Hamilton takes his first pole since the Hungarian Grand Prix, Perez fails to reach Q3 for the third time this year and Alonso qualifies in the top five. Here are the facts and statistics from qualifying at the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix!
HAMILTON ON POLE
Lewis Hamilton secured pole position for the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix, making Losail International Circuit the 31st venue at which he has taken pole. This was the 102nd pole position of Hamilton’s career. It’s the first time he will start from pole position since the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Hamilton took pole by 0.455 seconds, which is the second largest pole margin of the season. It’s the largest pole margin in dry conditions since Hamilton’s pole at the 2020 Russian Grand Prix.
IN THE TOP 10
For the fourth time in the last five races, both AlphaTauri drivers reached Q3.
Pierre Gasly equalled his best qualifying result of the season with fourth place.
With fifth place, Fernando Alonso recorded his best qualifying result since the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix.
With both Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda making it out of Q1, this is the first time that neither of the Red Bull junior team’s cars have been eliminated in Q1 at six consecutive races since the six races between the 2017 Monaco and Hungarian Grands Prix.
Esteban Ocon reached Q3 for the first time since the Turkish Grand Prix.
For the first time since the Belgian Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel reached Q3. This is the second successive race at which Vettel has qualified in the top ten, having also finished in the top ten in Sprint Qualifying in Brazil.
OUT IN Q2
For the third time in 2021, Sergio Perez failed to reach Q3. This was Red Bull’s fourth non-Q3 appearance of the year.
Lance Stroll reached Q2 for the first time since the Turkish Grand Prix, ending a streak of three consecutive Q1 exits.
For the first time since the Russian Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc failed to reach Q3. He qualified in thirteenth place – his second worst qualifying result of the season to date.
Daniel Ricciardo failed to reach Q3 for a second consecutive race. He last failed to reach Q3 at two races in a row at the Styrian and Austrian Grands Prix.
OUT IN Q1
Having both reached Q2 at the last two races, Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi were eliminated in Q1. This was Alfa Romeo’s fifth double Q1 exit of the year; their first since the Turkish Grand Prix.
Raikkonen has out-qualified his team-mate at all of the last three races. The last time he out-qualified Giovinazzi at three races in a row was between the 2020 Portuguese and Turkish Grands Prix.
Both Haas drivers were eliminated in Q1. Following a chassis change, Nikita Mazepin was unable to compete in either of the last two Free Practice sessions. He qualified 2.452 seconds away from his team-mate.
Mazepin qualified on the back row for the sixth consecutive race. It equals his longest streak of back row qualifications.
