It was not the season that nobody expected, as in so many other areas of life, but it was the one that has made it clear that the current Formula 1 status quo is not moved by even the biggest pandemic in the last hundred years. The 2020 season has completed 17 grands prix, five fewer than originally planned, in which all have fallen under the yoke of Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton, again, but where some teams and drivers have been seen to shine in their little kingdom of taifas, wherever they have been able to do it. In this sense, the notes at the end of the course should be understood under your circumstances.
-Hamilton, honors
Only the contagion of coronavirus has been able to avoid an almost perfect year for Lewis Hamilton. Of 16 grand prix he has played, he has won eleven and only in two has he been off the podium. This 2020 has destroyed some of the records (not all) that remained, such as the number of victories, which for practical purposes allows him to be one step above the first, but no longer unique, seven-time Formula 1 world champion, Michael Schumacher.
He couldn’t have done it without a Mercedes team touring for and by him. The best test was the Sakhir Grand Prix, in which he was absent due to illness: without Hamilton, they made a terrible mistake and were left off the podium.
-Mercedes, Verstappen and the new calendar, outstanding
That mistake in the second appointment in Bahrain means that Mercedes cannot get the maximum mark. Unforgivable failure that marks a practically perfect year, in which they have had an excellent driver and another that contrasts notably. There are seven consecutive constructors’ world championships and, except for surprise, they will add an eighth.
Only Max Verstappen was able to keep up with them and even compete for the runner-up until the last race. As a joke, the third-place seat was his in many classifications, although he almost always improved in the race. Finish 2020 with the same number of victories as Valtteri Bottas.
F1 also reacted with haste and intelligence to the circumstances. Achieving a 17-race championship seemed impossible in March and difficult in May but doable in June. No more tests had to be canceled than those initially planned and it has also gained spectacularity in new events such as the Tuscan Grand Prix, in Mugello, or returns to some, such as the one in Turkey. A challenge that they have passed in plenty.
-Sainz, Norris, Leclerc, Pérez and Ricciardo, notable
McLaren, Ferrari, Racing Point and Renault have their leaders to thank for achieving seemingly impossible milestones. The equality between Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris makes it unfeasible to separate the work of one and the other, although the Madrid native touched a victory and several times the podium, which this year has stepped on one notch more than in 2019, with second place of the Italian Grand Prix, precisely where he will become an idol (or so he hopes) from January.
A Ferrari will be found in depression, in a clear crisis that not even a Charles Leclerc far beyond its means has been able to save. The Monegasque does not get more marks because the results command, but with the iron that he had in his hands, achieving two podiums and devastating an entire Sebastian Vettel without palliative, they deserve more than a pass.
Sergio Pérez, defenestrated by Racing Point, showed with his victory at Sakhir that he deserves to continue in Formula 1. Having lost two races due to the coronavirus, he still finished fourth in the World Championship. His already teammate Lance Stroll, who also missed one, has scored 50 points less, despite the fact that both had a car called, mockingly, a pink Mercedes.
Daniel Ricciardo has given Renault the flavor of champagne since 2011. The Australian was the benchmark in the middle of the table, with the permission of Sergio Pérez, and is a replacement for Carlos Sainz more than acceptable for McLaren.
-Gasly, Russell and McLaren, approved
Although many will see that their season has been irrelevant, both Pierre Gasly and George Russell have had their moment of glory this year. The Frenchman won the chaotic Grand Prix of Italy, the first victory of his life, and hit the Red Bull bosses in the teeth who removed him from the first team to leave his place to the very poor Alex Albon.
For his part, George Russell shone in the opportunity they gave him at Mercedes, but the rest of the year at Williams he was very unsuccessful: everything he achieved in qualifying (he has always beaten Nicholas Latifi), he lost in the race. The accident after the safety car at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, unforgivable.
McLaren could have achieved more as a team, despite the fact that third place in the Constructors’ World Cup is a more than commendable prize, but unforgivable pitfalls in tire changes and strategies have seriously hurt their drivers.
-Vettel, Ferrari, Stroll, Albon, suspensos
Leaving aside the irrelevant ones (Alfa Romeo, Latifi or the Haas, whose brilliant moment was the Romain Grosjean accident that almost cost him his life, etc.), drivers or teams who have been embarrassing cannot be approved. Ferrari has gone from being a candidate, at least, to podiums, to suffering to score. The SF1000 is a truck, to use an old, familiar expression, and only Leclerc kept the type. Vettel, depressed and fired from the team, neither contributed nor shone. End 2020 with a podium and thank you.
Lance Stroll showed why he is a paid driver and little else. Despite having a car to be in the high zone constantly, he has made glaring mistakes in both driving and management. Two podiums, but very far from his partner. However, compared to Alex Albon and his performance with Red Bull, you can feel satisfied. It would be very surprising if he was still in F1 in 2021, as in comparison with Verstappen he comes out very badly. The Dutchman has swept him in the 17 classifications of the year and in the eleven races that both have finished. Sultry.
.
