Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen traded places at the top of the charts throughout FP1, but it was Bottas who ended up narrowly fastest in the first session of the 2021 Portuguese Grand Prix. Sergio Perez secured 3rd place for Red Bull and Charles Leclerc was fourth for Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton finished a disappointing 5th. The full results are as follows:
| Pos | Driver | Car | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valtteri Bottas | MERCEDES | 1:19.648 | 31 |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | RED BULL RACING HONDA | +0.025s | 23 |
| 3 | Sergio Perez | RED BULL RACING HONDA | +0.198s | 22 |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | FERRARI | +0.236s | 27 |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | MERCEDES | +0.319s | 32 |
| 6 | Pierre Gasly | ALPHATAURI HONDA | +0.796s | 31 |
| 7 | George Russell | WILLIAMS MERCEDES | +0.881s | 29 |
| 8 | Lando Norris | MCLAREN MERCEDES | +0.987s | 26 |
| 9 | Carlos Sainz | FERRARI | +1.032s | 27 |
| 10 | Esteban Ocon | ALPINE RENAULT | +1.152s | 27 |
| 11 | Lance Stroll | ASTON MARTIN MERCEDES | +1.246s | 29 |
| 12 | Daniel Ricciardo | MCLAREN MERCEDES | +1.347s | 31 |
| 13 | Yuki Tsunoda | ALPHATAURI HONDA | +1.442s | 28 |
| 14 | Fernando Alonso | ALPINE RENAULT | +1.655s | 31 |
| 15 | Kimi Räikkönen | ALFA ROMEO RACING FERRARI | +1.733s | 25 |
| 16 | Sebastian Vettel | ASTON MARTIN MERCEDES | +1.757s | 31 |
| 17 | Callum Ilott | ALFA ROMEO RACING FERRARI | +2.158s | 21 |
| 18 | Mick Schumacher | HAAS FERRARI | +2.291s | 29 |
| 19 | Nicholas Latifi | WILLIAMS MERCEDES | +2.645s | 29 |
| 20 | Nikita Mazepin | HAAS FERRARI | +4.576s | 29 |