Formula 1 news - 2021 Portuguese Grand Prix - All the action from Portimao as it happened
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Updated 23/05/2021 at 10:54 GMT
All the text coverage as it happened from Portimao in the 2021 Portuguese Formula 1 Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton extended his advantage in the drivers' championship over Max Verstappen by claiming his second race victory of the season, with Valtteri Bottas finishing third after claiming pole position on Saturday.
'Overtaking these two guys is a good feeling' - Hamilton
HAMILTON WINS THE PORTUGUESE GP!
A magnificent showing from the world champion as Hamilton claims his second race victory of the season! Verstappen takes the fastest lap point in the final lap as he crosses the line in second while Bottas rounds off the podium places. Red Bull just didn't have the pace in the second half of the race.
66/66 - Bottas' fastest lap!
Now it's Bottas who will be getting the bonus point for the fastest lap!
65/66 - Should we?
Hamilton and Bono are pondering whether to pit in an attempt to claim the fastest lap bonus point such is the extent of his lead, but they have decided against it.
64/66 - Ricciardo passes Sainz!
Ricciardo took Sainz's seat at McLaren for this season and he has now taken ninth place from the Spaniard who has really struggled with his tyres in the last 10 laps or so. Hanging on for a point now, is Sainz.
63/66 - Schumacher overtake!
Schumacher up into P17! The German had been chasing Latifi for some time and he is now up into P17 with a good overtake at Turn One. That was a move that shows the potential of the young driver!
62/66 - Perez fastest lap!
Perez has just taken the fastest lap of the race and he's now set to claim the bonus point! The Mexican has found some really strong pace on the soft compound tyres. Makes you wonder if Red Bull should have pitted him earlier...
60/66 - Not Bottas' day
The hope for Bottas about 10 laps ago was that he would get close enough to Verstappen to challenge for second place, but it's been rather comfortable for the Red Bull. The Finn has had some system issues, but on the whole Mercedes will want to see more from their driver.
58/66 - Alonso up into P8!
Sainz is really struggling with his tyres now and that means it was rather easy for Alonso to get past the Ferrari and up into eighth place. The Aplines have had good pace all weekend and are on course for some good points finishes (Ocon in seventh).
57/66 - Bottas problem!
"What was that?" asks Bottas on the Mercedes team radio. He seemed to have a sensor issue for a lap and that resulted in him losing some power.
56/66 - 10 laps to go...
1) Hamilton 2) Verstappen 3) Bottas 4) Perez 5) Norris 6) Leclerc 7) Ocon 8) Sainz 9) Alonso 10) Ricciardo
54/66 - Battle for 10th!
Ricciardo and Gasly are scrapping for the final point on offer in 10th place. Gasly just isn't getting close enough to the McLaren. However, the AlphaTauri could be within DRS range within a couple of laps. One to keep an eye on.
53/66 - Mazepin penalty
Mazepin has been handed a five-second penalty after impeding Perez at Turn 13 a few laps ago. The Russian is running back of the pack and is nearly a full minute behind his teammate!
52/66 - Perez pits!
Perez's stint finally ends! That's a good stint from the Mexican and he has been shifted on to the soft compound tyres for the final phase of the race. Perez is rejoins the race in fourth. He's on course for a good points finish here.
51/66 - Hamilton regains the lead!
Hamilton back into the lead! Perez did his best to keep the Mercedes behind him for as long as possible, but there was nothing he could do to combat its pace down the home straight.
49/66 - Perez unhappy!
Perez is very unhappy with Mazepin after being impeded by the Russian driver at turn three. The Mexican has still to stop. What's the plan here? He is still the race leader, but Hamilton is only three seconds behind him now.
47/66 - Hamilton into traffic!
Mazepin has now had SIX blue flags to let him know that the race leader is coming up behind him. This could be a slight issue for Hamilton. Can he get through the traffic without being slowed down?
45/66 - Toto on the radio!
"Hunt him down, Valtteri. You're the quickest car" is the message over the team radio from Toto to Bottas. It's clear that the Mercedes team principle wants more from his driver. He wants a one-two finish here.
44/66 - Ocon past Sainz!
A very good move from Ocon on the Ferrari down into turn one. The Alpines have had good pace all weekend. Can Ocon now deliver some good points for them? Alonso is also in the mix for a points finish. He's currently 11th.
43/66 - Perez stretching this stint!
This is looking better and better for Perez. He stands a good chance of undercutting Bottas. Mercedes are growing more concerned over the team radio. At this point a Safety Car might be the best thing for the Finn.
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Sainz y Checo Pérez en el GP de Portugal
Image credit: Getty Images
40/66 - Looking good for Perez!
As mentioned in the last update, Perez leads the race and he has a 12-second lead. Of course, he has yet to pit, but when he does he will be on the soft compound tyres. He could finish on the podium here!
39/66 - Good stop for Lewis!
3.2-second pit stop! That will be enough for Hamilton to stay ahead of Verstappen and get some heat in his tyres before the Red Bull has the chance to close the gap! Perez now leads the race, but he has yet to pit.
38/66 - Verstappen past Bottas!
Verstappen claims second place! Bottas just didn't have the grip on the cold tyres and Verstappen gets the job done and passes the Finn. Hamilton now coming into the pits as the race leader!
37/66 - Bottas pits!
Bottas box, box! A three-second pit stop for Bottas. Is that going to be good enough for him to stay ahead of Verstappen? It is! Good pit stop from Mercedes! He now needs to stay ahead of Verstappen on the cold tyres!
34/66 - Hamilton flying!
Remember that message from Hamilton a few laps ago where he claimed that his tyres were shot? Well, since then he has set the fastest lap three times. One thinks the world champion was perhaps overstating the extent of his tyre wear...
33/66 - Halfway point...
1) Hamilton 2) Bottas 3) Verstappen 4) Perez 5) Ricciardo 6) Alonso 7) Stroll 8) Norris 9) Sainz 10) Leclerc
32/66 - Another fastest lap!
Hamilton has some serious pace at the moment as he sets another fastest lap, beating his own record. The gap on Bottas is now up to three-and-a-half seconds.
30/66 - Hamilton building his lead
The gap between Hamilton and Bottas now stands at over three seconds as the Finn struggles to keep Verstappen behind him. This could actually be crucial to Hamilton's race. He would ideally like the barrier of his Mercedes teammate between him and his biggest challenger.
29/66 - Bottas stopping!
"We'll stop first." That's what Bottas' race engineer has said on the radio. Is that in reference to Hamilton or Verstappen? I guess we'll find out soon enough!
27/66 - Verstappen within DRS range!
There's now just one second between Bottas and Verstappen as the Dutchman moves to within DRS range of the Finn. Meanwhile, Hamilton has just set a new fastest lap and his stretching his legs at the front of the pack.
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Max Verstappen (Red Bull) in Portimão
Image credit: Getty Images
25/66 - Box, box!
Norris has pitted and he's on to the medium compound tyres. Gasly is also in and Ocon was pitted a couple laps ago. We are approaching the stage of the race where it will become apparent what the strategies from the teams are.
24/66 - Encouragement for Max
"Still a long way to go" is the message on the Red Bull team radio to Verstappen. His race engineer has highlighted how the two Mercedes are struggling with some tyre problems. That could still be a factor in this race.
23/66 - Sainz into the pits!
Ferrari have made the decision to put Sainz on the medium compound tyres and they'll be hopeful that they will take the Spaniard to the end of the race. Will this spark a series of stops by the frontrunners?
22/66 - Hamilton message
"The tyres are shot," comes the message from Hamilton over the Mercedes team radio. Does that maybe offer an insight into the issues being experienced by Bottas? He has lost so much pace over the last couple laps.
21/66 - Verstappen closing!
Things could be about to get worse for Bottas as Verstappen is closing the gap on the Finn. Is this a grip issue?
20/66 - HAMILTON PAST BOTTAS!
What a move by Hamilton! Bottas made a dive to the right and that gave Hamilton the space to go around the outside of his teammate! That was an over-defensive move by Bottas and that ultimately gave Hamilton the look that he wouldn't have ordinarily had.
18/66 - Perez into fourth!
Perez gets past Norris! The Red Bull has regained the position he lost off the grid and passes the McLaren up into fourth place. Horner will want to see a good showing from the Mexican today. This is why they hired him for 2021.
17/66 - Grip issues
The two Mercedes are on the medium compound tyres and they are just starting to experience some grip issues. This has seen Hamilton drop out of DRS range of Bottas. The Finn is doing a good job of maintaining the gap on his teammate.
16/66 - How the top 10 looks
1) Bottas 2) Hamilton 3) Verstappen 4) Perez 5) Norris 6) Sainz 7) Leclerc 8) Ocon 9) Gasly 10) Vettel
14/66 - Lewis in the groove
After a bit of a shaky start to the race by the defending world champion, Hamilton appears to be finding his groove and this is developing into a bit of a duel between the two Mercedes teammates.
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Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes W12 during qualifying for the F1 Grand Prix of Portugal at Autodromo Internacional Do Algarve on May 01, 2021 in Portimao
Image credit: Getty Images
11/66 - Hamilton reclaims P2!
Hamilton back ahead of Verstappen! The Red Bull was guilty of a touch of oversteer at turn 14 and that is all Hamilton needed to pass him and reclaim second place. That didn't last long for Verstappen.
10/66 - Verstappen looks at Bottas!
Verstappen has a good look at Bottas down the inside of turn one, but the Mercedes does just enough to keep the Dutchman behind him. Didn't require too much defending.
7/66 - Verstappen into second!
Verstappen gets the jump on Hamilton! Pure opportunism from the Red Bull and he's up to second place as the Safety Car ends! That is bad news for Mercedes who now have their two cars split by Verstappen!
6/66 - STILL behind SC!
It looks like we're ready to race again, but the race director isn't quite satisfied for some reason and we're going to have ANOTHER lap behind the Safety Car!
4/66 - Still behind SC
The race stewards are still recovering Raikkonen's Alfa Romeo from the gravel trap at turn one. It should be mentioned that Sainz managed to pass Perez in the first two laps with the Red Bull struggling for grip on the medium compounds.
2/66 - Norris into sixth!
An excellent move from Norris on Ocon pushes the McLaren up to sixth place! Raikkonen is in the gravel after picking up some damage on his front wing. We're under full Safety Car now!
1/66 - LIGHTS OUT!
It's a good start by Bottas who has got away well off the line! Perez looks to be struggling for grip on the medium compound tyres as he sits as the head of a train behind him!
15:00 - Formation lap
Hamilton has won the last three races that he has started in second on the grid. Can he continue that trend this afternoon? The drivers have started their formation lap. Not long until lights out!
14:55 - Bottas' big chance
If Bottas is going to join Hamilton and Verstappen in the title mix this season, it feels like he needs to convert this pole position into a race victory. The Finn had an excellent Saturday and looks very calm on the grid. He needs to keep that sense of calm to make sure Hamilton, Verstappen and the rest stay in his wing mirrors.
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Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) - GP of Portugal 2021
Image credit: Getty Images
14:50 - Title standings
This is how the title standings look after two races of the 2021 season... 1) Hamilton (44 pts) 2) Verstappen (43 pts) 3) Norris (27 pts). Look at Lando there!
14:45 - Anthem time!
It's time for the Portuguese national anthem down on the grid. F1 also plays its 'We Race As One' equality video on a significant weekend in sport. Of course, English football clubs are boycotting social media in response to continued racist abuse on the platforms. Some F1 drivers, like Lando Norris, have joined in.
14:40 - Lewis v Max
Two races down, one win for Hamilton, one for Verstappen. There is a real sense that these two drivers will be going head-to-head all the way until the end. So which way will the pendulum swing this afternoon? Verstappen didn't have the best of qualifying sessions yesterday. Can he make amends on race day?
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Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (33) Red Bull Racing RB16B Honda and Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes W12 battle for track position at the start during the F1 Grand Prix of Emilia Romagn
Image credit: Getty Images
14:35 - Grip is an issue!
There's one word on the lips of a lot of the drivers this weekend - grip! There is a distinct lack of it on this Portimao circuit. It was a problem in qualifying on Saturday and it looks like it will continue to an issue today.
14:30 - Portuguese GP at Portimao!
Good afternoon and welcome to Eurosport's LIVE coverage of the Portuguese GP from Portimao! This is the third race of the 2021 season and will provide another hint of whether the developing title contest between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen is the real thing!
Valtteri Bottas put his Mercedes on pole yesterday with Hamilton locking out the front row for the Silver Arrows. Verstappen is in P3 with Sergio Perez locking out the second row for the Red Bulls.
1) Bottas 2) Hamilton 3) Verstappen 4) Perez 5) Sainz 6) Ocon 7) Norris 8) Leclerc 9) Gasly 10) Vettel 11) Russell 12) Giovinazzi 13) Alonso 14) Tsunoda 15) Raikkonen 16) Ricciardo 17) Stroll 18) Latifi 19) Schumacher 20) Mazepin
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