2020 Spanish Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Lewis Hamilton delivered a commanding response to his Silverstone defeat at the 2020 Spanish Grand Prix. In the heat at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the Mercedes driver managed his tyres superbly and finished well clear of Max Verstappen, with Valtteri Bottas completing the podium.

Race Guide

Season: 2020 F1 World Championship
Race date: 16 August 2020
Race start time: 15:10 local time (UTC+02:00)
Circuit: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
Laps: 66 laps
Circuit length: 4.655 km
2019 winner: Lewis Hamilton

Pole position
Driver	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Time	1:15.584
Fastest lap
Driver	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes
Time	1:18.183 on lap 66
Podium
First	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Second	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing
Third	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes

Weekend Schedule

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

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

Championship background

Verstappen’s victory at the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix had moved him ahead of Bottas and into second in the championship, 30 points behind Hamilton. Another hot weekend raised questions about whether Mercedes would again struggle with its tyres. Barcelona would provide a clear answer, while the tight midfield contest promised another important round for Racing Point, McLaren, Ferrari and Renault.

Race entries

Sergio Perez returned to Racing Point after missing both Silverstone races, restoring the regular 20-driver line-up. Roy Nissany made an FP1 appearance for Williams in place of George Russell, who returned for the remaining sessions.

Free Practice

Valtteri Bottas led FP1 with a 1:16.785, only 0.039s ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Max Verstappen was third, with Mercedes setting the pace as teams assessed the hot conditions.

Hamilton topped FP2 on a 1:16.883, followed by Bottas and Verstappen. Long-run work was particularly important after the tyre problems Mercedes had encountered at the previous round.

Hamilton also led FP3 with a 1:17.222, ahead of Bottas and Verstappen. Esteban Ocon crashed while avoiding Kevin Magnussen, interrupting the session and leaving Renault with repairs before qualifying.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2020 Spanish Grand Prix FP1, 14 August 2020

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:16.785	33
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.039s	29
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.939s	26
4	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+1.185s	27
5	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+1.196s	27
6	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+1.506s	29
7	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	+1.686s	31
8	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	+1.821s	27
9	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+1.835s	28
10	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	+1.858s	31
11	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	+1.948s	33
12	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	+1.951s	31
13	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+1.959s	32
14	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+2.103s	26
15	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.132s	24
16	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.196s	24
17	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	+2.360s	21
18	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	+2.445s	31
19	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+3.549s	30
20	40	Roy Nissany	Williams	+3.879s	25

Free Practice 2 Classification

2020 Spanish Grand Prix FP2, 14 August 2020

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:16.883	37
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.287s	38
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.821s	33
4	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	+0.985s	34
5	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+1.250s	29
6	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+1.264s	35
7	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	+1.331s	33
8	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	+1.410s	39
9	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	+1.420s	40
10	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+1.429s	40
11	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	+1.474s	39
12	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+1.521s	36
13	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	+1.608s	35
14	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+1.623s	38
15	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	+1.759s	39
16	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+1.878s	36
17	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.017s	42
18	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.081s	40
19	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+2.272s	32
20	63	George Russell	Williams	+2.508s	38

Free Practice 3 Classification

2020 Spanish Grand Prix FP3, 15 August 2020

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:17.222	12
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.151s	13
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.515s	10
4	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	+0.824s	18
5	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	+0.874s	16
6	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.971s	15
7	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+0.989s	13
8	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	+1.087s	16
9	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	+1.149s	13
10	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	+1.162s	12
11	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	+1.380s	18
12	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+1.485s	15
13	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+1.488s	14
14	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.499s	11
15	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+1.581s	23
16	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	+1.630s	15
17	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+1.718s	15
18	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+1.953s	13
19	63	George Russell	Williams	+2.075s	16
20	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+2.542s	16

Qualifying

Lewis Hamilton secured pole with a 1:15.584, beating Valtteri Bottas by 0.059s. Max Verstappen qualified third, with the Racing Point cars of Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll fourth and fifth.

Alexander Albon took sixth ahead of Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris. Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly completed Q3, while Sebastian Vettel missed the final segment in 11th. Mercedes had locked out the front row, but Verstappen would again have an opportunity to attack at the start.

Qualifying Classification

2020 Spanish Grand Prix Qualifying, 15 August 2020

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:16.872	1:16.013	1:15.584	15
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:17.243	1:16.152	1:15.643	15
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:17.213	1:16.518	1:16.292	15
4	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	1:17.117	1:16.936	1:16.482	15
5	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	1:17.316	1:16.666	1:16.589	15
6	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	1:17.419	1:17.163	1:17.029	18
7	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	1:17.438	1:16.876	1:17.044	17
8	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:17.577	1:17.166	1:17.084	18
9	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:17.256	1:16.953	1:17.087	18
10	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	1:17.356	1:16.800	1:17.136	18
11	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:17.573	1:17.168	—	12
12	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	1:17.676	1:17.192	—	12
13	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	1:17.667	1:17.198	—	12
14	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:17.797	1:17.386	—	12
15	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	1:17.765	1:17.567	—	12
16	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	1:17.908	—	—	6
17	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	1:18.089	—	—	6
18	63	George Russell	Williams	1:18.099	—	—	9
19	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	1:18.532	—	—	9
20	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:18.697	—	—	6

What happened in the 2020 Spanish Grand Prix?

Lewis Hamilton controlled the Spanish Grand Prix from the front and won by 24.177s. Max Verstappen split the Mercedes cars in second, while Valtteri Bottas finished third and collected the fastest-lap point.

Hamilton made a clean start, but Bottas lost ground immediately. Verstappen moved into second and Lance Stroll also passed the Mercedes, leaving Bottas fourth. Bottas recovered third early on, but the lost track position had already complicated his race.

Verstappen initially stayed within reach of Hamilton. The leader then increased his pace while protecting his tyres, opening a gap that Red Bull Racing could not close through the stops. Hamilton’s combination of speed and control was a marked change from Mercedes‘ difficulties a week earlier.

Bottas continued to pursue Verstappen but could not take second back. Hamilton remained comfortably ahead through the second round of stops, and eventually lapped every car apart from the other two podium finishers.

Ferrari had contrasting afternoons. Charles Leclerc retired after an electrical problem caused his car to spin, while Sebastian Vettel extended his stint on soft tyres to make a one-stop strategy work. Seventh place gave Vettel a useful result after another difficult qualifying session.

Perez crossed the line fourth but received five seconds for ignoring blue flags, promoting Stroll to fourth in the final classification. Carlos Sainz finished sixth at home, ahead of Vettel, Albon, Gasly and Norris. Daniil Kvyat also received a blue-flag penalty, although his finishing position did not change.

Hamilton’s victory was his 88th, and his 156th podium established a new outright record. He left Spain 37 points ahead of Verstappen, with Bottas a further six behind. Mercedes had answered the tyre question emphatically before the championship moved to Spa-Francorchamps.

2020 Spanish Grand Prix race results

The 2020 Spanish Grand Prix was held on 16 August 2020, with a scheduled start of 15:10 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	66	1:31:45.279	25
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	66	+24.177s	18
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	66	+44.752s	16
4	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	65	+1 lap	12
5	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	65	+1 lap	10
6	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	65	+1 lap	8
7	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	65	+1 lap	6
8	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	65	+1 lap	4
9	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	65	+1 lap	2
10	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	65	+1 lap	1
11	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	65	+1 lap	0
12	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	65	+1 lap	0
13	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	65	+1 lap	0
14	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	65	+1 lap	0
15	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	65	+1 lap	0
16	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	65	+1 lap	0
17	63	George Russell	Williams	65	+1 lap	0
18	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	64	+2 laps	0
19	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	64	+2 laps	0
Ret	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	38	Electrical	0

Valtteri Bottas earned the additional point for fastest lap.

Sergio Perez finished fourth on the track, but received a five-second time penalty for ignoring blue flags.

Daniil Kvyat received a five-second time penalty for ignoring blue flags. His final position was not affected by the penalty.

2020 Spanish Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	66	16:45:49	1:18.183	214.343
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	63	16:41:00	1:19.822	209.942
3	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	64	16:45:34	1:20.409	208.409
4	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	53	16:27:42	1:21.477	205.677
5	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	59	16:37:13	1:21.771	204.938
6	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	47	16:21:17	1:21.801	204.863
7	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	47	16:21:11	1:21.888	204.645
8	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	56	16:33:01	1:22.024	204.306
9	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	60	16:39:32	1:22.030	204.291
10	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	65	16:46:00	1:22.174	203.933
11	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	41	16:12:16	1:22.194	203.883
12	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	47	16:20:49	1:22.336	203.531
13	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	56	16:33:11	1:22.392	203.393
14	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	51	16:26:19	1:22.464	203.215
15	63	George Russell	Williams	37	16:06:53	1:22.503	203.119
16	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	58	16:35:41	1:22.515	203.090
17	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	44	16:16:30	1:22.543	203.021
18	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	48	16:21:52	1:22.707	202.618
19	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	64	16:44:49	1:23.474	200.757
20	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	35	16:03:37	1:23.968	199.576

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 Spanish Grand Prix.

2020 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Lewis Hamilton	GBR	Mercedes	132
2	Max Verstappen	NED	Red Bull Racing	95
3	Valtteri Bottas	FIN	Mercedes	89
4	Charles Leclerc	MON	Ferrari	45
5	Lance Stroll	CAN	Racing Point	40
6	Alexander Albon	THA	Red Bull Racing	40
7	Lando Norris	GBR	McLaren	39
8	Sergio Perez	MEX	Racing Point	32
9	Carlos Sainz	ESP	McLaren	23
10	Daniel Ricciardo	AUS	Renault	20
11	Sebastian Vettel	GER	Ferrari	16
12	Esteban Ocon	FRA	Renault	16
13	Pierre Gasly	FRA	AlphaTauri	14
14	Nico Hulkenberg	GER	Racing Point	6
15	Antonio Giovinazzi	ITA	Alfa Romeo Racing	2
16	Daniil Kvyat	RUS	AlphaTauri	2
17	Kevin Magnussen	DEN	Haas	1
18	Kimi Räikkönen	FIN	Alfa Romeo Racing	0
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	221
2	Red Bull Racing	135
3	Racing Point	63
4	McLaren	62
5	Ferrari	61
6	Renault	36
7	AlphaTauri	16
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.