2020 Formula One World Championship

The 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship was the motor racing championship for Formula One cars which was the 71st running of the Formula One World Championship . It marked the 70th anniversary of the first Formula One World Drivers' Championship . [ 1 ] The championship was recognised by the governing body of international motorsport , the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), as the highest class of competition for open-wheel racing cars . Drivers and teams competed for the title...

The championship was originally due to start in March, [ 2 ] but the start was postponed until July in response to the COVID-19 pandemic . The season was originally due to be contested over a record of 22 Grands Prix , but as some races were cancelled and new races were added to replace them, a total of 17 races were run. [ 3 ] The season started in July with the Austrian Grand Prix [ 4 ] and ended in December with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix . [ 3 ] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the first eight ro...

Sebastian Vettel endured a difficult season with Ferrari , finishing thirteenth in the standings and amassing only 33 points with one podium finish (third in Turkey). This would also be his final season with Ferrari, as he would go on to join Aston Martin —the rebrand of Racing Point —for the 2021 season, where he would spend two seasons before retiring from F1 at the end of 2022 season.

Each team was required to enter at least two drivers, one for each of the two mandatory cars. [ 5 ] All teams competed with tyres supplied by Pirelli . [ 6 ]

Across the season, four drivers drove as a test or third driver in free practice sessions. Jack Aitken and Roy Nissany both drove for Williams at one and three Grands Prix, respectively, Robert Kubica drove for Alfa Romeo Racing at five Grands Prix and Mick Schumacher drove for Haas at one Grand Prix. [ 29 ]

Schumacher and Callum Ilott were entered to appear in the first practice session for the Eifel Grand Prix , driving for Alfa Romeo Racing and Haas, respectively, [ 29 ] but the session was cancelled due to bad weather conditions. [ 30 ]

Red Bull GmbH , the parent company of Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso , renamed Toro Rosso as " Scuderia AlphaTauri ". The team uses the constructor name "AlphaTauri". [ 23 ] The name is derived from Red Bull's AlphaTauri fashion brand . [ 31 ]

After a year's absence, Esteban Ocon returned to racing in Formula One after signing a contract with Renault , replacing Nico Hülkenberg . [ 32 ] Robert Kubica left Williams at the end of the 2019 championship and joined Alfa Romeo Racing as a reserve driver. [ 7 ] Nicholas Latifi , the 2019 Formula 2 Championship runner-up, replaced Kubica at Williams. [ 33 ] [ 34 ]

After Romain Grosjean suffered burns to his hands following a crash at the Bahrain Grand Prix , Haas promoted test driver Pietro Fittipaldi to make his debut at the Sakhir Grand Prix . [ 41 ] Grosjean also missed the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix because of his recovery after the crash in Bahrain ; Fittipaldi raced again for the team. [ 42 ] Lewis Hamilton tested positive for the coronavirus prior to the Sakhir Grand Prix and was forced to sit out. [ 43 ] [ 44 ] He was replaced by George Russell , with J...

After purchasing the commercial rights to the sport from CVC Capital Partners in January 2017, Liberty Media announced plans to expand the Formula One calendar using a concept they termed "destination races" and modelled on the Singapore Grand Prix . [ 61 ] Under the "destination races" model, Grands Prix would be established in or near key tourist destinations and integrate racing, entertainment and social functions. Several countries and venues announced plans to bid for a Grand Prix, [ 62 ] [...

Teams were allowed to use an additional MGU-K compared to 2019 to compensate for the increased demands of contesting the originally planned twenty-two races. [ 73 ] [ 74 ] [ clarification needed ]

Drivers who participated in free practice sessions were eligible for additional FIA Super Licence points. Any driver who completed a minimum 100 km (62 mi) during a free practice session received an additional Super Licence point on the condition that they do not commit a driving infraction. Drivers could only accrue ten Super Licence points across a three-season period from free practice sessions. [ 75 ] The rules around helmet designs were relaxed with drivers allowed to change their design as...

The rules surrounding jump starts and the weighbridge were relaxed with the race stewards able to hand out less severe punishments for missing the weighbridge and jump starts. [ 74 ]

In order to reduce the risk of punctures, the last 50 mm (2.0 in) of the front wing could no longer contain any metal. Brake ducts could no longer be outsourced and must be made and designed by the team. The amount of fuel that could be outside of the fuel tank was reduced from 2 litres (3.5 imp pt) to 250 millilitres (0.44 imp pt). A decrease in electronic driver aids meant that drivers were responsible for managing more of the car's torque during race starts. [ 74 ]

From the Italian Grand Prix , drivers were only allowed to run one engine mode from the start of qualifying to the end of the race. [ 78 ] However, drivers were still allowed to use electrical power for the powertrain throughout the race weekend. [ 79 ]

The season was heavily disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic , with an announcement prior to the start of the championship that the Chinese Grand Prix would be postponed due to the early COVID-19 outbreak in the country . [ 57 ]

Italian-based teams Ferrari and AlphaTauri expressed concern about the spread of the disease and its effect on the championship. [ 80 ] [ 81 ] As Italy suffered one of the worst outbreaks of the virus , both teams were concerned about the ability of their staff to leave the quarantine zone established in northern Italy and to enter host nations. Pre-season testing in Barcelona proceeded as planned, with all teams and drivers completing the six days of testing. [ 82 ]

The season-opening Australian Grand Prix was expected to go ahead and all teams and drivers arrived at the venue as planned. Three days before the race was due to take place, McLaren announced their withdrawal from the event after a team member tested positive for the virus. [ 85 ] This led to the Grand Prix being cancelled altogether the following morning. [ 86 ] Later that day, it was announced that the Bahrain Grand Prix would be postponed rather than closed to spectators, as would the inaugu...

Formula One and the FIA released a joint statement saying that they "expect to begin the Championship in Europe at the end of May" but that this timeline "will be regularly reviewed". [ 87 ] On 19 March, the FIA announced that the Dutch , Spanish and Monaco Grands Prix had all been postponed indefinitely due to the pandemic. In the statement, the FIA said they now expect to begin the season "as soon as it is safe to do so after May" and that the situation would continue to be monitored. [ 88 ] T...

In early April, organisers of the Canadian Grand Prix announced the race's postponement. [ 59 ] Later in the month, the French Grand Prix organisers confirmed that the race would not be held in 2020, [ 60 ] and the managing director of Silverstone Circuit stated that should the British Grand Prix go ahead, it would be without spectators. [ 91 ] In May, organisers of the Hungarian Grand Prix announced that their race would use the same model. [ 92 ] The sport's plans to resume competition called ...

The Dutch Grand Prix was cancelled entirely in late May, with organisers of the event stating that they would prefer to host the revived race with spectators in attendance in 2021 rather than without spectators in 2020. [ 70 ] Formula One confirmed the cancellation of the Azerbaijan , Singapore and Japanese Grands Prix in June. [ 94 ] Organisers of the Azerbaijan and Singapore races cited the difficulty of assembling the infrastructure required for a street circuit as the reason for their cancel...

The annual summer break, where factories shut down for two weeks, was brought forward from August to March and April. Teams nominated a three-week period to close with the aim of making room for races later in the year. [ 98 ] At the end of March, it was announced that for the first time the factory shut-down would additionally apply to power unit manufacturers. [ 99 ] [ 100 ] The factory shut-down period was later extended to a total of nine weeks for competitors and seven weeks for power unit ...

In March, teams agreed that the 2020 Championship could run into early 2021 to ensure the running of as many races as possible. Such a move would also ensure that eight Grands Prix could be held, over three different continents, thereby meeting the minimum number of races needed for the season to qualify as a World Championship. [ 103 ] [ 104 ] [ 105 ]

In a statement in late April, Formula One CEO Chase Carey declared the intention to begin the season on 5 July and a target to hold between 15 and 18 races overall. [ 109 ] In June, the first eight races of a rescheduled calendar were confirmed, with the season expected to begin on 5 July with the Austrian Grand Prix . This revised calendar included two newly named one-off events—both second races at the Red Bull Ring and Silverstone —known as the Styrian and the 70th Anniversary Grands Prix, re...

In August, it was announced that Formula One would return to Istanbul Park for the first Turkish Grand Prix since the 2011 season, together with the debut of the Sakhir Grand Prix , to be held at the Bahrain International Circuit , using the configuration of the track called "Outer Circuit". They join the rescheduled Bahrain and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix as the final four races of the season, bringing the calendar to seventeen races. [ 115 ] [ 116 ]

The pandemic required changes to the format of a race weekend, which included abandoning the drivers' parade and pre-race assembly for the host venue's national anthem. A modified podium ceremony was planned for after races. [ 117 ] The FIA introduced limits to the number of team personnel who could be on the starting grid to prepare cars and changed the cut-off times for cars to leave pit lane to minimise the amount of time team personnel spent on the grid. [ 118 ] Tyre supplier Pirelli was als...

In June, Formula One launched the We Race As One initiative to fight racism, global inequity and the impact of COVID-19. The initiative used a rainbow logo, with the colours of all ten Formula One teams, also with the #WeRaceAsOne hashtag, and featured prominent We Race As One branding on vehicles (including the safety car) and signage on track. Formula One and several teams launched projects or fundraising efforts in support of the initiative. [ 119 ] [ 120 ]

The delayed season started with five races at three venues.

The first pair of races took place at Red Bull Ring in Spielberg. In the Austrian Grand Prix , Valtteri Bottas , driving for Mercedes , took pole position , ahead of his teammate Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull 's Max Verstappen ; however, Hamilton was given a three-place grid penalty, since he did not slow sufficiently when yellow flags were waved following a small mistake by Bottas. This promoted Verstappen to second, McLaren driver Lando Norris to third, and Alexander Albon to fourth. In an even...

The temporary format for some rounds featured consecutive races in consecutive weeks at the same venue. This was the case when the series stayed in Spielberg for the Styrian Grand Prix , named for the state where the circuit is located, which was won by Hamilton ahead of Bottas and Verstappen. [ 130 ]

The Hungaroring in Mogyoród fielded the first single race meeting of the year, the Hungarian Grand Prix , which started with a slippery track. Verstappen slid into the barrier on his way to the grid and broke his steering axis, but his mechanics managed to repair the car before the race start. The race winner was Hamilton, with Verstappen in second and Bottas in third place. [ 131 ]

The next stop was Silverstone, which as another two-in-two format where Hamilton won the first race, the British Grand Prix , despite his left-front tyre delaminating in the middle of the last lap. Verstappen finished second with Leclerc in third. [ 132 ] Bottas had a puncture which resulted in him finishing in eleventh. Daniil Kvyat had a puncture at high speed entering Maggotts corner which resulted in a big crash with a safety car, and Sainz Jr. finished 13th after a puncture made him fall fr...

The next six races were single rounds at each venue, including two new circuits and a returning circuit. The Belgian Grand Prix was won by Lewis Hamilton , who led every lap and won by 8 seconds over teammate Valtteri Bottas who finished second ahead of Max Verstappen . Daniel Ricciardo finished fourth, setting the fastest lap on the last lap. On lap 11, Antonio Giovinazzi crashed at Campus corner; one of the wheels of his car came loose and hit the front right suspension of George Russell ’s c...

The Italian Grand Prix was won by Pierre Gasly after taking the lead following a red flag caused by Charles Leclerc , and previous leader Hamilton forced to serve a stop-and-go penalty. This was his and AlphaTauri 's first race victory. The race marked the first time since Kimi Räikkönen won the 2013 Australian Grand Prix driving for Lotus F1 that the race winner did not drive for Ferrari , Mercedes , or Red Bull and the first time since the 2012 Hungarian Grand Prix that all three constructors ...

The inaugural Tuscan Grand Prix , Ferrari's 1000th Grand Prix start, resulted in Hamilton's sixth race win of the season, and Mercedes's third 1–2 finish. Bottas overtook Hamilton into turn one before a major collision at turn two caused the retirement of both Verstappen (who had fallen from 3rd to 14th due to a power issue) and Gasly. This brought out the safety car for 8 laps to allow for the debris to be cleared. At the end of the safety car period, a major misunderstanding in the upper midfi...

At the Russian Grand Prix , Hamilton started on pole, but two separate five-second penalties for practice starts outside the designated area meant he finished third; teammate Bottas won the Grand Prix with Verstappen in second. [ 138 ]

For the first time since 2013 , Formula One returned to the Nürburgring GP-Strecke with the Eifel Grand Prix . Five cars retired in the forms of Russell, Esteban Ocon , Albon, Lando Norris and Bottas, who had started from pole. Hamilton took first place after Bottas locked up into turn 1 on lap 13. Hamilton would go on to win the race, his 7th win this season. Ricciardo claimed his first podium for Renault, finishing the race in third. The race also saw Räikkönen pass the record for most race s...

Formula One returned to the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari for the 27th time, the first since 2006 with the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix , where Lewis Hamilton won from Valtteri Bottas and Daniel Ricciardo who picked up his second podium of the season. Max Verstappen had a puncture from second, putting him out of the race. Mercedes won their seventh consecutive Constructor World Championship. [ 141 ]

The Turkish Grand Prix saw Hamilton claim his seventh world title with a race win, [ 142 ] equalling Michael Schumacher 's record for the most Formula One world titles. He finished on the podium with Sergio Pérez and Sebastian Vettel , whilst in qualifying, Lance Stroll claimed his maiden pole position in rainy conditions. [ 143 ]

The final two-in-two took place in Sakhir. At the Bahrain Grand Prix , Hamilton claimed his 11th win of the year, followed by Verstappen and Alexander Albon in second and third. The race was marred by a serious accident involving Haas driver Romain Grosjean , who hit a barrier at the start of the race after making contact with the AlphaTauri of Daniil Kvyat . Grosjean's car broke in two and burst into flames as it split the barrier. Numerous safety features allowed him to escape the crash [ 144 ...

The second part of the double was run on the outer circuit. Hamilton was ruled out of the Sakhir Grand Prix after testing positive for the coronavirus and was replaced by Williams' George Russell . Russell impressed by taking the lead from new teammate and pole-sitter Bottas and led for 59 laps, before being taken out of contention by first a tyre mix-up by Mercedes and then a late-race puncture, eventually finishing 9th. Despite being dropped to last position through a lap 1 collision with Lecl...

At the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix , Hamilton returned for the last race of the season after testing negative for the coronavirus. Verstappen took the pole position and his 10th win in Formula One ahead of Bottas and Hamilton, who finished second and third, respectively. This race was the last for Vettel at Ferrari , after six years, and Pérez at Racing Point , after two years at Racing Point and five at their indirect predecessor, Force India . [ 150 ] Ferrari finished sixth in the World Constructors'...

Points were awarded to the top ten classified drivers and the driver who set the fastest lap. The driver with the fastest lap had to be within the top 10 to receive the point. In the case of a tie on points a countback system was used where the driver with the best results is ranked higher, if the best result was identical then the next best result was considered. The points were awarded for every race using the following system: [ 153 ]