2020 Russian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Valtteri Bottas returned to the top step at the 2020 Russian Grand Prix, taking advantage of a penalty-hit afternoon for Lewis Hamilton. Max Verstappen split the Mercedes cars in second at Sochi Autodrom, while Bottas added the fastest lap to complete a much-needed maximum-points result.

Race Guide

Season: 2020 F1 World Championship
Race date: 27 September 2020
Race start time: 14:10 local time (UTC+03:00)
Circuit: Sochi Autodrom
Laps: 53 laps
Circuit length: 5.848 km
2019 winner: Lewis Hamilton

Pole position
Driver	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Time	1:31.304
Fastest lap
Driver	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes
Time	1:37.030 on lap 51
Podium
First	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes
Second	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing
Third	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
25 September 2020	Practice 1	11:00 – 12:30
25 September 2020	Practice 2	15:00 – 16:30
26 September 2020	Practice 3	12:00 – 13:00
26 September 2020	Qualifying	15:00 – 16:00
27 September 2020	Race	14:10

All times are local (UTC+03:00). The race time is the scheduled start.

Championship background

Hamilton led Bottas by 55 points after Mugello and stood one victory away from Michael Schumacher‘s record of 91 wins. Sochi had been a successful circuit for Mercedes throughout its time on the calendar, but the long run to the first major braking zone made the opening lap an important opportunity for the chasing cars.

Race entries

The regular 20-driver line-up took part, with no substitute appearances in practice. Kimi Räikkönen reached his 322nd Grand Prix start, matching Rubens Barrichello‘s record.

Free Practice

Valtteri Bottas led FP1 with a 1:34.923, followed by Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen. Carlos Sainz damaged his rear wing in a spin, while Nicholas Latifi‘s accident brought out the red flags.

Bottas also topped FP2, improving to 1:33.519 ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Ricciardo. Mercedes looked strong, with Renault again showing encouraging pace behind the leading cars.

Hamilton took over at the top in FP3 with a 1:33.279, comfortably ahead of Bottas. Sainz was third as McLaren recovered from its disrupted opening session.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2020 Russian Grand Prix FP1, 25 September 2020

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:34.923	13
2	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	+0.507s	22
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.654s	22
4	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	+0.873s	23
5	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	+1.042s	21
6	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	+1.138s	23
7	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	+1.307s	22
8	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	+1.331s	24
9	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+1.400s	23
10	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+1.783s	25
11	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+1.973s	23
12	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	+2.047s	8
13	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+2.187s	28
14	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.278s	17
15	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.307s	23
16	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+2.507s	22
17	63	George Russell	Williams	+2.672s	24
18	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+2.726s	24
19	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+2.793s	18
20	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+2.861s	11

Free Practice 2 Classification

2020 Russian Grand Prix FP2, 25 September 2020

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:33.519	37
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.267s	33
3	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	+1.058s	27
4	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	+1.204s	36
5	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+1.328s	33
6	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	+1.371s	35
7	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+1.529s	30
8	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+1.533s	35
9	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	+1.620s	28
10	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+1.664s	35
11	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+1.691s	35
12	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	+1.723s	31
13	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	+1.942s	37
14	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.997s	33
15	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+2.044s	31
16	63	George Russell	Williams	+2.056s	30
17	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	+2.108s	34
18	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+2.210s	32
19	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.534s	36
20	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+3.339s	32

Free Practice 3 Classification

2020 Russian Grand Prix FP3, 26 September 2020

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:33.279	16
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.776s	19
3	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	+0.817s	17
4	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	+0.960s	13
5	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	+0.973s	14
6	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+1.027s	11
7	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+1.315s	14
8	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	+1.453s	13
9	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	+1.489s	14
10	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	+1.508s	12
11	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+1.513s	12
12	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+1.527s	14
13	63	George Russell	Williams	+1.700s	16
14	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+1.978s	14
15	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+2.013s	14
16	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+2.172s	14
17	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.311s	15
18	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.320s	15
19	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	+2.324s	14
20	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+2.702s	17

Qualifying

Lewis Hamilton took pole with a 1:31.304, but his route to Q3 was far from straightforward. Sebastian Vettel‘s Q2 accident brought out a red flag, leaving Hamilton only just enough time to begin a final lap and avoid elimination.

Max Verstappen split the Mercedes cars in second, ahead of Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Perez and Daniel Ricciardo. Hamilton’s Q2 recovery committed him to starting on soft tyres, while Verstappen and Bottas would use mediums. Alexander Albon and Nicholas Latifi later received five-place penalties for gearbox changes.

Qualifying Classification

2020 Russian Grand Prix Qualifying, 26 September 2020

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:32.983	1:32.835	1:31.304	19
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:33.630	1:33.157	1:31.867	21
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:32.656	1:32.405	1:31.956	19
4	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	1:33.704	1:33.038	1:32.317	15
5	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	1:33.650	1:32.218	1:32.364	15
6	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	1:33.967	1:32.757	1:32.550	15
7	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	1:33.557	1:33.196	1:32.624	20
8	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:33.804	1:33.081	1:32.847	19
9	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	1:33.734	1:33.139	1:33.000	21
10	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	1:33.919	1:33.153	1:33.008	19
11	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:34.071	1:33.239	—	10
12	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	1:33.511	1:33.249	—	16
13	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	1:33.852	1:33.364	—	11
14	63	George Russell	Williams	1:34.020	1:33.583	—	11
15	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:34.134	1:33.609	—	11
16	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	1:34.592	—	—	7
17	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:34.594	—	—	6
18	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	1:34.681	—	—	8
19	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	1:35.066	—	—	5
20	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:35.267	—	—	5

Alexander Albon and Nicholas Latifi both received a five-place grid penalty for an unscheduled gearbox change.

What happened in the 2020 Russian Grand Prix?

Valtteri Bottas won at Sochi for the second time, finishing ahead of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. His victory and fastest lap reduced Hamilton’s championship lead to 44 points.

Hamilton retained the lead at the start, while Bottas passed Verstappen and briefly challenged his team-mate. Further back, Carlos Sainz crashed while trying to rejoin after running wide at Turn 2. Lance Stroll also retired after contact with Charles Leclerc, bringing out an early safety car.

The decisive development concerned Hamilton’s practice starts before the race. The stewards ruled that two had taken place outside the designated area and imposed two separate five-second penalties. Hamilton served both at his first pit stop, losing the lead and rejoining in traffic.

Bottas was then able to control the race on his medium-tyre opening stint. Verstappen remained his closest challenger but could not bring the Red Bull Racing car into a genuine fight for victory. Hamilton recovered through the stops to third, though the lost time left the leading pair beyond reach.

Sergio Perez delivered fourth for Racing Point. Daniel Ricciardo took fifth despite a five-second penalty for failing to follow the prescribed route when rejoining at Turn 2. Leclerc’s sixth place gave Ferrari a useful result after starting outside the top ten.

Esteban Ocon finished seventh, followed by Daniil Kvyat, Pierre Gasly and Albon. The second Red Bull Racing driver also carried a Turn 2 penalty. Both McLaren drivers missed the points, with Sainz out on the first lap and Lando Norris finishing 15th.

Hamilton’s race penalties remained in place, although the associated licence penalty points were later withdrawn after the stewards considered the team’s instructions. Bottas, meanwhile, left with his first victory since the season opener and renewed momentum before the championship’s return to the Nürburgring.

2020 Russian Grand Prix race results

The 2020 Russian Grand Prix was held on 27 September 2020, with a scheduled start of 14:10 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	53	1:34:00.364	26
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	53	+7.729s	18
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	53	+22.729s	15
4	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	53	+30.558s	12
5	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	53	+52.065s	10
6	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	53	+62.186s	8
7	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	53	+68.006s	6
8	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	53	+68.740s	4
9	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	53	+89.766s	2
10	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	53	+97.860s	1
11	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	52	+1 lap	0
12	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	52	+1 lap	0
13	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	52	+1 lap	0
14	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	52	+1 lap	0
15	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	52	+1 lap	0
16	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	52	+1 lap	0
17	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	52	+1 lap	0
18	63	George Russell	Williams	52	+1 lap	0
Ret	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	0	Accident	0
Ret	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	0	Collision	0

Valtteri Bottas earned the additional point for fastest lap.

Daniel Ricciardo and Alexander Albon both received a five-second time penalty for failing to follow the race director’s instructions at turn 2.

2020 Russian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	51	15:44:18	1:37.030	216.972
2	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	50	15:44:06	1:37.231	216.523
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	53	15:47:41	1:37.332	216.298
4	63	George Russell	Williams	52	15:48:55	1:37.352	216.254
5	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	50	15:44:43	1:37.377	216.198
6	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	53	15:48:20	1:37.886	215.074
7	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	48	15:39:40	1:38.075	214.660
8	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	52	15:46:24	1:38.141	214.515
9	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	51	15:45:49	1:38.377	214.001
10	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	37	15:22:33	1:38.858	212.960
11	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	47	15:38:35	1:39.053	212.540
12	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	48	15:40:23	1:39.133	212.369
13	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	48	15:40:22	1:39.216	212.191
14	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	46	15:37:40	1:39.588	211.398
15	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	44	15:34:57	1:39.614	211.343
16	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	44	15:34:16	1:39.766	211.021
17	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	52	15:47:47	1:40.380	209.731
18	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	47	15:39:57	1:41.044	208.352

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 Russian Grand Prix.

2020 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Lewis Hamilton	GBR	Mercedes	205
2	Valtteri Bottas	FIN	Mercedes	161
3	Max Verstappen	NED	Red Bull Racing	128
4	Lando Norris	GBR	McLaren	65
5	Alexander Albon	THA	Red Bull Racing	64
6	Daniel Ricciardo	AUS	Renault	63
7	Charles Leclerc	MON	Ferrari	57
8	Lance Stroll	CAN	Racing Point	57
9	Sergio Perez	MEX	Racing Point	56
10	Pierre Gasly	FRA	AlphaTauri	45
11	Carlos Sainz	ESP	McLaren	41
12	Esteban Ocon	FRA	Renault	36
13	Sebastian Vettel	GER	Ferrari	17
14	Daniil Kvyat	RUS	AlphaTauri	14
15	Nico Hulkenberg	GER	Racing Point	6
16	Kimi Räikkönen	FIN	Alfa Romeo Racing	2
17	Antonio Giovinazzi	ITA	Alfa Romeo Racing	2
18	Kevin Magnussen	DEN	Haas	1
19	Nicholas Latifi	CAN	Williams	0
20	George Russell	GBR	Williams	0
21	Romain Grosjean	FRA	Haas	0

2020 Post-Race F1 Constructors’ Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Mercedes	366
2	Red Bull Racing	192
3	McLaren	106
4	Racing Point	104
5	Renault	99
6	Ferrari	74
7	AlphaTauri	59
8	Alfa Romeo Racing	4
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.