The 2020 F1 season marked the 70th anniversary of the first Formula One World Drivers’ Championship in 1950 but was halted even before lights out at the first race due to global events.
The start of the championship was initially planned for March, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was postponed to July. The season was expected to feature a record-breaking 22 Grand Prix, but due to cancellations and alternative races found to fill the calendar and reduce global travel, only 17 races took place.
Season
The season began with the Austrian Grand Prix and ended with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December. The pandemic led to the first eight rounds of the championship being run without spectators, with the remaining races being held at a reduced capacity or without spectators due to the second wave of the pandemic.
Defending champions Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes entered the season aiming to maintain their grip on the World Drivers’ and World Constructors’ titles. At the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Mercedes clinched their seventh consecutive Constructors’ Championship, becoming the only team to win seven straight titles, surpassing the record of Ferrari from 1999 to 2004. Mercedes also retained their position as the only team to win the championship since the FIA introduced turbo-hybrid engine regulations in 2014.
Hamilton equalled Michael Schumacher’s record of seven World Drivers’ Championships at the Turkish Grand Prix and broke Schumacher’s previous record of 91 career wins at the Portuguese Grand Prix.
Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel struggled throughout the season, finishing thirteenth in the standings with just 33 points. This marked his final season with Ferrari as he went on to join Aston Martin, formerly known as Racing Point, for the 2021 season.
2020 F1 Entries drivers and teams
| Constructor | Driver No. | Driver | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | All |
| 99 | Antonio Giovinazzi | All | |
| AlphaTauri-Honda | 10 | Pierre Gasly | All |
| 26 | Daniil Kvyat | All | |
| Ferrari | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | All |
| 16 | Charles Leclerc | All | |
| Haas-Ferrari | 8 | Romain Grosjean | 1-15 |
| 51 | Pietro Fittipaldi | 16-17 | |
| 20 | Kevin Magnussen | All | |
| McLaren-Renault | 4 | Lando Norris | All |
| 55 | Carlos Sainz | All | |
| Mercedes | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | 1-15, 17 |
| 66 | George Russell | 16 | |
| 77 | Valtteri Bottas | All | |
| Racing Point BWT Mercedes | 11 | Sergio Pérez | 1-4, 6-17 |
| 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | 4-5 | |
| 18 | Lance Stroll | All | |
| 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | 11 | |
| Red Bull Racing-Honda | 23 | Alexander Albon | All |
| 33 | Max Verstappen | All | |
| Renault | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | All |
| 31 | Esteban Ocon | All | |
| Williams-Mercedes | 6 | Nicholas Latifi | All |
| 63 | George Russell | 1-15, 17 | |
| 89 | Jack Aitken | 16 |
2020 Formula 1 Race Calendar
The 2020 F1 World Championship originally had a total of 22 Grand Prix planned, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were several cancellations and postponements. As a result, the revised schedule only had 17 Grand Prix, with nine races from the original calendar and eight additional races, with the remaining 13 being cancelled altogether. The season started with two races in Austria, and included two at Silverstone and two at the Bahrain International Circuit.
| Round | Grand Prix | Circuit | Race date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austrian Grand Prix | Red Bull Ring | 05-Jul |
| 2 | Styrian Grand Prix | Red Bull Ring | 12-Jul |
| 3 | Hungarian Grand Prix | Hungaroring | 19-Jul |
| 4 | British Grand Prix | Silverstone Circuit | 02-Aug |
| 5 | 70th Anniversary Grand Prix | Silverstone Circuit | 09-Aug |
| 6 | Spanish Grand Prix | Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya | 16-Aug |
| 7 | Belgian Grand Prix | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps | 30-Aug |
| 8 | Italian Grand Prix | Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari | 06-Sep |
| 9 | Tuscan Grand Prix | Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello | 13-Sep |
| 10 | Russian Grand Prix | Sochi Autodrom | 27-Sep |
| 11 | Eifel Grand Prix | Nurburgring | 11-Oct |
| 12 | Portuguese Grand Prix | Algarve International Circuit | 25-Oct |
| 13 | Emilia Romagna Grand Prix | Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari | 01-Nov |
| 14 | Turkish Grand Prix | Istanbul Park | 15-Nov |
| 15 | Bahrain Grand Prix | Bahrain International Circuit | 29-Nov |
| 16 | Sakhir Grand Prix | Bahrain International Circuit | 06-Dec |
| 17 | Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | Yas Marina Circuit | 13-Dec |
2020 Formula 1 Race Results
2020 Formula 1 Standings
Driver standings
| Pos | Driver | Nationality | Car | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | GBR | Mercedes | 347 |
| 2 | Valtteri Bottas | FIN | Mercedes | 223 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | NED | Red Bull Racing Honda | 214 |
| 4 | Sergio Pérez | MEX | Racing Point BWT Mercedes | 125 |
| 5 | Daniel Ricciardo | AUS | Renault | 119 |
| 6 | Carlos Sainz | ESP | McLaren Renault | 105 |
| 7 | Alexander Albon | THA | Red Bull Racing Honda | 105 |
| 8 | Charles Leclerc | MON | Ferrari | 98 |
| 9 | Lando Norris | GBR | McLaren Renault | 97 |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | FRA | AlphaTauri Honda | 75 |
| 11 | Lance Stroll | CAN | Racing Point BWT Mercedes | 75 |
| 12 | Esteban Ocon | FRA | Renault | 62 |
| 13 | Sebastian Vettel | GER | Ferrari | 33 |
| 14 | Daniil Kvyat | RUS | AlphaTauri Honda | 32 |
| 15 | Nico Hülkenberg | GER | Racing Point BWT Mercedes | 10 |
| 16 | Kimi Räikkönen | FIN | Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari | 4 |
| 17 | Antonio Giovinazzi | ITA | Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari | 4 |
| 18 | George Russell | GBR | Williams Mercedes | 3 |
| 19 | Romain Grosjean | FRA | Haas Ferrari | 2 |
| 20 | Kevin Magnussen | DEN | Haas Ferrari | 1 |
| 21 | Nicholas Latifi | CAN | Williams Mercedes | 0 |
| 22 | Jack Aitken | GBR | Williams Mercedes | 0 |
| 23 | Pietro Fittipaldi | BRA | Haas Ferrari | 0 |
Team standings
| Pos | Team | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercedes | 573 |
| 2 | Red Bull Racing Honda | 319 |
| 3 | McLaren Renault | 202 |
| 4 | Racing Point BWT Mercedes | 195 |
| 5 | Renault | 181 |
| 6 | Ferrari | 131 |
| 7 | AlphaTauri Honda | 107 |
| 8 | Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari | 8 |
| 9 | Haas Ferrari | 3 |
| 10 | Williams Mercedes | 0 |
