2020 Austrian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Formula 1 finally returned to racing at the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix, and the delayed season opener was well worth the wait. Valtteri Bottas controlled a dramatic afternoon at the Red Bull Ring, while late penalties and a last-lap charge delivered an unexpected podium for Charles Leclerc and a first Formula 1 trophy for Lando Norris.

Race Guide

Season: 2020 F1 World Championship
Race date: 5 July 2020
Race start time: 15:10 local time (UTC+02:00)
Circuit: Red Bull Ring
Laps: 71 laps
Circuit length: 4.318 km
2019 winner: Max Verstappen

Pole position
Driver	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes
Time	1:02.939
Fastest lap
Driver	Lando Norris	McLaren
Time	1:07.475 on lap 71
Podium
First	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes
Second	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari
Third	Lando Norris	McLaren

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
3 July 2020	Practice 1	11:00 – 12:30
3 July 2020	Practice 2	15:00 – 16:30
4 July 2020	Practice 3	12:00 – 13:00
4 July 2020	Qualifying	15:00 – 16:00
5 July 2020	Race	15:10

All times are local (UTC+02:00). The race time is the scheduled start.

Championship background

The COVID-19 pandemic had pushed the start of the championship from March to July. Austria opened a revised calendar behind closed doors, with another race at the same circuit scheduled for the following weekend. Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes returned as defending champions, while Max Verstappen had won the previous two Austrian Grands Prix. After months without racing, the competitive order was about to receive its first proper test.

Race entries

Twenty drivers represented ten teams. Nicholas Latifi made his Grand Prix debut with Williams, replacing Robert Kubica, while Esteban Ocon returned to the grid with Renault after a season away. AlphaTauri began its first championship under its new name, taking over from Toro Rosso.

Mercedes arrived with a black livery supporting its commitment to diversity and opposition to racism. The familiar Hamilton–Bottas partnership remained intact, as did Ferrari‘s pairing of Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc for what would be their final season together.

Free Practice

Lewis Hamilton set the early benchmark in FP1 with a 1:04.816, leading Valtteri Bottas by 0.356s and Max Verstappen by 0.602s. Brief showers gave way to dry running as the field finally returned to a competitive Grand Prix weekend.

Hamilton remained quickest in FP2, improving to 1:04.304. Bottas followed just 0.197s behind, with Sergio Perez third for Racing Point. The two Mercedes cars looked especially strong as teams worked through their first meaningful race preparations of the year.

Hamilton completed a practice clean sweep on Saturday with a 1:04.130, ahead of Bottas and Verstappen. Nicholas Latifi‘s accident at Turn 1 interrupted the session, but the rookie was able to take part in qualifying.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2020 Austrian Grand Prix FP1, 3 July 2020

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:04.816	42
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.356s	38
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.602s	37
4	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	+0.615s	41
5	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	+0.696s	33
6	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.805s	41
7	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	+0.885s	29
8	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	+1.044s	29
9	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+1.091s	27
10	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+1.108s	31
11	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	+1.258s	34
12	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+1.261s	32
13	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	+1.454s	22
14	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.544s	24
15	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.549s	28
16	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+1.588s	25
17	63	George Russell	Williams	+1.679s	27
18	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+2.090s	31
19	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	+2.127s	19
20	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+41.545s	6

Free Practice 2 Classification

2020 Austrian Grand Prix FP2, 3 July 2020

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:04.304	42
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.197s	37
3	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	+0.641s	48
4	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.657s	48
5	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	+0.668s	36
6	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.783s	38
7	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	+0.831s	48
8	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.911s	41
9	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.994s	46
10	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	+1.048s	37
11	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	+1.111s	42
12	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	+1.139s	34
13	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	+1.149s	47
14	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.304s	49
15	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+1.374s	44
16	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+1.604s	50
17	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+1.712s	51
18	63	George Russell	Williams	+1.821s	40
19	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.974s	44
20	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+2.820s	45

Free Practice 3 Classification

2020 Austrian Grand Prix FP3, 4 July 2020

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:04.130	21
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.147s	22
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.283s	20
4	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	+0.475s	19
5	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.573s	19
6	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	+0.595s	22
7	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.721s	20
8	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	+0.788s	18
9	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+0.819s	19
10	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.820s	22
11	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	+0.907s	11
12	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	+0.958s	13
13	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	+1.047s	24
14	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	+1.160s	24
15	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+1.233s	18
16	63	George Russell	Williams	+1.435s	21
17	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+1.518s	18
18	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.524s	16
19	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.643s	19
20	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+2.919s	6

Qualifying

Valtteri Bottas edged Lewis Hamilton by just 0.012s to take pole with a 1:02.939, despite running through the gravel on his final attempt. Max Verstappen was third, while Lando Norris delivered a career-best fourth for McLaren ahead of Alexander Albon and Sergio Perez.

Ferrari faced a more difficult afternoon: Charles Leclerc qualified seventh and Sebastian Vettel was eliminated in Q2. Hamilton initially retained second, but a review of new evidence before the race resulted in a three-place penalty for failing to slow for yellow flags. That moved Verstappen onto the front row and Norris to third.

Qualifying Classification

2020 Austrian Grand Prix Qualifying, 4 July 2020

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:04.111	1:03.015	1:02.939	19
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:04.198	1:03.096	1:02.951	21
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:04.024	1:04.000	1:03.477	23
4	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:04.606	1:03.819	1:03.626	17
5	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	1:04.661	1:03.746	1:03.868	18
6	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	1:04.543	1:03.860	1:03.868	19
7	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:04.500	1:04.041	1:03.923	20
8	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	1:04.537	1:03.971	1:03.971	18
9	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	1:04.309	1:03.955	1:04.029	17
10	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	1:04.556	1:04.023	1:04.239	15
11	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:04.554	1:04.206	—	13
12	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	1:04.603	1:04.305	—	14
13	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	1:05.031	1:04.431	—	14
14	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	1:04.933	1:04.643	—	12
15	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	1:05.094	1:04.691	—	14
16	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	1:05.164	—	—	8
17	63	George Russell	Williams	1:05.167	—	—	10
18	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:05.175	—	—	8
19	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:05.224	—	—	9
20	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	1:05.757	—	—	12

Lewis Hamilton received a three-place grid penalty for failing to slow for yellow flags during qualifying.

Alexander Albon and Sergio Perez set identical times in Q3; Albon was classified ahead as he set his lap time before Pérez.

What happened in the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix?

Valtteri Bottas led every lap to win the opening race of the season, but the order behind him changed repeatedly. Charles Leclerc took second and Lando Norris secured his maiden podium after Lewis Hamilton‘s five-second penalty transformed the final classification.

Bottas made a clean start and established himself at the front. Verstappen’s challenge ended early with an electrical problem, while Hamilton recovered from fifth on the grid to join his team-mate in the leading pair. Reliability soon became a major theme, with Daniel Ricciardo and Lance Stroll also forced out.

Kevin Magnussen‘s brake failure brought out the first safety car and drew most of the field into the pits. Vettel spun after contact while trying to pass Carlos Sainz at the restart, leaving Ferrari‘s hopes resting increasingly on Leclerc. At the front, both Mercedes drivers were told to stay away from the kerbs because of concerns about their gearboxes.

Further interruptions followed George Russell‘s retirement and the loss of a wheel from Kimi Räikkönen‘s Alfa Romeo Racing car. Alexander Albon had taken fresh soft tyres and emerged as a serious threat to the leaders when racing resumed.

Albon challenged Hamilton around the outside of Turn 4, but the cars touched and the Red Bull Racing driver spun into the gravel. Hamilton was judged responsible and received a five-second penalty. Albon continued before a later electrical failure ended his afternoon.

Leclerc made the most of the opportunity, passing Norris and Perez to move into third on the road. Perez also carried a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane, while Norris attacked in the closing laps with Hamilton’s adjusted position firmly in reach.

Bottas crossed the line first, with Hamilton second on the road. Norris then produced the fastest lap on the final tour, bringing his gap to Hamilton inside five seconds. Leclerc was promoted to second and Norris to third, leaving Hamilton fourth ahead of Sainz and Perez.

Pierre Gasly scored seventh on AlphaTauri‘s debut, followed by Ocon, Antonio Giovinazzi and Vettel. Latifi finished 11th on his first Grand Prix appearance. Only 11 cars were still running at the finish, and Bottas left with the early championship lead after an opener packed with twists.

2020 Austrian Grand Prix race results

The 2020 Austrian Grand Prix was held on 5 July 2020, with a scheduled start of 15:10 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	71	1:30:55.739	25
2	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	71	+2.700s	18
3	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	71	+5.491s	16
4	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	71	+5.689s	12
5	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	71	+8.903s	10
6	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	71	+15.092s	8
7	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	71	+16.682s	6
8	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	71	+17.456s	4
9	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	71	+21.146s	2
10	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	71	+24.545s	1
11	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	71	+31.650s	0
12	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	69	Suspension	0
13	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	67	Electrical	0
Ret	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	53	Wheel	0
Ret	63	George Russell	Williams	49	Fuel pressure	0
Ret	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	49	Brakes	0
Ret	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	24	Brakes/Spun off	0
Ret	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	20	Engine	0
Ret	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	17	Overheating	0
Ret	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	11	Electrical	0

Lando Norris earned the additional point for fastest lap.

Lewis Hamilton finished second on the track, but received a five-second time penalty for causing a collision with Alexander Albon.

Sergio Perez received a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane. His final position was not affected by the penalty.

Daniil Kvyat and Alexander Albon did not finish the race, but were classified as they had completed more than 90% of the race distance.

2020 Austrian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	71	16:43:48	1:07.475	230.378
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	68	16:40:16	1:07.657	229.758
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	67	16:39:10	1:07.712	229.572
4	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	64	16:35:48	1:07.901	228.933
5	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	63	16:34:41	1:07.974	228.687
6	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	63	16:34:39	1:08.305	227.579
7	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	50	16:13:52	1:08.432	227.156
8	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	71	16:44:07	1:08.623	226.524
9	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	70	16:42:54	1:08.796	225.954
10	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	64	16:35:54	1:08.932	225.509
11	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	64	16:35:53	1:09.025	225.205
12	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	48	16:12:02	1:09.031	225.185
13	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	50	16:14:16	1:09.135	224.847
14	63	George Russell	Williams	49	16:13:15	1:09.317	224.256
15	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	5	15:18:38	1:09.351	224.146
16	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	63	16:34:48	1:09.662	223.146
17	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	46	16:09:54	1:10.228	221.347
18	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	4	15:17:37	1:10.326	221.039
19	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	8	15:22:22	1:10.610	220.150
20	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	23	15:40:18	1:10.720	219.807

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear in this table. Time of Day is local time; average speeds are in km/h.

2020 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings for drivers and teams after the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix.

2020 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Valtteri Bottas	FIN	Mercedes	25
2	Charles Leclerc	MON	Ferrari	18
3	Lando Norris	GBR	McLaren	16
4	Lewis Hamilton	GBR	Mercedes	12
5	Carlos Sainz	ESP	McLaren	10
6	Sergio Perez	MEX	Racing Point	8
7	Pierre Gasly	FRA	AlphaTauri	6
8	Esteban Ocon	FRA	Renault	4
9	Antonio Giovinazzi	ITA	Alfa Romeo Racing	2
10	Sebastian Vettel	GER	Ferrari	1
11	Nicholas Latifi	CAN	Williams	0
12	Daniil Kvyat	RUS	AlphaTauri	0
13	Alexander Albon	THA	Red Bull Racing	0
14	Kimi Räikkönen	FIN	Alfa Romeo Racing	0
15	George Russell	GBR	Williams	0
16	Romain Grosjean	FRA	Haas	0
17	Kevin Magnussen	DEN	Haas	0
18	Lance Stroll	CAN	Racing Point	0
19	Daniel Ricciardo	AUS	Renault	0
20	Max Verstappen	NED	Red Bull Racing	0

2020 Post-Race F1 Constructors’ Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Mercedes	37
2	McLaren	26
3	Ferrari	19
4	Racing Point	8
5	AlphaTauri	6
6	Renault	4
7	Alfa Romeo Racing	2
8	Williams	0
9	Red Bull Racing	0
10	Haas	0