2020 Hungarian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Lewis Hamilton made the Hungaroring his own once again at the 2020 Hungarian Grand Prix, taking an eighth victory at the circuit and moving into the championship lead. Max Verstappen‘s second place was almost as remarkable: his mechanics had to repair the Red Bull Racing car on the grid after a crash before the start.

Race Guide

Season: 2020 F1 World Championship
Race date: 19 July 2020
Race start time: 15:10 local time (UTC+02:00)
Circuit: Hungaroring
Laps: 70 laps
Circuit length: 4.381 km
2019 winner: Lewis Hamilton

Pole position
Driver	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Time	1:13.447
Fastest lap
Driver	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Time	1:16.627 on lap 70
Podium
First	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Second	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing
Third	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes

Weekend Schedule

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

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

Championship background

The championship’s opening triple-header concluded in Hungary with Valtteri Bottas six points ahead of Hamilton. Mercedes had won both races in Austria, but a different circuit and unsettled weather offered the chasing teams a fresh opportunity. Racing Point‘s speed also remained a major talking point as Renault continued to question the legality of its brake ducts.

Race entries

The regular 20-driver race line-up was unchanged. Robert Kubica took part in FP1 for Alfa Romeo Racing in place of Kimi Räikkönen, who returned for the remaining sessions.

Free Practice

Lewis Hamilton led FP1 with a 1:16.003, just 0.086s ahead of Valtteri Bottas. Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll followed for Racing Point, while a power-unit issue kept Pierre Gasly from setting a time.

Rain transformed FP2, with Sebastian Vettel quickest on a 1:40.464 ahead of Bottas and Carlos Sainz. Only 13 drivers recorded a lap time in the wet session, limiting the amount of representative dry running.

Bottas turned the tables in FP3 with a 1:15.437, beating Hamilton by 0.042s. Perez was third, reinforcing the impression that Racing Point could be a serious contender immediately behind Mercedes.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2020 Hungarian Grand Prix FP1, 17 July 2020

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:16.003	37
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.086s	37
3	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	+0.527s	20
4	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	+0.964s	35
5	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	+1.197s	28
6	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+1.235s	26
7	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+1.401s	29
8	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+1.432s	28
9	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+1.520s	26
10	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	+1.612s	35
11	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	+1.672s	32
12	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+1.710s	35
13	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	+1.724s	28
14	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+1.887s	35
15	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+1.966s	31
16	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	+2.289s	35
17	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.422s	30
18	63	George Russell	Williams	+2.571s	29
19	88	Robert Kubica	Alfa Romeo Racing	+3.147s	26
—	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	No time	0

Free Practice 2 Classification

2020 Hungarian Grand Prix FP2, 17 July 2020

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:40.464	12
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.272s	5
3	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	+1.320s	6
4	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	+1.916s	6
5	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	+2.006s	5
6	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+2.124s	7
7	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+2.356s	4
8	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+2.871s	6
9	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+3.007s	16
10	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+3.261s	10
11	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+3.947s	9
12	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+5.536s	5
13	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	+6.958s	7
14	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault		1
15	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault		1
16	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes		1
17	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams		2
18	63	George Russell	Williams		2
19	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing		3
20	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas		1

Free Practice 3 Classification

2020 Hungarian Grand Prix FP3, 18 July 2020

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:15.437	18
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.042s	20
3	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	+0.161s	16
4	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.344s	19
5	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	+0.596s	15
6	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.647s	18
7	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.756s	18
8	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.914s	18
9	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+1.016s	20
10	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	+1.071s	14
11	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	+1.108s	21
12	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	+1.145s	19
13	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	+1.269s	20
14	63	George Russell	Williams	+1.410s	23
15	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+1.429s	15
16	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+1.649s	14
17	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	+1.855s	15
18	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.059s	20
19	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.090s	25
20	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+2.213s	17

Pierre Gasly did not set a time in FP1 because of a sensor problem.

Qualifying

Lewis Hamilton claimed pole with a 1:13.447, leading Valtteri Bottas by 0.107s as Mercedes secured the front row. Racing Point filled the second row, with Lance Stroll third and Sergio Perez fourth, ahead of the two Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc.

Red Bull Racing endured a difficult session: Max Verstappen qualified seventh and Alexander Albon only 13th. Both Williams cars reached Q2, while Pierre Gasly made Q3 but could not record a time in the final segment because of technical trouble.

Qualifying Classification

2020 Hungarian Grand Prix Qualifying, 18 July 2020

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:14.907	1:14.261	1:13.447	22
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:15.474	1:14.530	1:13.554	20
3	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	1:14.895	1:15.176	1:14.377	22
4	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	1:14.681	1:15.394	1:14.545	22
5	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:15.455	1:15.131	1:14.774	20
6	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:15.793	1:15.006	1:14.817	20
7	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:15.495	1:14.976	1:14.849	21
8	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:15.444	1:15.085	1:14.966	20
9	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	1:15.281	1:15.267	1:15.027	21
10	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	1:15.767	1:15.508	No time	14
11	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	1:15.848	1:15.661	—	14
12	63	George Russell	Williams	1:15.585	1:15.698	—	14
13	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	1:15.722	1:15.715	—	16
14	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	1:15.719	1:15.742	—	14
15	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	1:16.105	1:16.544	—	14
16	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	1:16.152	—	—	9
17	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	1:16.204	—	—	9
18	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	1:16.407	—	—	8
19	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:16.506	—	—	12
20	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:16.614	—	—	12

What happened in the 2020 Hungarian Grand Prix?

Lewis Hamilton won comfortably and collected the fastest-lap bonus, taking over the championship lead. Behind him, Max Verstappen held off Valtteri Bottas for second after a remarkable turnaround from the drama before the start.

Verstappen slid into the barriers on his way to the grid in damp conditions. His mechanics repaired the damage with little time to spare, allowing him to take the start. He then launched strongly and quickly moved into second, turning what might have been a non-start into a podium challenge.

Hamilton kept the lead, while Bottas hesitated after moving slightly before the lights went out and lost several places. The track dried rapidly, bringing an early rush into the pits for slick tyres. Haas had already brought Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean in during the formation lap, which briefly lifted both cars high into the order.

Hamilton established a commanding advantage while Bottas worked his way back through the field. Pierre Gasly retired with an engine problem after a weekend disrupted by technical issues. Racing Point remained competitive, but Stroll could not keep Bottas behind as the Mercedes driver recovered towards the podium.

Verstappen’s second place remained under pressure in the closing stages. Bottas closed on fresher tyres but ran out of opportunities to pass. At the front, Hamilton had enough time to make a late stop for soft tyres and set the fastest lap on the final tour.

Stroll finished fourth, followed by Albon, Vettel, Perez and Daniel Ricciardo. Carlos Sainz was promoted to ninth after penalties were applied, while Magnussen retained the final point for Haas. Leclerc finished outside the points after struggling with his tyres.

Magnussen and Grosjean each received ten-second penalties for the team’s instructions to pit during the formation lap, judged to breach the rules on driver assistance. The result still gave Haas a point, but the afternoon belonged to Hamilton: an eighth Hungaroring victory and a five-point championship lead over Bottas.

2020 Hungarian Grand Prix race results

The 2020 Hungarian Grand Prix was held on 19 July 2020, with a scheduled start of 15:10 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	70	1:36:12.473	26
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	70	+8.702s	18
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	70	+9.452s	15
4	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	70	+57.579s	12
5	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	70	+78.316s	10
6	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	69	+1 lap	8
7	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	69	+1 lap	6
8	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	69	+1 lap	4
9	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	69	+1 lap	2
10	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	69	+1 lap	1
11	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	69	+1 lap	0
12	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	69	+1 lap	0
13	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	69	+1 lap	0
14	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	69	+1 lap	0
15	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	69	+1 lap	0
16	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	69	+1 lap	0
17	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	69	+1 lap	0
18	63	George Russell	Williams	69	+1 lap	0
19	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	65	+5 laps	0
Ret	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	15	Gearbox	0

Lewis Hamilton earned the additional point for fastest lap.

Kevin Magnussen qualified 16th, but his place on the grid was left vacant as he came into the pits during the formation lap. He originally finished 9th, but received a ten-second time penalty for breaching rules regarding radio communications on the formation lap.

Romain Grosjean qualified 18th, but his place on the grid was left vacant as he came into the pits during the formation lap. He originally finished 15th, but received a ten-second time penalty for breaching rules regarding radio communications on the formation lap.

2020 Hungarian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	70	16:49:09	1:16.627	205.823
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	66	16:44:03	1:17.665	203.072
3	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	68	16:47:27	1:18.973	199.708
4	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	60	16:36:03	1:19.184	199.176
5	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	68	16:47:47	1:19.440	198.534
6	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	67	16:46:52	1:19.457	198.492
7	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	46	16:18:25	1:19.532	198.305
8	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	42	16:13:20	1:19.945	197.280
9	63	George Russell	Williams	67	16:47:44	1:19.984	197.184
10	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	39	16:08:54	1:20.090	196.923
11	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	44	16:16:46	1:20.096	196.908
12	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	61	16:39:17	1:20.232	196.574
13	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	40	16:10:35	1:20.261	196.503
14	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	49	16:22:13	1:20.363	196.254
15	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	68	16:48:08	1:20.477	195.976
16	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	64	16:43:00	1:20.821	195.142
17	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	67	16:47:19	1:20.889	194.978
18	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	51	16:25:22	1:20.946	194.841
19	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	64	16:48:38	1:21.198	194.236
20	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	10	15:28:33	1:23.939	187.893

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 Hungarian Grand Prix.

2020 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Lewis Hamilton	GBR	Mercedes	63
2	Valtteri Bottas	FIN	Mercedes	58
3	Max Verstappen	NED	Red Bull Racing	33
4	Lando Norris	GBR	McLaren	26
5	Alexander Albon	THA	Red Bull Racing	22
6	Sergio Perez	MEX	Racing Point	22
7	Charles Leclerc	MON	Ferrari	18
8	Lance Stroll	CAN	Racing Point	18
9	Carlos Sainz	ESP	McLaren	15
10	Sebastian Vettel	GER	Ferrari	9
11	Daniel Ricciardo	AUS	Renault	8
12	Pierre Gasly	FRA	AlphaTauri	6
13	Esteban Ocon	FRA	Renault	4
14	Antonio Giovinazzi	ITA	Alfa Romeo Racing	2
15	Daniil Kvyat	RUS	AlphaTauri	1
16	Kevin Magnussen	DEN	Haas	1
17	Kimi Räikkönen	FIN	Alfa Romeo Racing	0
18	Nicholas Latifi	CAN	Williams	0
19	Romain Grosjean	FRA	Haas	0
20	George Russell	GBR	Williams	0

2020 Post-Race F1 Constructors’ Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Mercedes	121
2	Red Bull Racing	55
3	McLaren	41
4	Racing Point	40
5	Ferrari	27
6	Renault	12
7	AlphaTauri	7
8	Alfa Romeo Racing	2
9	Haas	1
10	Williams	0