The event was added to the revised 2020 calendar following the cancellation of other races due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It occupied the date originally intended for the Brazilian Grand Prix. Although organizers initially planned for 100,000 spectators, a surge in COVID-19 cases required the race to be held behind closed doors. The meeting was the first Grand Prix of the 2020 season to take place outside of Europe.
The Istanbul Park circuit, which had not hosted a major racing event for several years, underwent renovation and resurfacing overseen by Tilke Engineers & Architects. The 5.338-kilometre track featured a new second drag reduction system (DRS) zone between the final and first turns. Due to the pandemic, strict social distancing and mask mandates were enforced. The Williams team was forced to use 24 substitute workers from their factory after several personnel tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 or showed symptoms.
Low-grip conditions defined the practice sessions, caused by a combination of the smooth new track surface, bitumen seeping from the fresh tarmac, and cold November weather. Pirelli provided its three hardest dry-weather compounds (C1, C2, and C3), but later noted that softer compounds would have been better suited to the surface had they been informed of the recent resurfacing. Max Verstappen finished fastest in all three practice sessions.
Qualifying took place in damp conditions on a slippery track. Lance Stroll achieved the first pole position of his career with a time of 1:47.765, making him the first Canadian pole-sitter since 1997. This was the first pole position for the Racing Point constructor and the first time in 2020 that a Mercedes driver did not take pole. Verstappen qualified second, while Sergio Pérez took third. The Mercedes drivers struggled with tyre temperatures, with Hamilton qualifying sixth and Valtteri Bottas ninth.
A safety review was initiated after the second qualifying subsession began while a tractor crane was still on track recovering Nicholas Latifi's car. Several drivers expressed concern, citing the fatal 2014 Japanese Grand Prix incident involving a recovery vehicle.
Rainfall before the start resulted in a very wet track surface. Lance Stroll maintained his lead from pole, while his teammate Pérez moved into second. The Red Bull drivers, Verstappen and Alex Albon, suffered slow starts after opting to launch in first gear while much of the grid used second. Sebastian Vettel made significant gains on the opening lap, moving from eleventh to fourth, and eventually into third after Hamilton slid off at turn nine.
As the track began to dry, drivers transitioned from full wet tyres to intermediates. Charles Leclerc was the first to switch on lap six, and his improved pace prompted the rest of the field to follow. Stroll led 32 of the first 35 laps but lost the lead on lap 36 after pitting for a new set of intermediates. Racing Point later reported that Stroll's car had suffered front wing damage, which caused aerodynamic loss and graining on his new tyres; he eventually finished ninth.
Hamilton took the lead on lap 37 after overtaking Pérez using DRS. While other drivers made second stops for fresh intermediates, Hamilton and Pérez remained on track with heavily worn tyres that eventually became nearly slick. Hamilton won the race by a 30-second margin. On the final lap, Leclerc attempted to pass Pérez for second but made an error, allowing his teammate Vettel to take third place. This marked Vettel's only podium finish of the 2020 season.
Hamilton's victory was his 94th Grand Prix win and his tenth of the season. By securing the title, he ensured a Mercedes driver won the World Drivers' Championship for the seventh consecutive year. Valtteri Bottas, Hamilton's only remaining title rival going into the race, finished 14th after spinning six times.
In the Constructors' Championship, Racing Point moved into third place, while Ferrari's third and fourth-place finishes meant they scored the most points of any constructor at this race. Lando Norris recorded the fastest lap of the race on the final lap.
Following the race, Hamilton was knighted in the 2021 New Year Honours. He described the drive as his best of the year, a sentiment shared by several commentators who compared the performance to Ayrton Senna's victory at the 1993 European Grand Prix. The podium, consisting of Hamilton, Pérez, and Vettel, featured three of the most experienced drivers on the grid, which Formula One managing director Ross Brawn attributed to the challenging conditions rewarding veteran talent.
Gallery · 4 related images
