After six races in seven weeks–and without racing until early September–it’s a good time to evaluate what we’ve learned about the 2020 Formula 1 season.
The first thing to say is this: the more things change, the more they stay the same. Ate top of the championship standings is (drumroll, please) is … Mercedes with six pole positions and five victories. The only blemish came when the Silver Arrow wilted in the Silverstone heat at the 70th anniversary Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton also seems on course for a record-equalling 7th world title. He’s still very much the F1 King with four race wins out of 6 this season, which takes his career tally to 88. That number puts him within three victories of Michael Schumacher’s all-time record.
Hamilton’s teammate Valterri Bottas and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen are the only ones who seem capable of challenging Lewis’s dominance. Each has claimed a race victory, and the three men have made up the podium places (in one order or another) in four of the six races. In the other two, Verstappen suffered a retirement, and Bottas had a tyre explode.
But just because the top of the championship has been predictable doesn’t mean the season has been without both drama and controversy. As feared, Ferrari has had a difficult season. The soon-departing Sebastian Vettel has struggled in an under-performing car, and he has openly criticized his team for what he calls ‘poor strategic decisions.’ So far, 2020 hasn’t turned out to be a fitting finale for this four-time world champ.
The shining light for Ferrari is Charles Leclerc, who has gotten the best out of the car. With podium visits in Austria and at the British Grand Prix, Leclerc is confirming Ferrari’s pre-season decision to lead the team in the future.
As for the rest of the grid, the most significant talking point of the season has to be the Racing Point team.
Renault has appealed to the FIA that the Racing Point car broke these rules, and FIA ruled that the brake-ducts did break sporting regulations but not the technical regulations. Racing Point were docked the 15 points they earned during the Styrian race but were cleared to use the parts for the remainder of the season and without the fear of further punishment.
Racing Point claimed the penalty was unfair. Renault and other teams have also disputed the ruling, but for a different reason. If if the brake-ducts are against any set of rules, they claim, then Racing Point should not be allowed to continue using them. Needless to say, the controversy hasn’t been settled.
As for drivers that don’t typically garner headlines, I have to highlight two young British stars, Lando Norris and George Russell.
George Russell’s performances at Williams may seem far less notable (e.g., he has failed to score a point). But fans need to consider his biggest constraint: he’s driving the slowest car on the grid. Nonetheless, Russell has maintained his career record of never being out-qualified by a teammate–a run that is at 27 races currently. Russell has also made the 2nd stage of qualifying in four of the six races thus far–and that outcome is well beyond expectations of his Williams car.
Overall, I believe F1 2020 season has been exciting and controversial, on-track, and -off. And I predict even more drama, controversy, and excitement are in store as this unique season continues in September.
