2020 Turkish Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Lewis Hamilton delivered a champion’s drive at the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix, mastering a slippery Istanbul Park to secure a record-equalling seventh world title. Sergio Perez and Sebastian Vettel joined him on the podium after a race that transformed from a Racing Point opportunity into another landmark afternoon for the Mercedes driver.

Race Guide

Season: 2020 F1 World Championship
Race date: 15 November 2020
Race start time: 13:10 local time (UTC+03:00)
Circuit: Istanbul Park
Laps: 58 laps
Circuit length: 5.338 km
2011 winner: Sebastian Vettel

Pole position
Driver	Lance Stroll	Racing Point
Time	1:47.765
Fastest lap
Driver	Lando Norris	McLaren
Time	1:36.806 on lap 58
Podium
First	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Second	Sergio Perez	Racing Point
Third	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari

Weekend Schedule

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

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

Championship background

Formula 1 returned to Istanbul Park for the first time since 2011. Hamilton could settle the championship with three races remaining, but newly laid asphalt, cool temperatures and rain made this an unusually unpredictable weekend. Finding grip mattered far more than the familiar pecking order.

Race entries

The regular 20 drivers took part, with no substitute appearances in practice. Racing Point arrived firmly involved in the fight for third in the constructors’ championship, while Ferrari hoped the unusual conditions might provide an opportunity to challenge nearer the front.

Free Practice

Max Verstappen led FP1 with a 1:35.077, ahead of Alexander Albon and Charles Leclerc. Drivers struggled to generate tyre temperature on the remarkably slippery new surface, with several finding that even straightforward acceleration could provoke wheelspin.

Verstappen remained fastest in FP2, improving to 1:28.330. Leclerc was second and Valtteri Bottas third as the circuit gained grip, although the cold surface continued to make consistency difficult.

Rain made FP3 slower again. Verstappen set a 1:48.485 ahead of Leclerc and Albon, while Hamilton completed installation running without recording a timed lap. Qualifying promised a very different challenge from a normal dry session.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2020 Turkish Grand Prix FP1, 13 November 2020

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:35.077	29
2	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	+0.241s	27
3	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.430s	26
4	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+0.466s	26
5	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.543s	29
6	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	+1.661s	27
7	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+2.139s	21
8	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.426s	21
9	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+2.552s	23
10	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	+3.351s	23
11	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+3.431s	18
12	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	+3.535s	22
13	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	+4.407s	21
14	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+4.948s	25
15	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+5.148s	12
16	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+5.958s	23
17	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+6.777s	21
18	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	+10.079s	20
19	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	+11.385s	12
20	63	George Russell	Williams	+14.179s	17

Free Practice 2 Classification

2020 Turkish Grand Prix FP2, 13 November 2020

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:28.330	37
2	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.401s	45
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.575s	43
4	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.850s	39
5	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	+1.033s	42
6	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	+1.359s	43
7	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+1.614s	43
8	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+1.692s	41
9	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	+1.967s	38
10	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+2.405s	39
11	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	+2.774s	38
12	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	+3.050s	36
13	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+3.163s	39
14	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	+3.168s	40
15	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	+3.330s	35
16	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+3.602s	43
17	63	George Russell	Williams	+3.972s	39
18	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+4.240s	33
19	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+4.477s	37
20	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	+5.158s	40

Free Practice 3 Classification

2020 Turkish Grand Prix FP3, 14 November 2020

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:48.485	6
2	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.945s	9
3	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	+1.574s	5
4	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	+5.412s	9
5	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+5.510s	7
6	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+6.005s	14
7	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	+7.092s	6
8	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+7.181s	4
9	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+7.393s	4
10	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	+8.339s	5
11	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	+9.990s	6
12	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	+11.063s	7
13	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+13.840s	10
14	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	+13.988s	7
15	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+16.263s	5
16	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+17.866s	13
17	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	+20.883s	8
18	63	George Russell	Williams		1
19	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams		1
20	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes		3

Qualifying

Lance Stroll claimed his first Formula 1 pole position with a superb 1:47.765 on intermediate tyres. After rain interruptions, Racing Point judged the improving conditions well, with Stroll beating Max Verstappen by 0.290 seconds and Sergio Perez taking third.

Alexander Albon qualified fourth, followed by Daniel Ricciardo and Lewis Hamilton. Esteban Ocon, Kimi Räikkönen, Valtteri Bottas and Antonio Giovinazzi completed an unusually mixed top ten. Both Ferrari drivers missed Q3, leaving plenty of recovery work for Sunday.

Qualifying Classification

2020 Turkish Grand Prix Qualifying, 14 November 2020

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	2:07.467	1:53.372	1:47.765	22
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:57.485	1:50.293	1:48.055	26
3	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	2:07.614	1:54.097	1:49.321	21
4	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	1:59.431	1:52.282	1:50.448	26
5	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	2:05.598	1:54.278	1:51.595	26
6	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	2:07.599	1:52.709	1:52.560	23
7	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	2:06.115	1:53.657	1:52.622	26
8	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	2:01.249	1:53.793	1:52.745	27
9	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	2:07.001	1:53.767	1:53.258	23
10	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	2:07.341	1:53.431	1:57.226	26
11	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	2:07.167	1:54.945	—	18
12	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	2:03.356	1:55.169	—	18
13	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	2:07.489	1:55.410	—	18
14	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	2:04.464	1:56.696	—	18
15	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	2:05.579	1:58.556	—	17
16	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	2:08.007	—	—	10
17	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	2:09.070	—	—	8
18	63	George Russell	Williams	2:10.017	—	—	9
19	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	2:12.909	—	—	7
20	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	2:21.611	—	—	9

Lando Norris received a five-place grid penalty for failing to respect yellow flags during qualifying.

Carlos Sainz received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Sergio Perez during qualifying.

Pierre Gasly was required to start from the back of the grid for breaching parc fermé regulations.

George Russell was required to start from the back of the grid for exceeding his quota of power unit elements. He also received a five-place grid penalty for failing to respect yellow flags during qualifying. Russell started the race from the pit lane after he had to return to the pits to fix his damaged car. His place on the grid, 20th, was left vacant.

Nicholas Latifi started the race from the pit lane as he did not leave it before it was closed. His place on the grid, 18th, was left vacant.

As qualifying was held on a wet track, the 107% rule was not enforced.

What happened in the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix?

Lewis Hamilton won by 31.633 seconds and secured his seventh world championship, matching Michael Schumacher‘s record. His afternoon was a lesson in patience: sixth on the grid, initially short of grip, and ultimately comfortably clear of the field.

Lance Stroll and Sergio Perez led away for Racing Point, while Sebastian Vettel made a superb start to run third. Max Verstappen lost ground off the line, and Valtteri Bottas began a difficult race with an opening-lap spin. Full wet tyres were soon exchanged for intermediates as the surface improved.

Verstappen recovered to threaten Perez, but a high-speed spin while pursuing the Racing Point forced another stop. Alexander Albon also looked competitive before a later spin and tyre difficulties ended his challenge. Keeping the tyres working over a long stint became the decisive skill.

Stroll led most of the opening half of the race, but his second stop brought a sharp loss of pace. Racing Point later identified front-wing damage that contributed to his tyre problems. Hamilton stayed out, passed Perez for the lead on lap 37 and steadily opened a commanding advantage.

Hamilton completed 50 laps on his set of intermediates, managing the worn tread as the track slowly dried. Perez also committed to a long final stint, resisting the temptation to change tyres and preserving a well-earned second place.

The final podium position changed hands on the last lap. Charles Leclerc attacked Perez but ran wide at the final sequence of corners, allowing Vettel through for third. Leclerc finished fourth ahead of Carlos Sainz, with Verstappen and Albon sixth and seventh.

Lando Norris took eighth and the fastest-lap point, followed by Stroll and Ricciardo. Bottas finished 14th after repeated spins, ending his title challenge. On a weekend when Mercedes had looked vulnerable, Hamilton had produced one of the season’s most accomplished victories.

2020 Turkish Grand Prix race results

The 2020 Turkish Grand Prix was held on 15 November 2020, with a scheduled start of 13:10 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	58	1:42:19.313	25
2	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	58	+31.633s	18
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	58	+31.960s	15
4	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	58	+33.858s	12
5	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	58	+34.363s	10
6	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	58	+44.873s	8
7	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	58	+46.484s	6
8	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	58	+61.259s	5
9	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	58	+72.353s	2
10	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	58	+95.460s	1
11	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	57	+1 lap	0
12	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	57	+1 lap	0
13	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	57	+1 lap	0
14	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	57	+1 lap	0
15	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	57	+1 lap	0
16	63	George Russell	Williams	57	+1 lap	0
17	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	55	Withdrew	0
Ret	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	49	Collision damage	0
Ret	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	39	Collision damage	0
Ret	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	11	Gearbox	0

Lando Norris earned the additional point for fastest lap.

Kevin Magnussen retired but was classified because he completed more than 90% of the race distance.

2020 Turkish Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	58	14:56:47	1:36.806	198.508
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	57	14:56:38	1:38.193	195.704
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	53	14:48:07	1:38.431	195.231
4	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	56	14:53:01	1:38.754	194.592
5	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	54	14:49:49	1:39.099	193.915
6	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	56	14:52:26	1:39.413	193.302
7	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri	53	14:49:17	1:39.586	192.966
8	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	53	14:47:58	1:39.662	192.819
9	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	57	14:57:08	1:39.743	192.663
10	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	55	14:51:51	1:39.921	192.319
11	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	47	14:37:47	1:39.961	192.242
12	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	50	14:42:44	1:40.392	191.417
13	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	54	14:50:33	1:40.677	190.875
14	63	George Russell	Williams	51	14:47:03	1:40.814	190.616
15	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	45	14:38:09	1:40.948	190.363
16	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	55	14:52:22	1:41.006	190.254
17	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri	53	14:49:04	1:41.019	190.229
18	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	38	14:24:48	1:43.281	186.063
19	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams	32	14:15:40	1:43.495	185.678
20	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	11	13:35:39	1:51.122	172.934

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 Turkish Grand Prix.

2020 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Lewis Hamilton	GBR	Mercedes	307
2	Valtteri Bottas	FIN	Mercedes	197
3	Max Verstappen	NED	Red Bull Racing	170
4	Sergio Perez	MEX	Racing Point	100
5	Charles Leclerc	MON	Ferrari	97
6	Daniel Ricciardo	AUS	Renault	96
7	Carlos Sainz	ESP	McLaren	75
8	Lando Norris	GBR	McLaren	74
9	Alexander Albon	THA	Red Bull Racing	70
10	Pierre Gasly	FRA	AlphaTauri	63
11	Lance Stroll	CAN	Racing Point	59
12	Esteban Ocon	FRA	Renault	40
13	Sebastian Vettel	GER	Ferrari	33
14	Daniil Kvyat	RUS	AlphaTauri	26
15	Nico Hulkenberg	GER	Racing Point	10
16	Kimi Räikkönen	FIN	Alfa Romeo Racing	4
17	Antonio Giovinazzi	ITA	Alfa Romeo Racing	4
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	504
2	Red Bull Racing	240
3	Racing Point	154
4	McLaren	149
5	Renault	136
6	Ferrari	130
7	AlphaTauri	89
8	Alfa Romeo Racing	8
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.