Hamilton equals seven in a season like no other

For months, nobody knew whether the 2020 Formula 1 season would happen at all. The pandemic delayed the opening race until July, emptied the grandstands, and turned the original calendar into a 17-race European-heavy sprint.

Once racing began, Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes took control. Hamilton won 11 races, equalled Michael Schumacher’s seven World Championships, and passed his record for Grand Prix victories. Around them, an improvised season produced first wins for Pierre Gasly and Sergio Pérez, unfamiliar circuits, and one of Formula 1’s most frightening modern accidents.

Race Calendar

Australia was cancelled only hours before Friday practice. Vietnam never made its planned debut and Zandvoort’s return was postponed, but Mugello and Portimão joined Formula 1 for the first time while the Nürburgring, Imola, and Istanbul Park returned.

The Red Bull Ring, Silverstone, and Bahrain each hosted two differently named races. The improvised calendar eventually reached 17 Grands Prix.

Drivers and Constructors

The grid consisted of 10 teams and 23 drivers, including three reserve drivers. Compared to 2019, several notable changes took place:

• Esteban Ocon replaced Nico Hülkenberg at Renault
• Nicholas Latifi replaced Robert Kubica at Williams
• Toro Rosso was rebranded as AlphaTauri
• Mercedes AMG Petronas adopted a black livery in 2020

Throughout the season, Nico Hülkenberg was called by Racing Point three times as a replacement for drivers who contracted Covid‑19. Additionally, Jack Aitken and Pietro Fittipaldi made their Formula 1 debuts.

2020 Season Analysis

Among the 17 tracks, Lewis Hamilton stood out with the highest number of wins, including an impressive five‑race winning streak from the Eifel GP to the Bahrain GP. His teammate Valtteri Bottas crossed the finish line first twice, contributing to Mercedes AMG Petronas’ total of 13 victories.

Max Verstappen secured two wins for Red Bull Racing, while Pierre Gasly and Sergio Pérez claimed memorable victories at Monza and Sakhir, respectively.

Pole‑sitters successfully defended their positions in 10 races, with Hamilton leading the way with eight successful defenses. In five races, the winner also set the fastest lap, collecting the maximum available points.

The Bahrain Grand Prix stopped on its opening lap after Romain Grosjean escaped a violent, fire-filled crash. The survival cell and halo did their job; Grosjean climbed out with burns to his hands and no major injury.

Points, Podiums, Fastest Laps and DNFs

A total of 13 drivers from seven teams achieved podium finishes. Scuderia Ferrari endured a challenging season with only three podiums, while Albon, Norris, Gasly, and Ocon celebrated their first Formula 1 podiums.

Throughout the season, 20 drivers scored at least one points finish. Hamilton recorded 16 point‑finishes in 17 races, missing only the Sakhir GP.

A shortened calendar did little to reduce Hamilton’s consistency. He set the fastest lap six times, twice as often as Verstappen. Norris, Bottas, and Ricciardo recorded two each.

A total of 57 DNFs were recorded. Kevin Magnussen led the count with seven retirements, while Verstappen stood out by finishing on the podium in 11 of the 12 races he completed.

Point Progression

Bottas left the opening race as championship leader, but Hamilton moved ahead after Hungary and never gave the position back. He secured the title with a wet-weather victory in Turkey, three races before the end of the season.

Mercedes led the Constructors’ Championship from the first weekend and finished 254 points ahead of Red Bull. Racing Point scored 210 points on track, but a 15-point deduction reduced its official total to 195. McLaren therefore finished third, seven points ahead.

Conclusions and Final Standings

Lewis Hamilton secured his seventh World Championship, equalling Michael Schumacher’s record. Mercedes dominated the Constructors’ Championship once again, finishing more than 200 points ahead of Red Bull Racing.

Note: Results were checked against the official Formula 1 classifications. The charts were generated from the Jolpica F1 API, the maintained successor to Ergast.