F1 2020: Lewis Hamilton wins Bahrain Grand Prix

Newly crowned seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton has taken his 11th victory of the 2020 season, winning out over the Red Bull pair of Max Verstappen and Alex Albon at the Bahrain Grand Prix in a race whose start was overshadowed by a horror crash for Haas Romain Grosjean.

Behind the leading pair, it looked for much of the Bahrain race as though Sergio Perez was set to claim his second podium in as many races before the Mexican’s Racing Point expired with a suspected power unit issue three laps from the end. That promoted Albon up to third, giving the Thai driver his second career podium as the race finished behind a Safety Car brought out as Perez’s car was recovered.

Perez’s retirement was great news for McLaren, who claimed fourth and fifth, Lando Norris leading home Carlos Sainz, while their 22-point haul saw them move ahead of the point-less Racing Point to P3 in the constructors’ standings. 

A one-stop race for AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly gave him a well-deserved P6, ahead of the Renault of Daniel Ricciardo and Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas – who suffered a puncture at the race restart on Lap 3, leaving him with a recovery drive to P8. The top 10 was rounded out by the second Renault of Esteban Ocon and the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc in P10.

 

MotoGP 2020: Miguel Oliveira wins Portugal Grand Prix

Miguel Oliveira produced a fairy tale end to his 2020 MotoGP season with a dominant Portuguese Grand Prix victory as World Champion Joan Mir retired after a disastrous race. Tech3 rider Oliveira had never led a lap in MotoGP until dominating all 25 at the Algarve Circuit on Sunday to sign off his career with the French outfit with his second victory ahead of his factory KTM debut in 2021.

A podium for Pramac's Jack Miller secured Ducati its first constructors' championship since 2007, capitalising on a miserable day for Suzuki. Oliveira grabbed the holeshot from pole position ahead of Franco Morbidelli and Miller, while world champion Mir was involved in a collision with Francesco Bagnaia.

Pol Espargaro ended his KTM career in fourth, which vaulted him to fifth in the riders' championship, with LCR's Takaaki Nakagami the top Honda runner at the chequered flag in sixth. Andrea Dovizioso recovered from 12th on the grid to end his final Ducati appearance in sixth, with Honda's Stefan Bradl heading Aleix Espargaro on the Aprilia and the sister works Honda of Alex Marquez.

Johann Zarco completed the top 10 following his early contact with Mir, with Maverick Vinales the top 2020 Yamaha rider in 11th on a woeful day for the Japanese marque outside of Morbidelli podium. Valentino Rossi signed off his factory Yamaha career in 12th, heading Cal Crutchlow as he bids farewell to MotoGP as a full-time racer on his LCR Honda.

MotoGP 2020: Franco Morbidelli wins Valencia Grand Prix

Joan Mir has clinched the 2020 MotoGP championship, ending a 20-year wait for Suzuki as Franco Morbidelli won a last-lap Valencia Grand Prix thriller from Jack Miller. Mir is the first new MotoGP champion since Marc Marquez in 2013 and becomes the first rider to win the world crown in Moto3 and the premier class, after coming home a safe seventh place in the Valencia GP.

Miller got the better run into Turn 1 off the line but ran wide and allowed Morbidelli to come back through, while his SRT team-mate Fabio Quartararo went off at Turn 2 after running out of room in the braking zone.

This dropped Quartararo down the order, with his race lasting until lap nine when he crashed at Turn 6 having once again dropped out of the points, completely ending his championship hopes. Mir navigated the opening lap safely, putting his Suzuki into 10th while Suzuki team-mate Alex Rins had leaped up from 14th to seventh.

Alex Rins was fourth on his Suzuki, but it wasn't enough to delay Mir's coronation. Rins beat Brad Binder (KTM) and the Tech3 of Miguel Oliveira. Mir pipped Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso to seventh, with Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro and Yamaha's Maverick Vinales rounding out the top 10.

F1 2020: Lewis Hamilton wins Turkey Grand Prix

A stunning drive from Mercedes Lewis Hamilton in the Turkish Grand Prix gave him his 10th victory of the season and more crucially, saw him claim the seventh driver's title of his career, to equal the record of Michael Schumacher as Racing point’s Sergio Perez and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel completed the podium after a thrilling race in Istanbul.

Hamilton had started the race in sixth, risen to third midway through the first lap, and then dropped back to sixth by the end of Lap 1 after an error at Turn 9. But a decision to change his intermediate tyres just once saw Hamilton drive a masterful race to claim victory by over 25 seconds from Perez.

The win alone was enough to claim championship #7, but it was even more assured after a disastrous race for Valtteri Bottas - the only man who could have stopped Hamilton from winning the title today - who spun six times en route to a P14 finish. Behind Hamilton, a dramatic last-lap saw Sergio Perez overtaken by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc for P2, only for Leclerc to overcook it at Turn 12, with Perez retaking second as Vettel made it through on his teammate to claim a first podium of the season. 

Leclerc was left to cross the line P4 ahead of the McLaren of Carlos Sainz, while a spin-filled afternoon for the Red Bull pair left Max Verstappen and Alex Albon P6 and P7 at the flag, ahead of the second McLaren of Lando Norris. Norris had claimed that place after a late pass on the second Racing Point of Lance Stroll, who’d secured a brilliant maiden pole position and Saturday and led much of the early part of the Grand Prix, only for his race to unravel after a difficult third stint on intermediate tyres. That left him ninth at the flag, as Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo completed the podium.

MotoGP 2020: Joan Mir wins European Grand Prix

 Joan Mir claimed his maiden MotoGP race win at the European Grand Prix to strengthen his position at the top of the championship standings. Having gone into the weekend with a 14-point lead over Fabio Quartararo, the Spaniard extended his advantage as he finally ended his wait for success in the premier class.

The Suzuki Ecstar rider ducked inside team-mate Alex Rins with 11 laps remaining and went on to pull clear in the closing stages, allowing him to coast over the finishing line. His triumph, coupled with a disastrous outing for Quartararo, could be pivotal in the title race. Mir now sits 37 points clear of the Frenchman, who is tied with Rins, with just two rounds remaining.

Quartararo's hopes of closing the gap disappeared when he came off his bike at Turn 8 - the same spot where Mir would later claim the lead. While able to get going again, the Petronas Yamaha rider finished up in 14th place to pick up just two points. Mir is the ninth different race winner in a 2020 season disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic and also without reigning champion Marc Marquez, who remains sidelined through injury. 

Rins had passed polesitter Pol Espargaro in the early stages but was runner-up for a second successive race, giving Suzuki their first 1-2 result since 1982. Espargaro had to settle for third, putting him on the podium for the fourth time this year, with Takaaki Nakagami in fourth. As for Valentino Rossi, his return was cut short by a technical issue. The Italian was cleared to race again on Saturday having missed the previous two races after being diagnosed with COVID-19.

F1 2020: Lewis Hamilton wins Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

 Lewis Hamilton spearheaded Mercedes claiming their record seventh consecutive constructors title at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, leading home team mate Valtteri Bottas and a delighted Daniel Ricciardo but there was late race drama as Red Bull’s Max Verstappen retired from P2 after appearing to suffer a tyre issue, bringing out a safety car that led to a climactic race ending.

Bottas had enjoyed a strong start to the Imola race from pole position, leading into Turn 2 as Hamilton lost out to Verstappen on the run down to Tamburello on Lap 1 and moved to third.

But Mercedes’ decision to give Hamilton a long first stint paid dividends when Renault’s Esteban Ocon retired at the side of the track on Lap 29, the resultant Virtual Safety Car allowing Hamilton to pit from the lead – Bottas and Verstappen having boxed earlier in the race – and retain P1.

But with 12 laps to go, Verstappen’s retirement at Villeneuve led to a full Safety Car, setting up a breathless final few laps of the race, which ultimately saw Hamilton hold on to win out from Bottas, while Ricciardo secured his second podium of the season for Renault after holding off a late charge from AlphaTauri’s Daniil Kvyat, who finished a brilliant fourth as he fights for his F1 future.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc came home fifth, holding off the Racing Point of Sergio Perez, who’d gambled with a late stop under the Safety Car. The McLaren duo of Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris claimed P7 and P8, while it was a fantastic day for Alfa Romeo, who took their first double points finish of the year, Kimi Raikkonen leading Antonio Giovinazzi in P9 and P10, the Finn having made a 49-lap stint work to his advantage.