2020 Italian Grand Prix

The 2020 Italian Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Gran Premio Heineken d'Italia 2020) was a Formula One motor race that was held on 6 September 2020 at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza in Monza, Italy.[2] The race was the eighth round in the 2020 Formula One World Championship.

2020 Italian Grand Prix
Race 8 of 17[lower-alpha 1] in the 2020 Formula One World Championship
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Layout of the Monza circuit
Race details[1]
Date 6 September 2020
Official name Formula 1 Gran Premio Heineken d'Italia 2020
Location Autodromo Nazionale di Monza
Monza, Italy
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 5.793 km (3.600 mi)
Distance 53 laps, 306.720 km (190.587 mi)
Weather Sunny
Attendance 0[lower-alpha 2]
Pole position
Driver
Mercedes
Time 1:18.887
Fastest lap
Driver Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
Time 1:22.746 on lap 34
Podium
First
AlphaTauri-Honda
Second
McLaren-Renault
Third
Racing Point-BWT Mercedes

The race was won by Pierre Gasly of AlphaTauri-Honda, who took his first Formula One win and became the first French Formula One driver to win a race since Olivier Panis won the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix. Gasly started the race in tenth, but gained positions due to a well-timed pit-stop prior to a safety car, sent to retrieve the broken car of Kevin Magnussen. Lewis Hamilton, who led the race until this point, was given a penalty for entering the pit lane when it was closed, passing the lead to Gasly, who defended from McLaren's Carlos Sainz Jr. in the closing stages of the race. Racing Point's Lance Stroll completed the podium.[3]

This was the first race since the 2012 Hungarian Grand Prix to not have a Red Bull, Mercedes, or Ferrari driver on the podium and the first not to be won by a driver from those teams since the 2013 Australian Grand Prix. It was the first instance of there being two standing starts since the 2001 Belgian Grand Prix, following a 2018 change in the regulations to allow for standing restarts after a red flag.[4] This race was the last for both Claire Williams and Frank Williams, as they stepped down from their positions at Williams Racing.

Background

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
See also: 2020 Formula One World Championship § Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and COVID-19 pandemic in Italy

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 Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile to draft a new calendar. However, the Italian Grand Prix was not impacted by this change and kept its original date.[5]

Entrants
Further information: 2020 Formula One World Championship § Entries

The drivers and teams were the same as the season entry list with no additional stand-in drivers for the race.[6] Roy Nissany drove for Williams in the first practice session, replacing George Russell.[7]

Tyres
See also: Formula One tyres

Pirelli brought the C2, C3 and C4 tyres for the race weekend, the second, third, and fourth hardest tyre compounds available.[8]

Regulation changes

Prior to the race, the governing body, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, issued a technical directive banning qualifying-specific engine modes from the Italian Grand Prix onwards. The ban was initially planned for the 2020 Belgian Grand Prix but it was delayed by one race.[9]

Practice

The first practice session was interrupted briefly when Max Verstappen crashed at the Ascari chicane. The session ended with Valtteri Bottas fastest ahead of Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull driver Alexander Albon third fastest.[10] The second practice session ran without major incidents and concluded with Hamilton fastest, followed by Bottas and Lando Norris of McLaren.[11]

Bottas was again fastest in third practice, followed by Carlos Sainz Jr. of McLaren and his teammate Norris. The session was briefly red flagged after Daniel Ricciardo stopped his Renault R.S.20 due to a mechanical failure.[12]

Qualifying

Qualifying report

Lewis Hamilton took pole, 0.069s ahead of Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas. Hamilton's lap time of 1:18.887 is the fastest Formula One lap in history, with an average speed of 264.362 km/h (164.267 mph). It beat the lap record set by Kimi Räikkönen in 2018 by two tenths of a second.[13][14] The final part of Q1 was marked by numerous cars starting their final flying lap at close distance, hampering each other's performance.[15]

Qualifying classification
Pos. No. Driver Constructor Qualifying times Final
grid
Q1 Q2 Q3
1 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:19.514 1:19.092 1:18.887 1
2 77 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:19.786 1:18.952 1:18.956 2
3 55 Carlos Sainz Jr. McLaren-Renault 1:20.099 1:19.705 1:19.695 3
4 11 Sergio Pérez Racing Point-BWT Mercedes 1:20.048 1:19.718 1:19.720 4
5 33 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing-Honda 1:20.193 1:19.780 1:19.795 5
6 4 Lando Norris McLaren-Renault 1:20.344 1:19.962 1:19.820 6
7 3 Daniel Ricciardo Renault 1:20.548 1:20.031 1:19.864 7
8 18 Lance Stroll Racing Point-BWT Mercedes 1:20.400 1:19.924 1:20.049 8
9 23 Alexander Albon Red Bull Racing-Honda 1:21.104 1:20.064 1:20.090 9
10 10 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri-Honda 1:20.145 1:19.909 1:20.177 10
11 26 Daniil Kvyat AlphaTauri-Honda 1:20.307 1:20.169 N/A 11
12 31 Esteban Ocon Renault 1:20.747 1:20.234 N/A 12
13 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:20.443 1:20.273 N/A 13
14 7 Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari 1:21.010 1:20.926 N/A 14
15 20 Kevin Magnussen Haas-Ferrari 1:20.869 1:21.573 N/A 15
16 8 Romain Grosjean Haas-Ferrari 1:21.139 N/A N/A 16
17 5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:21.151 N/A N/A 17
18 99 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari 1:21.206 N/A N/A 18
19 63 George Russell Williams-Mercedes 1:21.587 N/A N/A 19
20 6 Nicholas Latifi Williams-Mercedes 1:21.717 N/A N/A 20
107% time: 1:25.079
Source:[16][17]

Race

Race report

Lewis Hamilton successfully retained the lead position on the start, while his teammate Valtteri Bottas gradually dropped to sixth place over the first two laps while reporting problems with his car. Carlos Sainz pulled away quickly to take Valtteri Bottas off the start claiming second. The McLaren driver went on to pull a gap to the cars behind. During lap six the left-rear brake on Sebastian Vettel's SF1000 overheated to the point that the brake assembly caught fire before disintegrating and flying off the car at the start of lap seven. This caused Vettel to miss a couple of corners (in the process he smashed through the polystyrene chicane direction indicator boxes at the first chicane) before limping to the pits to retire.

On lap 18, Kevin Magnussen's Haas suffered a power unit failure and his car stranded to the side of the pit lane entrance. At the end of the next lap, Pierre Gasly elected to make his pitstop. The safety car was deployed shortly afterwards and the pit lane was closed to allow marshals to safely remove the stranded Haas from the track. Both Hamilton and Antonio Giovinazzi made a pit stop shortly after the safety car had been deployed despite the pit lane being closed. They were both given 10-second stop-and-go penalties for this infraction (Hamilton was given two penalty points on his FIA Super Licence as a result). When the pit lane was re-opened two laps later, most of the field entered to make their pit stop. This allowed Gasly to move into third place behind Hamilton and Lance Stroll, the only driver who did not stop.

The safety car was withdrawn at the end of the next lap, allowing normal race conditions to resume on lap 23.[18] Hamilton held on to the lead ahead of Stroll and Gasly. Charles Leclerc crashed heavily after the restart in the Parabolica corner as the car lost its rear end, entered the gravel trap and collided with the barrier, significantly damaging the tyre barriers and his car in the process. Leclerc experienced some pain in his back following the incident, but a medical examination showed he did not have any injuries.[19] The safety car was deployed initially, but the red flags were brought out shortly afterwards to suspend the race to allow repairs to be made to the tyre barriers.

The race resumed later with a standing restart on lap 28. Stroll went wide at turn four dropping to fifth place in the process, with Gasly inheriting second place. Hamilton served his stop-and-go penalty at the end of the lap while Giovinazzi served his one lap later dropping them to the back of the field. This allowed Gasly to take the lead of the race ahead of Kimi Räikkönen and Carlos Sainz Jr. Over the next 25 laps Gasly held off Räikkönen, who gradually fell back to an eventual 13th-place finish, and Sainz to secure victory. Stroll meanwhile fought back to third place to complete the podium.

Gasly took his first Formula One victory and gave AlphaTauri their first win as a constructor and second win as a team, over 12 years since Vettel won the 2008 Italian Grand Prix when the team was known as Toro Rosso. Gasly's victory was the first for a French driver in Formula One since Olivier Panis at the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix,[18] and the 80th F1 World Championship race win for a French driver overall. The win also made Honda the first engine manufacturer to win with two different teams in the sport's V6 turbo-hybrid era.[20]

The result marked the first time that Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull all failed to score a podium finish since the 2012 Hungarian Grand Prix.[21] It was also the first time since Räikkönen won the 2013 Australian Grand Prix driving for Lotus F1 that the race winner did not drive for Ferrari, Mercedes or Red Bull.[22] The race contributed to discussions over potential future changes to Formula One race weekend formats.[23]

As Claire and Frank Williams ceased their involvement with the Williams team after this Grand Prix,[24] tributes were paid to the pair from around the paddock, including from George Russell and Nicholas Latifi, the Williams drivers, as they crossed the line.

Race classification
Pos. No. Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 10 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri-Honda 53 1:47:06.056 10 25
2 55 Carlos Sainz Jr. McLaren-Renault 53 +0.415 3 18
3 18 Lance Stroll Racing Point-BWT Mercedes 53 +3.358 8 15
4 4 Lando Norris McLaren-Renault 53 +6.000 6 12
5 77 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 53 +7.108 2 10
6 3 Daniel Ricciardo Renault 53 +8.391 7 8
7 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 53 +17.245 1 71
8 31 Esteban Ocon Renault 53 +18.691 12 4
9 26 Daniil Kvyat AlphaTauri-Honda 53 +22.208 11 2
10 11 Sergio Pérez Racing Point-BWT Mercedes 53 +23.224 4 1
11 6 Nicholas Latifi Williams-Mercedes 53 +32.876 20
12 8 Romain Grosjean Haas-Ferrari 53 +35.164 16
13 7 Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari 53 +36.312 14
14 63 George Russell Williams-Mercedes 53 +36.593 19
15 23 Alexander Albon Red Bull Racing-Honda 53 +37.533 9
16 99 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari 53 +55.199 18
Ret 33 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing-Honda 30 Power unit 5
Ret 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 23 Accident 13
Ret 20 Kevin Magnussen Haas-Ferrari 17 Power unit 15
Ret 5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 6 Brakes 17
Fastest lap: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) – 1:22.746 (lap 34)
Source:[17][25][26]
Notes
  • ^1 – Includes one point for fastest lap.

Championship standings after the race
  • Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.

Notes
  1. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic saw several Grands Prix cancelled or rescheduled. The revised calendar consisted of seventeen races.
  2. The Grand Prix was held behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy.
  3. Racing Point was deducted 15 points after a protest from Renault was upheld regarding the legality of their car.[28]

References
  1. "Italy - 2020". Formula1.com. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  2. "F1 Schedule 2020 - latest information". www.formula1.com. 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  3. Benson, Andrew (6 September 2020). "Pierre Gasly wins thrilling Italian Grand Prix after Lewis Hamilton penalty". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  4. "What's new for 2018?". www.formula1.com. 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  5. "F1 Calendar 2020 - Enjoy a Record-breaking 22 Races in the 2020 Season". www.formula1.com. 19 August 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  6. "2020 Italian Grand Prix – Entry List" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 3 September 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  7. "Nissany set for second FP1 appearance of season with Williams at Monza". formula1.com. 1 September 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  8. "What tyres will the teams and drivers have for the 2020 Belgian Grand Prix?". formula1.com. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  9. Rencken, Dieter; Collantine, Keith (21 August 2020). "Technical directive bans 'quali modes' from Italian GP". Race Fans. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  10. "FP1: Bottas leads Mercedes 1-2 over Hamilton as Verstappen crashes at Monza". formula1.com. 4 September 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  11. "FP2: Hamilton heads Bottas as Norris takes impressive third in second practice at Monza". formula1.com. 4 September 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  12. "FP3: McLaren closest to Mercedes as Ricciardo stops on track in third practice at Monza". formula1.com. 5 September 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  13. "Formula 1 Gran Premio Heineken d'Italia 2020 – Qualifying Session Final Classification" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 5 September 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  14. "Statistics Drivers - Misc - Fastests qualifications • STATS F1". www.statsf1.com.
  15. "Qualifying report: Supreme Hamilton edges out Bottas as Ferrari struggle at Monza". formula1.com. 5 September 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  16. "Formula 1 Gran Premio Heineken d'Italia 2020 – Qualifying". Formula1.com. Formula One Administration. 5 September 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  17. "Formula 1 Gran Premio Heineken d'Italia 2020 – Starting Grid". Formula1.com. Formula One Administration. 6 September 2020. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  18. Richards, Giles (6 September 2020). "erre Gasly earns maiden F1 win at Italian GP after Lewis Hamilton penalty". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  19. Noble, Jonathan (10 September 2020). "Leclerc suffering no after-effects following F1 Italian GP crash". Autosport. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  20. "Honda first to win with two teams in F1's hybrid era". Motorsport Week. 7 September 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  21. "Italian GP Facts & Stats: First podium since 2012 with no Mercedes, Ferrari or Red Bull". formula1.com. 6 September 2020. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  22. Baldwin, Alan (6 September 2020). "Gasly wins astonishing Italian Grand Prix thriller". Reuters. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  23. Smith, Luke (7 September 2020). "F1 set to revisit reversed grid sprint race plan in wake of Italian GP". Autosport. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  24. "Williams family to step aside from running of the team after Italian GP". Formula1.com. 3 September 2020. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  25. "Formula 1 Gran Premio Heineken d'Italia 2020 – Race Result". Formula1.com. Formula One Administration. 6 September 2020. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  26. "Formula 1 Gran Premio Heineken d'Italia 2020 – Fastest Laps". formula1.com. 6 September 2020. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  27. "Italy 2020 - Championship". statsf1.com. 7 September 2020. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  28. "Racing Point deducted 15 points and fined heavily as Renault protest into car legality upheld". formula1.com. 7 August 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
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