Motorsport Update – 14th December

Last weekend saw the final race of the 2020 FIA F1 World Championship which was the Abu Dhabi GP. The race was held at Yas Marina Circuit in the UAE which first hosted a F1 GP in 2009. This circuit has hosted the season finale of the F1 season since 2014 when the turbo hybrid era arrived.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the 2020 edition as he dominated the race winning by over 15 seconds from the two Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas and the returning Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton expressed to the media that his battle with Covid 19 was the toughest week of his life as had to miss the Sakhir GP following the positive Covid-19 test. With Lewis Hamilton back on the grid, George Russell ,who had been deputising for Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, rejoined his old foes at Williams.

DHL Fastest Lap: Daniel Ricciardo (Renault) (1.40.926)

Race Highlights:

• Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took his 10th F1 Victory after winning the 2020 Abu Dhabi GP. (Red Bull’s first win their since Sebastian Vettel won there for the outfit in 2013),
• The VSC was deployed on Lap 10 after Racing Point’s Sergio Perez’s RP20 broke down on the exit of Turn 19, (Full safety car was deployed shortly after).,
• Many drivers switched on the hard tyres for their one and only stop on Lap 11 after the SC was deployed however Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo and the two Ferrari’s of Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc opted to stay out,
• Renault’s Esteban Ocon overtook Racing Point’s Lance Stroll at turn 11 which demoted the Canadian into P10,
• Mclaren finished 5th and 6th to claim 3rd place in the 2020 F1 Constructors Championship which is their highest finishing position since 2012.

So that concludes the 2020 F1 season and also the motorsport season for 2020 as well. Next week’s motorsport update will be a Christmas special which will include all the highlights from the F1 and BTCC 2020 Championships as well as some of the latest developments from the motorsport world as well.