2020 Italian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Pierre Gasly became a Grand Prix winner in a remarkable 2020 Italian Grand Prix, holding off Carlos Sainz to give AlphaTauri a famous victory at Monza. A safety car, a closed pit lane and a red flag overturned the expected order, creating an opportunity that Gasly seized with a composed final stint.

Race Guide

Season: 2020 F1 World Championship
Race date: 6 September 2020
Race start time: 15:10 local time (UTC+02:00)
Circuit: Autodromo Nazionale Monza
Laps: 53 laps
Circuit length: 5.793 km
2019 winner: Charles Leclerc

Pole position
Driver	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Time	1:18.887
Fastest lap
Driver	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Time	1:22.746 on lap 34
Podium
First	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri
Second	Carlos Sainz	McLaren
Third	Lance Stroll	Racing Point

Weekend Schedule

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

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

Championship background

Hamilton arrived with a 47-point championship lead after another victory in Belgium. Monza was also a significant weekend for Williams: following the team’s sale, it marked the final Grand Prix with Frank and Claire Williams in their leadership roles. On track, the familiar leading teams expected to fight for the win, but the race would produce a very different podium.

Race entries

The regular 20 race drivers took part. Roy Nissany drove George Russell‘s Williams in FP1, with Russell returning for the rest of the weekend.

Free Practice

Valtteri Bottas led FP1 with a 1:20.703, ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Alexander Albon. Max Verstappen‘s crash at Ascari briefly interrupted the session.

Hamilton moved to the top in FP2 with a 1:20.192, followed by Bottas and Lando Norris. The McLaren driver’s pace offered an early sign that the team could feature strongly behind Mercedes.

Bottas led FP3 on a 1:20.089, with Carlos Sainz and Norris second and third. Daniel Ricciardo stopped with a mechanical problem, bringing out a short red flag before qualifying.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2020 Italian Grand Prix FP1, 4 September 2020

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:20.703	28
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.245s	27
3	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	+0.797s	30
4	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	+0.852s	31
5	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.938s	22
6	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+0.964s	27
7	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	+1.044s	25
8	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+1.044s	29
9	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	+1.086s	22
10	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	+1.118s	27
11	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+1.201s	25
12	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	+1.281s	28
13	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	+1.428s	21
14	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+1.706s	20
15	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+1.719s	19
16	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.849s	24
17	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.916s	27
18	40	Roy Nissany	Williams	+2.123s	25
19	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+2.285s	24
20	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+2.417s	22

Free Practice 2 Classification

2020 Italian Grand Prix FP2, 4 September 2020

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:20.192	32
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.262s	29
3	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.897s	19
4	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+0.929s	25
5	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+1.036s	30
6	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	+1.121s	30
7	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	+1.184s	35
8	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	+1.197s	32
9	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+1.311s	32
10	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	+1.402s	31
11	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	+1.505s	32
12	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+1.541s	28
13	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.594s	32
14	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	+1.691s	36
15	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	+1.888s	29
16	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+1.896s	32
17	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.955s	34
18	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+2.062s	34
19	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+2.633s	32
20	63	George Russell	Williams	+2.735s	34

Free Practice 3 Classification

2020 Italian Grand Prix FP3, 5 September 2020

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:20.089	14
2	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	+0.229s	14
3	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.323s	15
4	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	+0.330s	9
5	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.350s	11
6	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.367s	15
7	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	+0.474s	15
8	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	+0.604s	13
9	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	+0.715s	14
10	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	+0.808s	13
11	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.828s	11
12	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+0.847s	14
13	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	+0.864s	13
14	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+1.116s	14
15	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+1.174s	13
16	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+1.347s	15
17	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.370s	15
18	63	George Russell	Williams	+1.588s	16
19	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+1.675s	15
20	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.001s	15

Qualifying

Lewis Hamilton took pole with a 1:18.887, beating Valtteri Bottas by 0.069s. His lap set a new benchmark for average speed in Formula 1 qualifying. Carlos Sainz was third ahead of Sergio Perez, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.

Pierre Gasly qualified tenth, with little indication of the opportunity that would emerge on Sunday. Ferrari struggled at home: Sebastian Vettel was eliminated in Q1 and Charles Leclerc in Q2. Traffic and the search for a slipstream again complicated qualifying around Monza‘s high-speed lap.

Qualifying Classification

2020 Italian Grand Prix Qualifying, 5 September 2020

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:19.514	1:19.092	1:18.887	18
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:19.786	1:18.952	1:18.956	18
3	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	1:20.099	1:19.705	1:19.695	16
4	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	1:20.048	1:19.718	1:19.720	17
5	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:20.193	1:19.780	1:19.795	17
6	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:20.344	1:19.962	1:19.820	18
7	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	1:20.548	1:20.031	1:19.864	16
8	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	1:20.400	1:19.924	1:20.049	19
9	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	1:21.104	1:20.064	1:20.090	19
10	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	1:20.145	1:19.909	1:20.177	20
11	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	1:20.307	1:20.169	—	14
12	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	1:20.747	1:20.234	—	12
13	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:20.443	1:20.273	—	15
14	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:21.010	1:20.926	—	14
15	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	1:20.869	1:21.573	—	14
16	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	1:21.139	—	—	8
17	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:21.151	—	—	5
18	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:21.206	—	—	9
19	63	George Russell	Williams	1:21.587	—	—	7
20	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	1:21.717	—	—	8

What happened in the 2020 Italian Grand Prix?

Pierre Gasly won the Italian Grand Prix by just 0.415s from Carlos Sainz, with Lance Stroll completing an unexpected podium. It was Gasly’s first Formula 1 victory and a memorable success for AlphaTauri at the same circuit where its predecessor, Toro Rosso, had won in 2008.

Hamilton led from pole, while Bottas lost places and Sainz established himself in second. Sebastian Vettel retired early with brake failure, beginning a difficult afternoon for Ferrari. The order at the front initially suggested another controlled Mercedes victory.

Kevin Magnussen‘s retirement near the pit-lane entrance changed the race. Gasly had stopped shortly before the safety car was deployed, and the pit lane was then closed so the stranded Haas could be recovered. Hamilton and Antonio Giovinazzi nevertheless entered and each received a ten-second stop-and-go penalty.

When the pit lane reopened, the remaining stops lifted Gasly into a strong position. Charles Leclerc then crashed heavily at Parabolica. He escaped serious injury, but the race was stopped so the damaged barriers could be repaired.

The restart created a new contest. Hamilton still had his penalty to serve, while Stroll lost ground and Gasly moved into position to inherit the lead. Once Hamilton stopped, Gasly was out front with Kimi Räikkönen and Sainz among those chasing him.

Sainz worked his way into second and gradually closed the gap. Gasly kept his composure, placing the AlphaTauri carefully and protecting his advantage through the final corners. Sainz reached the final lap close enough to threaten, but could not find a way past.

Stroll recovered to third, followed by Norris, Bottas and Daniel Ricciardo. Hamilton fought back to seventh and took the fastest-lap point, with Esteban Ocon, Daniil Kvyat and Sergio Perez completing the points. Verstappen retired with a technical problem.

Gasly became the first French Grand Prix winner since Olivier Panis in 1996. Hamilton still increased his championship lead, but Monza belonged to the delighted AlphaTauri team and a driver who had transformed a dramatic opportunity into a breakthrough victory.

2020 Italian Grand Prix race results

The 2020 Italian Grand Prix was held on 6 September 2020, with a scheduled start of 15:10 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	53	1:47:06.056	25
2	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	53	+0.415s	18
3	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	53	+3.358s	15
4	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	53	+6.000s	12
5	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	53	+7.108s	10
6	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	53	+8.391s	8
7	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	53	+17.245s	7
8	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	53	+18.691s	4
9	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	53	+22.208s	2
10	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	53	+23.224s	1
11	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	53	+32.876s	0
12	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	53	+35.164s	0
13	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	53	+36.312s	0
14	63	George Russell	Williams	53	+36.593s	0
15	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	53	+37.533s	0
16	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	53	+55.199s	0
Ret	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	30	Power unit	0
Ret	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	23	Accident	0
Ret	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	17	Power unit	0
Ret	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	6	Brakes	0

Lewis Hamilton earned the additional point for fastest lap.

2020 Italian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	34	16:34:12	1:22.746	252.033
2	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	40	16:42:17	1:23.882	248.620
3	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	42	16:45:08	1:23.897	248.576
4	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	38	16:39:37	1:23.898	248.573
5	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	51	16:57:52	1:23.961	248.386
6	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	34	16:33:48	1:24.037	248.162
7	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	50	16:56:27	1:24.232	247.587
8	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	50	16:56:42	1:24.336	247.282
9	63	George Russell	Williams	39	16:41:11	1:24.421	247.033
10	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	44	16:48:11	1:24.479	246.863
11	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	52	16:59:26	1:24.490	246.831
12	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	48	16:54:00	1:24.785	245.972
13	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	29	16:26:48	1:24.835	245.827
14	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	43	16:47:16	1:24.856	245.766
15	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	48	16:54:03	1:24.926	245.564
16	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	39	16:41:08	1:24.999	245.353
17	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	10	15:27:54	1:25.539	243.804
18	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	10	15:28:41	1:25.787	243.099
19	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	19	15:41:29	1:26.026	242.424
20	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	4	15:19:28	1:27.107	239.415

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 Italian Grand Prix.

2020 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Lewis Hamilton	GBR	Mercedes	164
2	Valtteri Bottas	FIN	Mercedes	117
3	Max Verstappen	NED	Red Bull Racing	110
4	Lance Stroll	CAN	Racing Point	57
5	Lando Norris	GBR	McLaren	57
6	Alexander Albon	THA	Red Bull Racing	48
7	Charles Leclerc	MON	Ferrari	45
8	Pierre Gasly	FRA	AlphaTauri	43
9	Carlos Sainz	ESP	McLaren	41
10	Daniel Ricciardo	AUS	Renault	41
11	Sergio Perez	MEX	Racing Point	34
12	Esteban Ocon	FRA	Renault	30
13	Sebastian Vettel	GER	Ferrari	16
14	Nico Hulkenberg	GER	Racing Point	6
15	Daniil Kvyat	RUS	AlphaTauri	4
16	Antonio Giovinazzi	ITA	Alfa Romeo Racing	2
17	Kevin Magnussen	DEN	Haas	1
18	Nicholas Latifi	CAN	Williams	0
19	Kimi Räikkönen	FIN	Alfa Romeo Racing	0
20	Romain Grosjean	FRA	Haas	0
21	George Russell	GBR	Williams	0

2020 Post-Race F1 Constructors’ Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Mercedes	281
2	Red Bull Racing	158
3	McLaren	98
4	Racing Point	82
5	Renault	71
6	Ferrari	61
7	AlphaTauri	47
8	Alfa Romeo Racing	2
9	Haas	1
10	Williams	0

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