70th Anniversary Grand Prix
70th Anniversary Grand Prix | |||||
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Race 5 of 17[a] in the 2020 Formula One World Championship
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Race details | |||||
Date | 9 August 2020 | ||||
Official name | Emirates Formula 1 70th Anniversary Grand Prix 2020 | ||||
Location |
Silverstone Circuit Silverstone, United Kingdom | ||||
Course | Permanent racing facility | ||||
Course length | 5.891 km (3.660 miles) | ||||
Distance | 52 laps, 306.198 km (190.263 miles) | ||||
Weather | Sunny | ||||
Attendance | 0[b] | ||||
Pole position | |||||
Driver | Mercedes | ||||
Time | 1:25.154 | ||||
Fastest lap | |||||
Driver | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | |||
Time | 1:28.451 on lap 43 | ||||
Podium | |||||
First | Red Bull Racing-Honda | ||||
Second | Mercedes | ||||
Third | Mercedes | ||||
Lap leaders |
The 70th Anniversary Grand Prix (officially known as the Emirates Formula 1 70th Anniversary Grand Prix 2020) was a one-off Formula One motor race held on 9 August 2020 at the Silverstone Circuit in Silverstone, United Kingdom, the second of two back to back races at the venue, after the 2020 British Grand Prix seven days earlier.[1] The race was the fifth round of the rescheduled 2020 Formula One World Championship. It was held as a 70-year commemoration race of the first Formula One World Championship race which was held at the same circuit in 1950.
The race was won by Red Bull-Honda driver Max Verstappen.[2] This was the first non-Mercedes victory in 2020, the first victory for Red Bull at Silverstone in the 1.6 litre V6 turbo hybrid engine era and their first win at the venue since the 2012 British Grand Prix (won by Mark Webber), and the first Honda-powered win at the track since the 1989 British Grand Prix.[3] At this race, runner-up Lewis Hamilton equalled the record for most Formula One podiums (155), previously accomplished by Michael Schumacher.[4]
Background
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
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. When the calendar was redrafted following the pandemic the Hungarian and British Grands Prix had swapped dates with the Hungarian Grand Prix moving to 19 July and the British Grand Prix taking the 2 August date.[5] The early cancellation and indefinite postponements prompted a series of double races. The 70th Anniversary Grand Prix was added to the calendar as a one-off event to ensure confirmation of new events.[citation needed]
There had been doubts over whether Silverstone would be able to host Formula One due to quarantine measures proposed by the British government;[6] hopes were raised again by an apparent intervention by the Prime Minister Boris Johnson encouraging his ministers to give Formula One an exemption for racing to go ahead.[7] The British Government did give approval for Formula One at Silverstone.[8]
The addition to the calendar of the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix on 9 August, also at Silverstone, meant that for the first time in twenty-seven years the United Kingdom hosted two Formula One races in the same season. The last season to have two British races in a season prior to this was the 1993 season when Donington Park hosted the European Grand Prix and Silverstone hosted the British Grand Prix.[9] It was later revealed that Silverstone had offered to hold as many as 12 races in total during the season.[10]
Similarly to the opening three rounds, both the British Grand Prix and the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix were held 'behind closed doors' without spectators.[11][12] Northamptonshire Police reiterated the importance of fans staying away from Silverstone for public health reasons during the two Grand Prix weekends and that strict measures would be in place to stop unauthorised persons from entering the circuit.[13]
Entrants
The drivers and teams were the same as the pre-season entry list with the only exception being Sergio Pérez, who was replaced by Nico Hülkenberg, as had also been the case at the British Grand Prix seven days earlier.[14] Robert Kubica took part in the first practice session for Alfa Romeo Racing, replacing Antonio Giovinazzi.[15]
It had been widely reported that Pérez would miss the Grand Prix as he tested positive for the
Tyre choices
Pirelli brought the medium hardness range of C2, C3 and C4 compound tyres for teams to use in the race, by contrast the 2020 British Grand Prix held on the same circuit layout the week before saw the hardest available C1, C2 and C3 selection used – the change was made to add strategic interest to the second race and to make sure the teams use the three practice sessions. This came after plans to have a reverse starting grid at the second event were opposed by Mercedes.[21]
The previous race at Silverstone had seen three cars – those of Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas and Carlos Sainz Jr. – experiencing punctures in the closing stages. Following the race, proposals were made to retain the same tyre compounds for the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix, since the softer compounds planned to be used would be more susceptible to wear and degradation.[22] Pirelli decided to stick to its original selection of the C2, C3, and C4 tyres, albeit with increased minimum tyre pressures stipulated.[23] Furthermore, the planned running of 2021 prototype tyres in the second practice session was scrapped in order to allow teams more time to optimise the running of their race packages (meaning car and tyres) with the new tyre pressure limits.[24]
Practice
The first practice session passed without incident and ended with
Qualifying
Bottas set a new record for most consecutive Q3 appearances. This was the 67th consecutive race in which Bottas has qualified in the top ten, having done so at every race weekend since the 2017 Australian Grand Prix. He surpassed the previous record of 66 consecutive Q3 appearances, set by Hamilton between the 2010 Chinese Grand Prix and the 2013 Belgian Grand Prix.[31]
Qualifying classification
Pos. | No. | Driver | Constructor | Qualifying times | Final grid | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | |||||
1 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1:26.738 | 1:25.785 | 1:25.154 | 1 |
2 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:26.818 | 1:26.266 | 1:25.217 | 2 |
3 | 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | Racing Point-BWT Mercedes | 1:27.279 | 1:26.261 | 1:26.082 | 3 |
4 | 33 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing-Honda | 1:27.154 | 1:26.779 | 1:26.176 | 4 |
5 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Renault | 1:27.442 | 1:26.636 | 1:26.297 | 5 |
6 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Racing Point-BWT Mercedes | 1:27.187 | 1:26.674 | 1:26.428 | 6 |
7 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri-Honda | 1:27.154 | 1:26.523 | 1:26.534 | 7 |
8 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:27.427 | 1:26.709 | 1:26.614 | 8 |
9 | 23 | Alexander Albon
|
Red Bull Racing-Honda | 1:27.153 | 1:26.642 | 1:26.669 | 9 |
10 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Renault | 1:27.217 | 1:26.885 | 1:26.778 | 10 |
11 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Renault | 1:27.278 | 1:27.011 | N/A | 141 |
12 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1:27.612 | 1:27.078 | N/A | 11 |
13 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | McLaren-Renault | 1:27.450 | 1:27.083 | N/A | 12 |
14 | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Haas-Ferrari | 1:27.519 | 1:27.254 | N/A | 13 |
15 | 63 | George Russell | Williams-Mercedes | 1:27.757 | 1:27.455 | N/A | 15 |
16 | 26 | Daniil Kvyat | AlphaTauri-Honda | 1:27.882 | N/A | N/A | 16 |
17 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas-Ferrari | 1:28.236 | N/A | N/A | 17 |
18 | 6 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams-Mercedes | 1:28.430 | N/A | N/A | 18 |
19 | 99 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari | 1:28.433 | N/A | N/A | 19 |
20 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari | 1:28.493 | N/A | N/A | 20 |
107% time: 1:32.809 | |||||||
Source:[30][32] |
- Notes
- ^1 – Esteban Ocon received a three-place grid penalty for impeding George Russell during qualifying.[33]
Race
Race report
In the race start,
On lap 31,
Race classification
- Notes
- ^1 – Includes one point for fastest lap.
- ^2 – Kevin Magnussen received a five-second time penalty for leaving the track and rejoining unsafely, but it was unapplied as he retired from the race.[34]
Championship standings after the race
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- Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
See also
Notes
- ^ 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 the United Kingdom.
- ^ Racing Point was deducted 15 points after a protest from Renault was upheld regarding the legality of their car.[38]
References
- ^ "F1 confirms first 8 races of revised 2020 calendar". Formula One. 2 June 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- ^ "Max Verstappen roars to spectacular victory in 70th Anniversary Grand Prix". Guardian. 9 August 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
- ^ "70th Anniversary Grand Prix race report and highlights: Max Verstappen defeats Mercedes duo for brilliant Silverstone win". www.formula1.com. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
- ^ "70th Anniversary GP Facts & Stats: Hamilton matches Schumacher podium record". Formula1.com. 9 August 2020. Retrieved 12 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.
- ^ Cooper, Adam; Noble, Jonathan (19 May 2020). "British GP plans dealt big blow by quarantine measures". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ Cooper, Adam (25 May 2020). "UK PM Boris Johnson tells ministers to help make British GP happen". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ Collantine, Keith; Rencken, Dieter (31 May 2020). "F1 to confirm Silverstone double-header as government gives approval". racefans.net. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ Hawkins, Billy (28 April 2020). "Formula 1: 2020 season could include TWO British Grands Prix with campaign to begin in Austria on first weekend in July". talksport.com. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ "Silverstone offered to host 12 F1 races in 2020". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- ^ "Formula 1 Pirelli British Grand Prix 2020". Silverstone. 20 July 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
- ^ "Emirates Formula 1 70th Anniversary Grand Prix". Silverstone. 10 August 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
- ^ "Northamptonshire Police issues F1 warning". 21 July 2020. Archived from the original on 23 July 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
- ^ "70th Anniversary Grand Prix – Entry List" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 6 August 2020. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
- ^ Smith, Luke (5 August 2020). "Kubica returns to Alfa Romeo cockpit for Silverstone FP1". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
- ^ "Perez tests positive, will miss British Grand Prix". planetf1.com. 30 July 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- ^ Smith, Luke (31 July 2020). "Racing Point awaiting clarification for Perez's F1 return".
- ^ "British GP: Lewis Hamilton's brilliance and another race for Nico Hulkenberg". BBC Sport. 1 August 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ "Racing Point say Perez will race in 70th Anniversary GP – pending negative Covid test". Formula1.com. 6 August 2020. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
- ^ "Hulkenberg to stand in for Perez at Racing Point at 70th Anniversary GP". formula1.com. 7 August 2020.
- ^ Cooper, Adam (11 June 2020). "Tyre compounds will switch for second F1 race of Silverstone double-header". Autosport. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ "Pirelli investigates tyre failures at British GP". 3 August 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ Benson, Andrew (4 August 2020). "Pirelli discusses Silverstone tyre failures". www.bbc.co.uk/sport. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ Cooper, Adam (5 August 2020). "Pirelli to scrap Silverstone FP2 tyre testing". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
- ^ "FP1: Bottas heads Hamilton in opening 70th Anniversary GP session as Hulkenberg takes P4". formula1.com. 7 August 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
- ^ "FP2: Hamilton leads Mercedes 1-2 ahead of Ricciardo as Vettel suffers engine failure". formula1.com. 7 August 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
- ^ "FP3: Mercedes complete clean sweep of practice 1-2s as Norris takes P3 for McLaren". formula1.com. 8 August 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
- ^ "Vettel has 'run out of answers' for Ferrari woes". Planetf1.com. PlanetF1. 8 August 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
- ^ "Qualifying report: Bottas beats Hamilton to 70th Anniversary GP pole as Hulkenberg stars". www.formula1.com.
- ^ a b "Emirates Formula 1 70th Anniversary Grand Prix 2020 – Qualifying". Formula1.com. 8 August 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
- ^ "Valtteri Bottas' 2020 F1 Season In Statistics - Lights Out". www.lightsoutblog.com. 17 December 2020.
- ^ a b "Emirates Formula 1 70th Anniversary Grand Prix 2020 – Starting Grid". Formula1.com. 9 August 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ^ "Ocon handed three-place penalty for impeding Russell in Q1 at Silverstone". Formula1.com. 8 August 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
- ^ a b "Emirates Formula 1 70th Anniversary Grand Prix 2020 – Race Result". Formula1.com. 9 August 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ^ Collantine, Keith; Rencken, Dieter (9 August 2020). "Magnussen retired because "we didn't have any more tyres"". racefans.net. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- ^ "Emirates Formula 1 70th Anniversary Grand Prix 2020 – Fastest Laps". Formula1.com. 9 August 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
- ^ a b "70th Anniversary 2020 - Championship". statsf1.com. Retrieved 9 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.