The event was originally scheduled for 22 March 2020 as the second round of the championship, but the COVID-19 pandemic led to its indefinite postponement on 13 March. It was the second time a Bahrain Grand Prix had been postponed in Formula One history, after the 2011 race was ultimately cancelled. An online virtual Grand Prix was held on the original date, won by Formula Two driver Guanyu Zhou. The event was rescheduled to November, and due to a subsequent surge in COVID-19 cases in Bahrain, it took place behind closed doors, with an exception granted for local health workers and their families. It was the first of two consecutive Bahrain races; the Sakhir Grand Prix followed the next weekend on a different circuit layout at the same venue.
Lewis Hamilton topped all three practice sessions and qualified on pole. Pirelli used C2, C3, and C4 compounds — the middle range of their range — and also used the opening thirty minutes of each Friday practice session to test 2021 prototype tyres, which Hamilton and other drivers found unimpressive.
The 57-lap race started at 17:10 local time. On the opening lap, Haas driver Romain Grosjean made contact with the AlphaTauri AT01 of Daniil Kvyat on the straight after turn 3, and his car ricocheted into the trackside barrier at an estimated 67 g of force and 192 km/h. The impact split Grosjean's car in two: the front section, including the survival cell, penetrated and lodged inside the barrier. The fuel supply connection was ripped from the tank, allowing fuel to escape and ignite immediately. The barrier itself cracked open under the force, and the driver's compartment struck the upper section of the split armco.
Grosjean spent approximately 28 seconds in the fire, climbing around the barrier to free himself unaided because the upper section blocked a direct upward exit. Medical car driver Alan van der Merwe and FIA medical delegate Dr. Ian Roberts reached him immediately. Grosjean was confirmed to have suffered second-degree burns on his hands and no broken bones; his helmet was credited with preventing smoke inhalation. He was taken by helicopter to Bahrain Defence Force Hospital and discharged on the following Wednesday.
The halo cockpit protection device was widely credited with deflecting the barrier structure away from Grosjean's head. Grosjean himself, speaking from his hospital bed, stated the halo was "the greatest thing that we brought to Formula One, and without it, I wouldn't be able to speak to you today" — notable given he had previously been a vocal critic of the device. Formula One managing director Ross Brawn echoed this, crediting the halo directly. Some outlets described the incident as "the miracle in the desert." The remaining nineteen drivers and all ten teams applauded in the pit lane when television footage showed Grosjean in the medical car. The race was suspended for eighty minutes while the destroyed barrier section was replaced with concrete blocks.
At the restart on lap 3, Lance Stroll and Daniil Kvyat collided at turn 8; Stroll's car was flipped upside down, though he was uninjured. Kvyat received a 10-second penalty. The resulting safety car caused Valtteri Bottas to suffer a puncture, dropping him out of contention.
Hamilton pulled clear after the safety car period ended on lap 9. He committed to a two-stop strategy on lap 19, while Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez opted for a one-stop approach on hard tyres. On lap 54, Pérez's Racing Point engine caught fire after turn 10, triggering a double-yellow flag zone and eventually a safety car period that lasted until the end of the race. A marshal crossed the track in front of Lando Norris without authorisation from race control to tackle the fire; race director Michael Masi confirmed the marshal acted contrary to instructions but defended his instinct given the earlier Grosjean incident.
Hamilton won the race — his eleventh victory of the 2020 season. Verstappen finished second. Pérez's retirement promoted Alexander Albon to third, making Albon the first Asian driver to score more than one podium finish in Formula One. The two McLarens finished fourth and fifth, allowing McLaren to overtake Racing Point for third in the Constructors' Championship. Pérez's retirement also cost him fourth place in the Drivers' Championship to Daniel Ricciardo, who finished seventh behind Pierre Gasly.
Pietro Fittipaldi was confirmed as Grosjean's replacement for the remaining two rounds. The FIA published its formal investigation into the crash in March 2021, concluding the fire originated from a separated fuel supply connection and that all driver safety measures functioned as intended. The report recommended further research into fuel cell construction, survival cell specifications, fire suppression systems, and driver glove and visor heat resistance. That research subsequently led to four racewear suppliers trialling new gloves at the 2021 Turkish Grand Prix. Dr. Ian Roberts and Alan van der Merwe were awarded the FIA President's Medal for their response to Grosjean's crash.
The 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix was the last race of the season won by a Mercedes driver; the subsequent Sakhir and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix were won by Pérez and Verstappen respectively.
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