2020 F1 Season
17 races · Mercedes W11
The 2020 season was held in extraordinary circumstances: the COVID-19 pandemic forced an improvised calendar of seventeen closed-door races, with double-headers at unusual circuits. Amid the organisational chaos, Mercedes was an island of stability.
The W11, regarded as the most dominant car of the entire hybrid era, allowed Lewis Hamilton to put together an almost perfect season. The Briton surpassed Michael Schumacher's historic record of 91 wins and kept adding victories until leaving the tally at figures that seemed untouchable.
The defining moment came at a rain-soaked Turkish Grand Prix, where with masterful driving on the slippery asphalt Hamilton sealed his seventh world title, equalling what was thought to be Schumacher's eternal record.
Drivers’ Champion
Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes W11
Constructors’ Champion
Mercedes
17 races
Ver en españolKey moment
«Hamilton equals Schumacher with 7 titles in Turkey, in the rain, with a masterful performance.»
The 2020 grid, car by car
The 10 teams that raced in 2020, ordered by how good we rate the car. It is our own judgement, not an official figure: what it is worth is that the same yardstick is applied to every season since 1988, so you can compare eras.
| # | Team | Our rating | Drivers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercedes | 99 | Lewis Hamilton · Valtteri Bottas |
| 2 | Red Bull | 93 | Max Verstappen · Alexander Albon |
| 3 | Racing Point | 87 | Sergio Perez · Lance Stroll |
| 4 | McLaren | 84 | Carlos Sainz · Lando Norris |
| 5 | Ferrari | 83 | Charles Leclerc · Sebastian Vettel |
| 6 | Renault | 82 | Daniel Ricciardo · Esteban Ocon |
| 7 | AlphaTauri | 76 | Pierre Gasly · Daniil Kvyat |
| 8 | Alfa Romeo | 69 | Kimi Räikkönen · Antonio Giovinazzi |
| 9 | Haas | 68 | Romain Grosjean · Kevin Magnussen |
| 10 | Williams | 63 | George Russell · Nicholas Latifi |
How 2020 actually ended
The official final standings, from the Austrian Grand Prix to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. This is the real result; the simulation is further down.
| Driver | Points | Wins | Podiums | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 347 | 11 | 14 | 10 |
| 2Valtteri BottasMercedes | 223 | 2 | 11 | 5 |
| 3Max VerstappenRed Bull | 214 | 2 | 11 | 1 |
| 4Sergio PérezRacing Point | 125 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 5Daniel RicciardoRenault | 119 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 6Carlos SainzMcLaren | 105 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 7Alexander AlbonRed Bull | 105 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 8Charles LeclercFerrari | 98 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Hamilton took it by 124 points, which at that distance stops being a fight and becomes a formality. 5 different drivers won across 17 races, and the champion finished every race he started.
And was it the most dominant car of all? We measured it by putting the same driver in the best car of every season since 1988: what is the most dominant car in F1 history.
Official FIA standings via Jolpica (formerly Ergast).
2020, race by race
All 17 races: who started first, who won and from where, and how many cars reached the flag.
5different drivers won: Hamilton 11 · Bottas 2 · Verstappen 2 · Gasly 1 · Pérez 1.
4different teams won: Mercedes 13 · Red Bull 2 · AlphaTauri 1 · Racing Point 1.
4different drivers took pole: Hamilton 10 · Bottas 5 · Verstappen 1 · Stroll 1.
13different drivers stood on the podium.
5one-twos for a single team: Mercedes 5.
10 of 17races were won from pole position.
2first-ever wins: Pierre Gasly (Italian Grand Prix), Sergio Pérez (Sakhir Grand Prix).
From 10ththe win from furthest back: Pierre Gasly, Italian Grand Prix.
22 years, 314 daysthe youngest winner of the year: Max Verstappen, 70th Anniversary Grand Prix.
84%of starts reached the flag (283 of 338).
11 of 20cars finished the Austrian Grand Prix, the race with fewest survivors.
3hat tricks (pole, win and fastest lap). Most fastest laps: Hamilton 6 · Verstappen 3 · Bottas 2.
| # | Grand Prix | Winner | Started |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austrian Grand Prix | Valtteri BottasMercedes | 1st |
| 2 | Styrian Grand Prix | Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 1st |
| 3 | Hungarian Grand Prix | Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 1st |
| 4 | British Grand Prix | Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 1st |
| 5 | 70th Anniversary Grand Prix | Max VerstappenRed Bull | 4th |
| 6 | Spanish Grand Prix | Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 1st |
| 7 | Belgian Grand Prix | Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 1st |
| 8 | Italian Grand Prix | Pierre GaslyAlphaTauri | 10th |
| 9 | Tuscan Grand Prix | Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 1st |
| 10 | Russian Grand Prix | Valtteri BottasMercedes | 3rd |
| 11 | Eifel Grand Prix | Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 2nd |
| 12 | Portuguese Grand Prix | Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 1st |
| 13 | Emilia Romagna Grand Prix | Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 2nd |
| 14 | Turkish Grand Prix | Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 6th |
| 15 | Bahrain Grand Prix | Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 1st |
| 16 | Sakhir Grand Prix | Sergio PérezRacing Point | 5th |
| 17 | Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | Max VerstappenRed Bull | 1st |
Pole goes to whoever started first, after penalties. «Finished» counts classified cars that took the flag. Fastest lap is the race fastest lap.
What if 2020 had been raced 100 times?
We took the real 2020 grid (every car with its performance and reliability, every driver with his rating) and re-ran the full 21-race championship 100 times.
| Driver | Avg. finish | Titles |
|---|---|---|
| Lewis Hamiltonreal championMercedes | P1 | 100% |
| Max VerstappenRed Bull | P2.4 | 0% |
| Valtteri BottasMercedes | P2.6 | 0% |
| Alexander AlbonRed Bull | P4.2 | 0% |
| Sergio PerezRacing Point | P5.9 | 0% |
| Charles LeclercFerrari | P6 | 0% |
Lewis Hamilton wins 100% of the simulated championships. Runner-up Max Verstappen manages 0%: with that machinery, the real result was very nearly the only one available.
What if Senna, Hamilton or Alonso had driven the 2020 championship-winning car?
Build your own hypothesisHypotheses from 2020
Drivers of 2020
Keep reading
What we have measured about 2020 and about what decided it, with our own numbers.
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