Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Silverstone, 2020

2020 British Grand Prix race result

2020 British Grand Prix

Posted on

| Written by

PositionNo.DriverCar
144Lewis HamiltonMercedes
233Max VerstappenRed Bull-Honda
316Charles LeclercFerrari
43Daniel RicciardoRenault
54Lando NorrisMcLaren-Renault
631Esteban OconRenault
710Pierre GaslyAlphaTauri-Honda
823Alexander AlbonRed Bull-Honda
918Lance StrollRacing Point-Mercedes
105Sebastian VettelFerrari
1177Valtteri BottasMercedes
1299Antonio GiovinazziAlfa Romeo-Ferrari
1363George RussellWilliams-Mercedes
1455Carlos Sainz JnrMcLaren-Renault
156Nicholas LatifiWilliams-Mercedes
168Romain GrosjeanHaas-Ferrari
177Kimi RaikkonenAlfa Romeo-Ferrari

Fastest lap: Max Verstappen

Not classified:

Daniil Kvyat
Kevin Magnussen
Nico Hulkenberg

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

2020 British Grand Prix

Browse all 2020 British Grand Prix articles

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

Got a potential story, tip or enquiry? Find out more about RaceFans and contact us here.

84 comments on “2020 British Grand Prix race result”

  1. Next weekend is even bigger worry with softer pirelli rubber.

    1. Not really. Perhaps it will remind the teams that they have all these sets of tyres they are allowed to use. They don’t get a refund on unused sets.

    2. The Skeptic (@)
      2nd August 2020, 16:12

      They just do two pit stops!

      1. Today Albon did 2 stops and it was much better strategy next week 3 stop might be the faster option.

  2. Hamilton has used up a lifetime of luck in the last 2 British GPs – handed the win by a safety car last year and limping to the finish line this! Exciting end to a pretty average race. Sainz was great but robbed, impressed with Gasly too.

    Also – oh dear, Pirelli…

    1. I don’t see how it’s luck. His pace last year was absolutely legendary – he did have some fortune with the safety car, but he still one by around a pitstop’s length and had the pace for a fastest lap on the final lap. This year, he led throughout and won by several seconds even with a puncture at one of the worst places possible.

      1. @talcumpowder pace so legendary that he was behind Bottas. Hmm. Anyway, he drove a great race this year and clearly deserved the win – just it was lucky given what happened to Sainz and Bottas that it happened then and not a lap earlier.

        1. He won by 25 seconds last year, though. Certainly a deserved win.

          1. @talcumpowder because he was gifted much of that gap with a free pit stop under the VSC.

          2. @tflb he lost similar amounts of wins to SC situations too… it is a gamble, luck whatever you call it, everyone has the same dice…

            maybe if max didnt pit, he would have a chance at the win, maybe he would face the same fate as bottas… maybe it was better ham pitted after max as there was nothing to lose really… but ifs and buts and maybes are all history once chequered flag is waved!

        2. @tflb Legendary in the fact that he was like 6 tenths behind his teamamte for the whole lap, not like Bottas today getting it down to 1.2 and a second at times and then gap growing. Dirty air is a huge thing you know, to stay 6 tenths behind shows the pace advanatge. Hamilton was mega, and how was he lucky today did you see him increase the gap hence better tyre wear?. Im sorry what race did you watch Bottas losing alot of time as always at end of stints its why his tyre went op 2 laps later and with half a lap to go he nearly finished on 4 tyres lol.

    2. @tflb One could equally argue Hamilton was in a strong position to win last year’s GP even without safety car (as was a common viewpoint), and that today, getting a puncture is unlucky in itself. All a matter of perspective.

      1. AllTheCoolNamesWereTaken
        2nd August 2020, 16:10

        [T]oday, getting a puncture is unlucky in itself. All a matter of perspective.

        That’s precisely the thing. Even when Lewis is unlucky, he’s still massively lucky. Today’s race is an example, but the big one is last year’s German Grand Prix. At that race, Lewis finished outside the points … and yet, in the end, he still managed to outscore his only championship rival.

        He really is amazingly good, there’s no denying that. And because he is amazingly good, he wins a lot. That, I have no problem with. The fact that, even when Lewis is unlucky, he still wins (either literally or figuratively), is what’s killing me.

        And yeah, yeah, I know, 2016 … Well, I’d say that Lady Luck has paid him back with interests by now.

        1. I understand this feeling completely, bit having watched reaching for many, many years, I’ve stopped making this comment. The drivers who are cutting edge and winning get all the luck and why is that? Could be a multitude of things, Hamilton may not have been as on the edge of performance as Bottas therefore that 1 or 2% in ability has made the difference in when the tire failed.

          Happens in all walks of life. The imperceptible difference between the ultra special tier and the very very good.

          1. Happens in all walks of life. The imperceptible difference between the ultra special tier and the very very good.

            +1. Very philosophical- we are not born the same for sure.

    3. @tflb
      Hardly. Mercedes could, and should, have brought Lewis in after what befell Bottas, combined with the Verstappen pit stop…..they knew his tires were marginal and suffering perhaps just slightly less than those of Bottas, yet even with the free pit stop they chose to keep him out on track. It almost cost them dearly. That isn’t lucky or unlucky….that would have been seen as a failure in Mercedes strategy, which is usually very, very good.

    4. Except that, when you look at the timing data, Bottas was going to lose the race last year anyway.

      It wasn’t the safety car that won that race for him – it was the decision to run a one stop strategy against a two stop strategy for Bottas.

      If you look at what Hamilton gained from putting during the safety car, it’s still the case that Bottas would have finished behind him due to the time lost from making an extra stop. It’s why Bottas didn’t rue the safety car, but his strategy – because that was the deciding factor.

    5. F1oSaurus (@)
      2nd August 2020, 16:10

      @tflb Hamilton would have won last year without a safety car too. But yeah this year he was lucky Red Bull/Verstappen didn’t see Bottas tyre issue as an indication. Although who knows Verstappen was also dealing with a tyre issue

    6. Devasia Deleep
      2nd August 2020, 16:10

      Hamilton deserved this victory. He was miles ahead of others, and even got blessed with a stroke of luck to work out the last lap.

    7. The Skeptic (@)
      2nd August 2020, 16:13

      Last year, Lewis won by committing to a 1 stop strategy, whereas Bottas was committed to a 2 stop strategy before the safety car came out.

    8. What did Pirelli do wrong? These guys all went well over the limit. They gambled, they lost. Tyres are not meant to be indestructible. Pirelli performed perfectly well, failing safely rather than destructively.

  3. A deja vu feeling to 2013.
    Albon has to start qualifying higher up to avoid getting into trouble, although the 5-second penalty wasn’t really necessary. A racing incident IMO.

    1. Nico Rosberg got a 25-second time penalty in Austria 2016 for continuing on track with a damage.

      1. I thought that was for causing a collision no?

        1. @burden93 That might’ve been the case. I’ll have to double-check. There was something also for continuing with the front wing damage, though, but could’ve only been a warning.
          @f1osaurus That was purely for the incident with Albon.

          1. F1oSaurus (@)
            2nd August 2020, 21:54

            @jerejj Yes and Albon keeps getting involved in this type of accidents …

      2. @jerejj
        “Nico Rosberg got a 25-second time penalty in Austria 2016 for continuing on track with a damage.”
        He was given 10 secs penalty for causing the collusion with Ham, and reprimand and 2 penalty points for continuing with a severely damaged car, spreading lots of debris on track! the second bit was a bit weird and (he should have got time penalty too if he was given 25sec that would alter even the WDC situation despite ham’s msia misfortune!)… as leclerc had a much worse situation and had been warned multiple times yet he received 10 secs for this driving damaged car issue…

    2. F1oSaurus (@)
      2nd August 2020, 16:11

      @jerejj Hamilton also got a 5 second penalty for the same incident in Brazil.

  4. Pirelli is the weakest bit it seems on that Merc.
    Good drive from Gasly. Ricciardo.
    Vettel WTH?
    Its a shame that Grosjean is GPDA head.

  5. Lewis is just great, not so much for Mercedes not pitting him on the last lap.

    F1, it is time to ditch Pirelli!

  6. Andrew Violet
    2nd August 2020, 15:53

    Interesting that the DAS cars (obviously also a Mclaren) had the issue. I thought this made tyre wear less but maybe they put more toe in than others as this can be reduced on the straights.

  7. Why did Red Bull pit Max. They knew Lewis was struggling. Could’ve wiped the smug smile off Hamilton

    1. You did well to see a smug smile through that mask. Just seemed massively relieved to me.
      Why didn’t they box Lewis after Max pitted?

      1. They would’ve told Hamilton to slow right down after Max pitted. Hamilton didn’t.

        1. @david
          Hamilton slowed considerably (considerably for an F1 car) after Bottas tire delaminated. Your assessment lacks insight. If Mercedes didn’t win this race, the team would have been to blame for not pitting when they had a comfortable margin to do so, given the Verstappen pit stop.

        2. @David

          They would’ve told Hamilton to slow right down after Max pitted. Hamilton didn’t.

          Actually Hamilton did back off. The taste of sour grapes is strong on this one eh

    2. Probably to wipe that smile of of yours, David.

      1. Sitting above me right now is a shelf full of Hamilton merch. I’ve been a huge supporter of his since 2005 & i fully support ending racism. But he’s become something he detests in others. He himself has become racist & only seems to see what colour someone is, aside from that listening to other drivers lately, he’s become quite a bully. So, yea. I’ve lost respect for him. Why would i support a racist & a bully.

        1. Well, if Lewis is banging on about ending racism, when racism has truly ended then I would have to agree.

          So, join the effort to put an end to racism and just maybe Lewis and everyone else making the effort will talk about something else…

        2. I expect you’ve gone too high to even see that shark.

        3. In what way has he become a racist? I agree that minorities can sometimes be racist and not realise they are but I haven’t seen that from Hamilton. I agree that he has been bullish about trying to keep the current end racism/BLM message at the forefront but still nothing that has shown him to be racist.

          1. yeah, I think he is exagerating. Lewis may be a poser but calling him racist… that’s a joke.

        4. In what way is Hamilton racist? Are you one of the people who view the BLM as an extreme organisation?

        5. I think you’ve made a poor judgement on him there. It’s probably true, and I suspect he might admit himself, that in his desire to make a difference he said a couple of things that he might have phrased differently if doing over again.

          But that doesn’t mean he is a bully or being racist. You have to remember he is likely very frustrated at what he would see as everyone else’s inaction or lack of desire to take it as seriously as he believes is warranted.

          If everyone rushes to put someone down for genuinely trying to make a positive difference, when they make mistakes along the way, then nothing would ever change. And in doing so, they are helping to maintain the very system that is unfair in the first place, even if they don’t mean to.

        6. Sitting above me right now is a shelf full of Hamilton merch. I’ve been a huge supporter of his since 2005 & i fully support ending racism.

          I spot at least 3 lies in this quote.

        7. Well said, David!

  8. Is there a rule about the amount of Rubber left on a tire? We use to hear about them picking up Rubber on the inlap?

    It was a good race today in the middle :) exiting endibg too

    1. they pick up rubber for weight purposes only, nothing to do with the tyre.

    2. They pick up rubbish to add weight to the car to reduce the risk of them being found to be underweight. I think they can add a few kilograms doing this

  9. Is the Mercedes car now legal with deflated tyre???

    1. Well it’s below Pirelli’s minimum pressure for sure…

      1. Not talking about pressure, but minimum car height. Also, they shoulve pitted for safety reasons.

        1. It’s the final lap though, pitting makes zero sense. If it had been 2 laps from the end then I could see the argument

        2. On what grounds? It wasn’t shedding, it wasn’t wrecking the car, he was clearly in control of it.
          Ok, it was slower than it should be but then you could disqualify the Ferrari’s from every race if that’s the criteria.

        3. The Skeptic (@)
          2nd August 2020, 16:18

          If he pitted, he would probably have won the race more quickly…. (it’s a short run in at Silverstone).

          1. And now, is the car legal for minimim car height?

        4. schumi_alonso
          2nd August 2020, 16:37

          No. Only Schumi wins British GPs in the pits

        5. Huh, the only way he could pit is by reversing. But lets be honest, you didnt have a problem with Sainz, Bottas, Kimi or anyone shedding stuff as they carried on. Just Hamilton.

    2. I think you raise a valid point Valentino … what happens if the Merc does not comply with the regulations when it crosses the finish line – be it minimum height (as you point out) or weight, or something else ??

      1. No one else talking about this? The Merc car could be illegal as it finished with deflated tyre. Scratched floor, minimum floor height, minimum tyre pressure.?

        1. A deflated tyre would be considered a reasonable defence for any infringements of those rules. The rules apply to normal running.

          For example, no one gets penalised for their front wing deforming more than regulations allow when another car runs over the top of it.

          1. +! LOL Great answer :)

  10. AllTheCoolNamesWereTaken
    2nd August 2020, 16:00

    Soooo, this means the championship is pretty much over, right?

    Oh well – it was exciting while it lasted. Or something.

    1. Yes. If the failures were reversed (Bottas winning, Hamilton not scoring) we would be in for a 2016-type season.

    2. Anything can happen. There are still plenty of races to go

      1. No it’s over, Lewis will win this year and next year. Done. F1 has become a farce again.

        1. @t3x Sad but true. Should just have both Mercs running on Sunday and the others race after quali on Saturday.

  11. Get in there, Lewis!

  12. Shouldn’t he just drive into the pits instead of finishing it on track?

    FIA Sportiing Regulations 2020:
    22.11 If a driver has serious mechanical difficulties, he must leave the track as soon as it is safe to do so.

    If this is more then 5 seconds penalty (after all, it is a serious offence cause potentially dangerous for other drivers) then MV would win the race. Doesn’t matter if it’s the last lap or not (not in the rules).

    1. LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLO….keep struggling, Lewis will keep winning!

    2. F1oSaurus (@)
      2nd August 2020, 16:13

      @mcbosch They don’t park the car for a flat tyre.

      1. No they try to get to the pits.. not drive past it

        1. F1oSaurus (@)
          2nd August 2020, 21:56

          @mcbosch Off the track is not the same as in the pits.

    3. @mcbosch

      he must leave the track as soon as it is safe to do so.

      He did- after crossing the chequered flag as it was on the last lap.

      1. You’re missing the point that he passed the pit entry, which is a soon as possible to safely leave the track

        1. So in respect of Bottas you are saying from turn three right round to Club there are no safe places to leave the track? So the nearest place for anyone who had a problem from tyres to wings, etc, no matter where they were on the track was the pit. But not the pit on the old straight, because thats not safe either?

        2. @Mcbosch
          You’re missing the point that “as soon as possible” is subjective.

          The stewards didn’t have a problem with it- and you want Hamilton to have a problem with it on the last lap? Are you serious?

    4. @mcbosch I think it may come down to the definition of what is ‘serious’ .. eg. Max drove to the grid last week with what I’d call ‘serious mechanical difficulties’ and I don’t think there was any protest over that …

      1. True! Strange how Giovinazzi got penalized but max and Hamilton didn’t.

        1. I didnt realise that Max and Ham was shredding at such a speed they had to red flag the track, and send 50 stewards and 3 trucks out?

  13. Seems to be plenty of straws being clutched on the posts today?

    1. Yes, the anti-Lewis mob came so close to seeing him having losing a win that it’s going to take them a days to get over the fact that he won the race and there’s no grounds to disqualify him. Teeth are being ground to stumps as I type.

      1. @pdduggan
        People just want a close championship, with Bottas not scoring the title is already decided, that’s it it’s over this year. If you are a Lewis fan than great for you. If you want a bit of excitement and hope for the year than you hope for a DNF or disqualification.

        At the end of the day Bottas got nothing on Lewis, that’s why Mercedes keep him, good boy number 2. Lewis will win this year and next, done deal. This year is the worst yet, even the Redbull dominance days weren’t like that.

        1. Bottas’ DNF does not finish the championship. There’s plenty of time for that to even itself out, but I agree that without random factors LH is more likely to win anyway. I agree that this dominance is even worse for the sport than the Ferrari or RB years. What I don’t like is the reflex Lewis hate and the conspiracy theories.
          I’d love a closer championship and I believe LH when he says he would too.

Comments are closed.