2020 Belgian Grand Prix
The 2020 Belgian Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Rolex Belgian Grand Prix 2020) was a Formula One motor race held on 30 August 2020 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Stavelot, Belgium.[1] The race was the seventh round in the 2020 Formula One World Championship.
| 2020 Belgian Grand Prix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 7 of 17[a] in the 2020 Formula One World Championship | |||
| Layout of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit | |||
| Race details | |||
| Date | 30 August 2020 | ||
| Official name | Formula 1 Rolex Belgian Grand Prix 2020 | ||
| Location | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot, Belgium | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 7.004 km (4.352 miles) | ||
| Distance | 44 laps, 308.052 km (191.415 miles) | ||
| Weather | Partly cloudy | ||
| Attendance | 0[b] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Mercedes | ||
| Time | 1:41.252 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver | Daniel Ricciardo | Renault | |
| Time | 1:47.483 on lap 44 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Mercedes | ||
| Second | Mercedes | ||
| Third | Red Bull Racing-Honda | ||
| Lap leaders | |||
Background edit
A minute of silence was held before the race to mark the one year anniversary of Anthoine Hubert's death. Pierre Gasly, one of Hubert's closest friends wore a tribute helmet for Hubert and all teams and drivers sported a star sticker on their chassis and helmets in tribute to Hubert.[2]
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic edit
The opening rounds of the 2020 championship were heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Several Grands Prix were cancelled or postponed after the planned opening round in Australia was called off two days before the race was due to take place, prompting the FIA to draft a new calendar. However, the Belgian Grand Prix was not impacted by this change and kept its original date.[3]
In April 2020, the Belgian government extended a ban on mass gatherings until 31 August 2020 in a bid to control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the race later received permission to be held behind closed doors.[4][5]
Entrants edit
The drivers and teams were the same as those on the season entry list with no additional stand-in drivers for either the race or practice.[6]
Tyres edit
Pirelli brought forward the C2, C3 and C4 tyres for the race weekend, the second, third, and fourth hardest tyre compounds available.[7]
Practice edit
The first practice session took place without major incident and ended with Valtteri Bottas fastest for Mercedes ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen. Haas drivers Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean and Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi were all unable to set a lap due to power unit issues for the Haas cars and unexplained issues for Giovinazzi's Alfa car.[8] In the second practice session, Max Verstappen was fastest for Red Bull, ahead of Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo and Hamilton in the Mercedes.[9] Daniel Ricciardo suffered a hydraulics issue on the Kemmel straight shortly after setting the second fastest time resulting in a virtual safety car. A short red flag period followed soon due to an advertising billboard coming loose and falling on the track at turn 1. In the third and final practice session, Hamilton was fastest followed by Esteban Ocon for Renault and Lando Norris for McLaren. Ferrari, who had won the previous Belgian Grand Prix struggled in third practice with Charles Leclerc 17th and Sebastian Vettel last.[10]
Qualifying edit
Lewis Hamilton took pole, 0.511 seconds ahead of teammate Valtteri Bottas in Q3 (the third part of qualifying) with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen only 0.015 seconds behind Bottas in third. Hamilton dedicated his pole position to Chadwick Boseman, who had died in the days preceding the race. Daniel Ricciardo finished fourth for Renault with Alexander Albon fifth and Esteban Ocon sixth. The rest of the top 10 were Carlos Sainz Jr. for McLaren, the Racing Point duo of Sergio Pérez and Lance Stroll followed by Lando Norris in the other McLaren. The AlphaTauri’s of Daniil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly were 11th and 12th, followed by the Ferrari’s of Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel. This was the first time since the 2014 British Grand Prix that Ferrari took no part in Q3. George Russell impressed in 15th, getting through to Q2 (the second part of qualifying) for the fifth time this season for Williams. Out in Q1 (the first part of qualifying) were both Alfa Romeos, both Haas drivers and the Williams of Nicholas Latifi.[11]
Qualifying classification edit
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Constructor | Qualifying times | Final grid | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | |||||
| 1 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:42.323 | 1:42.014 | 1:41.252 | 1 |
| 2 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1:42.534 | 1:42.126 | 1:41.763 | 2 |
| 3 | 33 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing-Honda | 1:43.197 | 1:42.473 | 1:41.778 | 3 |
| 4 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Renault | 1:43.309 | 1:42.487 | 1:42.061 | 4 |
| 5 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Red Bull Racing-Honda | 1:43.418 | 1:42.193 | 1:42.264 | 5 |
| 6 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Renault | 1:43.505 | 1:42.534 | 1:42.396 | 6 |
| 7 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | McLaren-Renault | 1:43.322 | 1:42.478 | 1:42.438 | 7 |
| 8 | 11 | Sergio Pérez | Racing Point-BWT Mercedes | 1:43.349 | 1:42.670 | 1:42.532 | 8 |
| 9 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Racing Point-BWT Mercedes | 1:43.265 | 1:42.491 | 1:42.603 | 9 |
| 10 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Renault | 1:43.514 | 1:42.722 | 1:42.657 | 10 |
| 11 | 26 | Daniil Kvyat | AlphaTauri-Honda | 1:43.267 | 1:42.730 | N/A | 11 |
| 12 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri-Honda | 1:43.262 | 1:42.745 | N/A | 12 |
| 13 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:43.656 | 1:42.996 | N/A | 13 |
| 14 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1:43.567 | 1:43.261 | N/A | 14 |
| 15 | 63 | George Russell | Williams-Mercedes | 1:43.630 | 1:43.468 | N/A | 15 |
| 16 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari | 1:43.743 | N/A | N/A | 16 |
| 17 | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Haas-Ferrari | 1:43.838 | N/A | N/A | 17 |
| 18 | 99 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari | 1:43.950 | N/A | N/A | 18 |
| 19 | 6 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams-Mercedes | 1:44.138 | N/A | N/A | 19 |
| 20 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas-Ferrari | 1:44.314 | N/A | N/A | 20 |
| 107% time: 1:49.485 | |||||||
| Source:[12][13] | |||||||
Race edit
McLaren’s Carlos Sainz Jr. suffered a power unit issue which also damaged his exhaust, meaning he was unable to start the race.[14][15] On lap 10, Alfa Romeo's Antonio Giovinazzi lost control of his car coming out of turn 14 and crashed into the wall. One of his wheels detached from the car which subsequently hit the front right suspension of George Russell's Williams forcing both drivers to retire from the race.[16][17]
This caused significant debris resulting in a safety car. All drivers except Pierre Gasly and Sergio Pérez pitted under safety car conditions.[18] At the end of the safety car period the top 6 were Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas, Max Verstappen, Gasly, Pérez, and Daniel Ricciardo.
On older tyres and out of position due to not pitting under the safety car, Pérez and Gasly both began to fall down the field. Nonetheless, by the time Ricciardo had passed them a few laps later, he was over 10 seconds behind third placed Max Verstappen and despite a much praised race Riccardo would be unable to challenge for third.[18][19]
Sergio Pérez pitted at the end of lap 18 for new hard tyres dropping him to 17th, the last of the runners still on track, before starting to gradually make his way up the field using his newer tyres.[18] On lap 26 Pierre Gasly pitted from 10th position and put on a set of medium tyres that were to see him to the end of the race.[18] He came out in 16th position, behind every driver other than Charles Leclerc who had been forced to make a second pit stop due to a pneumatics issue.[18] Similarly to Pérez before him Gasly used his newer tyres to start to make his way though the field, by lap 36 he was in 10th position behind Pérez in 9th. Gasly passed Pérez on lap 39 before closing the gap to Lance Stroll whom he passed on lap 42 to take 8th position where he finished.[18]
Hamilton won the race, having led for every lap, followed by Bottas and Verstappen who had also held second and third respectively for the entire race.[18] Ricciardo completed the fastest lap, a 1:47.483, on the final lap of the race for an extra championship point and closing the gap to Max Verstappen in third to just over three seconds. He finished in fourth, a position he had held the entire race other than briefly during and immediately after the safety car due to Gasly and Pérez not pitting. Ocon was able to overtake Albon on the last lap. The race was also notable for Kimi Räikkönen finishing ahead of both Ferraris, including his former teammate Vettel.
Race classification edit
- Notes
- ^1 – Includes one point for fastest lap.
- ^2 – Carlos Sainz Jr. did not start the race, and his place on the grid was left vacant.[20]
Championship standings after the race edit
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- Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
See also edit
Notes edit
- ^ The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic saw several Grands Prix cancelled or rescheduled. The revised calendar consisted of seventeen races.
- ^ The Grand Prix was held behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium.
- ^ Racing Point was deducted 15 points after a protest from Renault was upheld regarding the legality of their car.[24]
References edit
- ^ "F1 Schedule 2020 - latest information". www.formula1.com. 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ "12 months on, F1 and F2 outline plans to honour Anthoine Hubert's memory". Formula1.com. 27 August 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
- ^ "F1 Calendar 2020 - Enjoy a Record-breaking 22 Races in the 2020 Season". www.formula1.com. 19 August 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ Herrero, Daniel (15 April 2020). "Belgian GP threatened by extension of ban on mass gatherings". speedcafe.com. Speedcafe. from the original on 19 April 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
- ^ Cleeren, Filip. "F1 News: Spa gets green light for closed-door Belgian GP in 2020". Autosport.com. from the original on 21 May 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
- ^ "2020 Belgian Grand Prix – Entry List" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 27 August 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
- ^ "What tyres will the teams and drivers have for the 2020 Belgian Grand Prix?". formula1.com. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
- ^ "FP1: Bottas leads tight battle at top of the time sheets in Belgian GP practice as Ferrari struggle". formula1.com. Formula One Administration. 28 August 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
- ^ "FP2: Game on in Belgium as Verstappen leads Ricciardo and Hamilton in second practice". formula1.com. Formula One Administration. 28 August 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
- ^ "FP3: Hamilton tops final practice from Ocon as Vettel posts slowest time for Ferrari". formula1.com. Formula One Administration. 29 August 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
- ^ "Qualifying report: Hamilton storms to Spa pole as both Ferraris are knocked out in Q2". Formula1.com. Formula One Administration. 29 August 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
- ^ "Formula 1 Rolex Belgian Grand Prix 2020 – Qualifying". Formula1.com. Formula One Administration. 29 August 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
- ^ a b "Formula 1 Rolex Belgian Grand Prix 2020 – Starting Grid". Formula1.com. 30 August 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
- ^ "2020 Belgian Grand Prix". McLaren Racing. 30 August 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
- ^ "Carlos Sainz 'not happy' after PU issue causes DNS". PlanetF1. 30 August 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
- ^ "WATCH: Giovinazzi and Russell walk away after huge shunt in Belgian GP". www.formula1.com. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
- ^ Richards, Giles (30 August 2020). "Lewis Hamilton closes on Schumacher's record after winning Belgian Grand Prix". Guardian. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g Collantine, Keith (30 August 2020). "2020 Belgian Grand Prix interactive data: lap charts, times and tyres". www.racefans.net. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
- ^ "F1 Belgian GP: Daniel Ricciardo delivers as Lewis Hamilton points out Red Bull flaw". NewsComAu. 31 August 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
- ^ a b Smith, Luke (30 August 2020). "Sainz to miss F1 Belgian GP after late exhaust failure". Autosport.com. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
- ^ "Formula 1 Rolex Belgian Grand Prix 2020 – Race Result". Formula1.com. Formula One Administration. 30 August 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
- ^ "Formula 1 Rolex Belgian Grand Prix 2020 – Fastest Laps". Formula1.com. 30 August 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
- ^ a b "Belgium 2020 - Championship". statsf1.com. 30 August 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
- ^ "Racing Point deducted 15 points and fined heavily as Renault protest into car legality upheld". formula1.com. 7 August 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2020.