2020 F1 Season Review

As Sheldon Cooper would say: 2020, thou art a heartless bitch. We can all agree that it's been a year that we'll all remember for the wrong reasons. Despite everything that was going on, we were lucky enough to see a Formula One season of 17 races. As fans, we'll probably remember this season too, but for the right reasons. So at least that's a positive. 

2020 was a season in which we saw the leading cast member break records, call for justice and drive even faster. Elsewhere, we saw comebacks, heartbreak and new challengers. We visited new places and returned to former battlegrounds. We cheered, we cried and even held our breath a few times. And the remarkable thing is that most of us didn't even leave our homes. 

F1 2020 - here's my season review.

Biggest Winner: Sergio Perez

At the time of writing, Sergio has just been announced to drive for Red Bull, alongside Max Verstappen, and that rounds off a hell of a season for the Mexican. After missing two races due to contracting Coronavirus and losing his race seats to an incoming Sebastian Vettel, Perez didn't give up. He fought back with his best ever season in Formula One, finishing fourth in the standings. Along the way, he scored podiums, his maiden win and, best of all, maintained his genuine love for the teammates of 7 years to whom he had to say goodbye. 

Securing a lot of money through the buy-out clause that Racing Point activated and one of the best seats in F1 - Checo has got to be the biggest winner this year.

Biggest Loser: Racing Point 

Racing Point had the third-fastest car this year and finished fourth in the championship. It sounds harsh, but that is millions of pound lost. They were unlucky to lose big hauls of points later in the season, with engine failures and after 'Pink Mercedes-gate', the loss of 15 points turned out to be crucial. Despite these mistakes, there were self-inflicted mistakes and instability that I feel led to them losing third position to McLaren.

Then again, McLaren were operationally better, and in a season as intense as this, that advantage told. McLaren won this battle just as much as Racing Point lost it.  

Moment of the season: Lewis Hamilton's final British GP lap

When leading a Grand Prix, nothing is certain until you've seen the chequered flag. Lewis Hamilton has been in this position a few times, and given his record, it would be bold to bet against him taking victory once out in front. 

Lewis is the king of Silverstone - he's won there seven times and even got a straight named after him. In the first of the two races at Silverstone this year, the Briton had almost a 30-second lead and half a lap to go - plain sailing. But then disaster struck - Hamilton's front-right tyre blew up. With a young, hungry and chasing Verstappen on his tail, and Bono in his ear, counting down the time gap, Hamilton managed to guide his three-wheeled wagon around the rest of the lap. I shouted at the TV a lot that day, and that is the mark of a good race.

Honourable Mention: Chase Carey

The CEO of Formula One leaves after four years at the helm. While his reign was much shorter than his predecessor, Chase still achieved a lot for the good of F1. Little things, like allowing social media in the paddock, helped to modernise the sport. Then you have the larger things: actually putting on an F1 season at all and getting the teams to sign the Concord Agreement, committing to a series in which the rules aim to increase competition. Well done Chase.

AJ on the Line Line of the Season: Vettel radio song 

If you want to read about this, head to my Abu Dhabi report. Sebastian Vettel is seemingly one of the kindest, most genuine people in Formula One, and his passion for the sport and Ferrari is something that should be celebrated. Vettel is right is saying that he failed in his mission at Ferrari - he didn't win the championship. Nevertheless, his passion for Formula One and Ferrari is evident. Seb's heartfelt gesture following his final race demonstrated just why he is a champion - he loves his team and unites them.

Biggest Flop: Turkey Turn 8

F1 returned to Turkey as one of the substitute races, and it was a brilliant race which saw the champion, in Hamilton, crowned. All of the talk going into the weekend was about one corner. Turn 8, at Istanbul Circuit, is mega, with multiple apexes being taken at high speed. Given the downforce of the 2020 F1 cars, it is very much conceivable that this epic corner could have been taken flat out. Max Verstappen even joked that he would take it flat out with his eyes closed. However, this would all be talk that never materialised.

The freshly-laid tarmac provided us with a thrilling weekend during which nobody entirely knew what was going to happen. It created chaos, but it meant that nobody went through Turn 8 with the pedal to the floor - if they did, they'd have ended up in the fence. 

So Turn 8 was a flop, but we got a cracking race in return - I'll take it.

Best Race: Italy 

Italy, Formula One and a high-speed Monza is a perfect combination, and so it proved again. I'll concede that the race was made more exciting as a result of Lewis Hamilton receiving a penalty. However, that doesn't take away from the fact that the top 3 of Stroll, Sainz and Gasly were battling for their first-ever win. 

Pierre Gasly, the eventual winner, was utter perfection after one of the most challenging 12 months of his life, he had driven a midfield car to the top of the podium. The image of Pierre sat on the step of the podium in disbelief remains in my mind, and I'm sure a call from President Macron to congratulate him remains in Pierre's. What a guy. What a race.

Best Qualifier: Charles Leclerc

Not only did Charles out-qualify the four-time champion that is Sebastian Vettel 13-4, but he was starting the race in positions that the car shouldn't have been. The Ferrari was the sixth-quickest car this year; therefore, 1tth or 12th on the grid were realistic positions to be qualifying. Remarkably though, Charles frequently appeared in the top 10 and on four occasions, managed to put in the fourth-fastest lap of the day. 

Sakhir was the most recent example of this. Charles did the lap, told his team that it was a perfect lap and then got out of the car because that was all he could do. Charles is a future champion and proved it with his performances on a Saturday this year. Sorry George, but Charles is my 'Mr Saturday'.

Overtake of the Season: Russell on Bottas

A great overtaker this year was Pierre Gasly, often fighting through the field, and Daniel Ricciardo is always ready to pull a stellar move. However, I'm going to give this one to George Russell for his move on Bottas in the Sakhir Grand Prix. While he did have a tyre advantage of his teammate for the weekend, it was still incredibly ballsy to hang it around the outside to snatch the position. If he'd have got that one wrong, his stock may not be as high as it is right now. However, he got it very much right. After carrying himself in the best way possible during his week at Mercedes, he has shown he is ready to race at the top of F1. This was arguably the most important overtake in George's F1 career so far.

Best Race Driver: Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton could have won this year's championship and received the deserved plaudits. But that wasn't enough. Lewis has identified his position within Formula One: He has transcended his sport, and has a global following, looking to him to make the right decisions. That's a lot of power, and consequently, pressure. Leading the drive for social change through the Hamilton Commission and Black Lives Matter, the Briton has been a real champion on and off the track. 

Lewis dominated the season. Excluding penalties and Coronavirus, Hamilton would have won all but three races on pure pace. Consequently, there are many highlights, including a stunning drive to take the championship in Turkey. However, the best moment has got to be his win at Silverstone with only three inflated tyres - just imagine the scenes if there was a crowd there.

Naturally, there weren't many lows. Lewis' penalty in Russia was silly, but proof that he is always looking for an advantage. The most prominent trough was probably missing the Sakhir Grand Prix due to Coronavirus. It must have hurt Lewis to see George Russell driving his car - it was perhaps like watching coverage of another man taking your girlfriend on a date. Unpleasant. 

Lewis achieved another victory on a Sunday, being crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year. If he races at Silverstone next year, he will drive down the Hamilton Straight as Sir Lewis. Fitting.

So that's a wrap as far as this season goes, except for one more thing. Look out for a season review podcast in which I shall be joined by some friends of the show to debate and discuss a few things. I'm looking forward to recording that, and you shall hear it in the coming days.