133 Max VerstappenRed Bull Racing-Honda1:58.7171:56.5591:59.7651263 George RussellWilliams-Mercedes1:59.8641:56.9502:00.0862344 Lewis HamiltonMercedes1:59.2181:56.2292:00.099343 Daniel RicciardoMcLaren-Mercedes2:01.5831:57.1272:00.864455 Sebastian VettelAston Martin-Mercedes2:00.1751:56.8142:00.9355610 Pierre GaslyAlphaTauri-Honda2:00.3871:56.4402:01.1646711 Sergio PérezRed Bull Racing-Honda1:59.3341:56.8862:02.1127877 Valtteri BottasMercedes1:59.8701:56.2952:02.50213931 Esteban OconAlpine-Renault2:01.8241:57.3542:03.5138104 Lando NorrisMcLaren-Mercedes1:58.3011:56.025No time151116 Charles LeclercFerrari2:00.7281:57.721N/A9126 Nicholas LatifiWilliams-Mercedes2:00.9661:58.056N/A101355 Carlos Sainz Jr.Ferrari2:01.1841:58.137N/A111414 Fernando AlonsoAlpine-Renault2:01.6531:58.205N/A121518 Lance StrollAston Martin-Mercedes2:01.5971:58.231N/A1916992:02.306N/AN/A141722 Yuki TsunodaAlphaTauri-Honda2:02.413N/AN/A161847 Mick SchumacherHaas-Ferrari2:03.973N/AN/A17197 Kimi RäikkönenAlfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari2:04.452N/AN/A209Nikita MazepinHaas-Ferrari2:04.939N/AN/A18107% time: 2:06.582Source: Notes – Valtteri Bottas and Lance Stroll both received five-place grid penalties for causing collisions at the previous round. – Lando Norris received a five-place grid penalty for an unscheduled gearbox change.