2020 Eifel Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Lewis Hamilton matched Michael Schumacher‘s record of 91 Grand Prix victories at the 2020 Eifel Grand Prix. Formula 1’s return to the Nürburgring also brought a first Renault podium for Daniel Ricciardo and another remarkable short-notice appearance from Nico Hülkenberg.

Race Guide

Season: 2020 F1 World Championship
Race date: 11 October 2020
Race start time: 14:10 local time (UTC+02:00)
Circuit: Nürburgring
Laps: 60 laps
Circuit length: 5.148 km
Previous winner: None — inaugural Grand Prix

Pole position
Driver	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes
Time	1:25.269
Fastest lap
Driver	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing
Time	1:28.139 on lap 60
Podium
First	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Second	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing
Third	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
9 October 2020	Practice 1	11:00 – 12:30 (cancelled)
9 October 2020	Practice 2	15:00 – 16:30 (cancelled)
10 October 2020	Practice 3	12:00 – 13:00
10 October 2020	Qualifying	15:00 – 16:00
11 October 2020	Race	14:10

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

Championship background

Hamilton arrived 44 points ahead of Valtteri Bottas following the Russian Grand Prix. The Nürburgring was back on the calendar for the first time since 2013, but cold weather and poor visibility severely restricted preparation. Only one practice session would take place before qualifying, putting extra pressure on drivers and engineers to learn quickly.

Race entries

Nico Hülkenberg replaced the unwell Lance Stroll at Racing Point from qualifying, having missed the only practice session. Mick Schumacher and Callum Ilott had been scheduled to make FP1 appearances for Alfa Romeo Racing and Haas respectively, but the cancellation meant neither drove. Kimi Räikkönen made a record 323rd Grand Prix start.

Free Practice

FP1 was cancelled because rain and fog prevented safe operation of the medical helicopter. No cars completed a timed lap, and the planned practice appearances for Schumacher and Ilott could not take place.

The same conditions also prevented FP2 from running. Teams therefore lost the entire Friday programme and had to condense their preparations into Saturday morning.

Valtteri Bottas led the sole completed session, FP3, with a 1:26.225. Lewis Hamilton was 0.136s behind and Charles Leclerc third. Stroll did not take part, leaving Racing Point with only Sergio Perez on track before Hülkenberg’s late call-up.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2020 Eifel Grand Prix FP1, 9 October 2020

This session was cancelled because weather conditions prevented safe running. No classification was issued.

Free Practice 2 Classification

2020 Eifel Grand Prix FP2, 9 October 2020

This session was cancelled because weather conditions prevented safe running. No classification was issued.

Free Practice 3 Classification

2020 Eifel Grand Prix FP3, 10 October 2020

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:26.225	25
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.136s	27
3	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.456s	25
4	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.671s	24
5	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.813s	25
6	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.942s	29
7	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	+1.020s	25
8	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	+1.167s	23
9	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	+1.224s	23
10	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+1.303s	28
11	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	+1.409s	27
12	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	+1.570s	26
13	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	+1.699s	29
14	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.731s	25
15	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+1.890s	27
16	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+2.068s	27
17	63	George Russell	Williams	+2.118s	30
18	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.145s	25
19	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+2.716s	26
—	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	No time	0

Lance Stroll missed FP3 through illness. Nico Hülkenberg took over his car for qualifying and the race.

Qualifying

Valtteri Bottas took pole with a 1:25.269, beating Lewis Hamilton by 0.256s. Max Verstappen was close behind in third, while Charles Leclerc produced an impressive fourth for Ferrari ahead of Alexander Albon and Daniel Ricciardo.

Nico Hülkenberg had to learn the car and conditions during qualifying itself and started last. The limited preparation made the session especially demanding, but Bottas emerged with the best possible starting position for another attempt to reduce Hamilton’s championship advantage.

Qualifying Classification

2020 Eifel Grand Prix Qualifying, 10 October 2020

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:26.573	1:25.971	1:25.269	19
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:26.620	1:25.390	1:25.525	18
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:26.319	1:25.467	1:25.562	15
4	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:26.857	1:26.240	1:26.035	18
5	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	1:27.126	1:26.285	1:26.047	15
6	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	1:26.836	1:26.096	1:26.223	18
7	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	1:27.086	1:26.364	1:26.242	20
8	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:26.829	1:26.316	1:26.458	18
9	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	1:27.120	1:26.330	1:26.704	17
10	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	1:27.378	1:26.361	1:26.709	20
11	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:27.107	1:26.738	—	16
12	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	1:27.072	1:26.776	—	16
13	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	1:27.285	1:26.848	—	16
14	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:27.532	1:26.936	—	14
15	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	1:27.231	1:27.125	—	16
16	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	1:27.552	—	—	10
17	63	George Russell	Williams	1:27.564	—	—	9
18	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	1:27.812	—	—	9
19	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:27.817	—	—	8
20	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Racing Point	1:28.021	—	—	10

What happened in the 2020 Eifel Grand Prix?

Lewis Hamilton took his 91st Grand Prix victory, finishing ahead of Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo. Bottas’s early retirement removed his closest championship rival and helped Hamilton build a much larger lead in the standings.

Bottas held off Hamilton through the opening corners, but later locked up and ran wide at Turn 1. Hamilton passed him and took control. Bottas stopped for tyres, then suffered a loss of power that forced him out of the race.

George Russell also retired after contact with Kimi Räikkönen damaged his Williams. The resulting virtual safety car allowed Hamilton and Verstappen to make their stops with less time lost, reinforcing their positions at the front.

Ricciardo moved past Leclerc and into podium contention as the race developed. Albon had a difficult afternoon, including contact with Daniil Kvyat and a penalty, before retiring with damage to his car. Esteban Ocon also stopped with a hydraulic problem.

Lando Norris lost power and eventually retired, bringing out a late safety car. That compressed the field and gave Sergio Perez another opportunity to challenge Ricciardo for third. Hamilton controlled the restart, however, and Ricciardo held the position needed for his first podium with Renault.

Verstappen set the fastest lap on the final tour. Carlos Sainz finished fifth, followed by Gasly, Leclerc and Hülkenberg, whose recovery from last to eighth was a standout performance. Romain Grosjean scored ninth for Haas, while Antonio Giovinazzi took the final point.

Hamilton’s victory drew him level with Schumacher’s landmark, and Mick Schumacher presented him with one of his father’s race-worn helmets afterwards. In the championship, Hamilton now led Bottas by 69 points, while Renault celebrated a long-awaited return to the podium.

2020 Eifel Grand Prix race results

The 2020 Eifel Grand Prix was held on 11 October 2020, with a scheduled start of 14:10 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	60	1:35:49.641	25
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	60	+4.470s	19
3	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	60	+14.613s	15
4	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	60	+16.070s	12
5	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	60	+21.905s	10
6	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	60	+22.766s	8
7	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	60	+30.814s	6
8	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Racing Point	60	+32.596s	4
9	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	60	+39.081s	2
10	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	60	+40.035s	1
11	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	60	+40.810s	0
12	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	60	+41.476s	0
13	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	60	+49.585s	0
14	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	60	+54.449s	0
15	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	60	+55.588s	0
Ret	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	42	Power unit	0
Ret	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	23	Radiator	0
Ret	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	22	Hydraulics	0
Ret	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	18	Power unit	0
Ret	63	George Russell	Williams	12	Collision	0

Max Verstappen earned the additional point for fastest lap.

Alexander Albon received a five-second time penalty for causing a collision with Daniil Kvyat, but it was unapplied as he retired from the race.

2020 Eifel Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	60	15:49:08	1:28.139	210.267
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	58	15:46:06	1:28.145	210.253
3	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	53	15:38:48	1:29.584	206.876
4	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	58	15:46:20	1:29.700	206.608
5	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	53	15:38:53	1:30.110	205.668
6	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	53	15:38:51	1:30.129	205.625
7	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	43	15:21:43	1:30.408	204.990
8	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	37	15:12:26	1:30.456	204.881
9	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	54	15:40:36	1:30.512	204.755
10	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	54	15:40:27	1:30.712	204.303
11	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Racing Point	58	15:46:33	1:30.733	204.256
12	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	38	15:13:53	1:30.909	203.861
13	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	39	15:15:33	1:31.377	202.816
14	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	54	15:40:32	1:31.562	202.407
15	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	8	14:25:32	1:31.884	201.697
16	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	41	15:18:46	1:32.214	200.975
17	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	40	15:16:22	1:32.328	200.727
18	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	9	14:27:47	1:32.330	200.723
19	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	21	14:46:35	1:33.189	198.873
20	63	George Russell	Williams	6	14:22:57	1:34.526	196.060

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 Eifel Grand Prix.

2020 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Lewis Hamilton	GBR	Mercedes	230
2	Valtteri Bottas	FIN	Mercedes	161
3	Max Verstappen	NED	Red Bull Racing	147
4	Daniel Ricciardo	AUS	Renault	78
5	Sergio Perez	MEX	Racing Point	68
6	Lando Norris	GBR	McLaren	65
7	Alexander Albon	THA	Red Bull Racing	64
8	Charles Leclerc	MON	Ferrari	63
9	Lance Stroll	CAN	Racing Point	57
10	Pierre Gasly	FRA	AlphaTauri	53
11	Carlos Sainz	ESP	McLaren	51
12	Esteban Ocon	FRA	Renault	36
13	Sebastian Vettel	GER	Ferrari	17
14	Daniil Kvyat	RUS	AlphaTauri	14
15	Nico Hulkenberg	GER	Racing Point	10
16	Antonio Giovinazzi	ITA	Alfa Romeo Racing	3
17	Kimi Räikkönen	FIN	Alfa Romeo Racing	2
18	Romain Grosjean	FRA	Haas	2
19	Kevin Magnussen	DEN	Haas	1
20	Nicholas Latifi	CAN	Williams	0
21	George Russell	GBR	Williams	0

2020 Post-Race F1 Constructors’ Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Mercedes	391
2	Red Bull Racing	211
3	Racing Point	120
4	McLaren	116
5	Renault	114
6	Ferrari	80
7	AlphaTauri	67
8	Alfa Romeo Racing	5
9	Haas	3
10	Williams	0

Racing Point’s constructors’ total includes the 15-point deduction imposed over its rear brake ducts. The drivers’ points were unaffected.