The 2020 championship was heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the originally planned Grands Prix were cancelled or postponed, prompting the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile to draft a new calendar. Up to 20,000 fans were expected to attend the race with social distancing measures in place.
The drivers and teams were initially the same as the season entry list. Ferrari Driver Academy drivers Mick Schumacher and Callum Ilott were entered to appear in the first practice session for Alfa Romeo Racing and Haas, respectively. However, the session was cancelled, and neither participated. Nico Hülkenberg replaced Lance Stroll at Racing Point after Stroll felt unwell before the third practice session; Stroll later revealed he tested positive for the coronavirus on the day of the race.
The first practice session on Friday was abandoned because rain and fog made conditions unsafe for the medical helicopter to fly. The second practice session was likewise cancelled. In the third practice session, Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas was fastest, followed by Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
Pirelli supplied their C2, C3, and C4 compound tyres for the event. In qualifying, Valtteri Bottas secured pole position.
At the race start, Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton battled for the lead, with Bottas maintaining his position. Renault's Daniel Ricciardo passed Red Bull's Alexander Albon for fifth place. On lap 11, Sebastian Vettel spun at turn one during an attempt to overtake Antonio Giovinazzi, dropping from 10th to 13th place.
On lap 13, Bottas locked up his brakes and ran wide at turn one, allowing Hamilton to take the lead at turn two. Bottas pitted for tyres at the end of the lap. Also on lap 13, Kimi Räikkönen attempted to overtake George Russell at turn one but understeered into the side of the Williams. The collision caused a puncture and suspension damage for Russell, who retired at the exit of turn six. Räikkönen was issued a 10-second time penalty for the incident. A virtual safety car (VSC) was deployed to recover Russell's car, during which Hamilton and Max Verstappen made pit stops, with Verstappen retaining second place.
On lap 17, Albon passed Daniil Kvyat for 10th place but made contact with Kvyat's front wing, breaking it off. Shortly after, Bottas retired from the race due to power loss. Esteban Ocon retired on lap 22 with a hydraulics issue. On the following lap, Albon was issued a five-second time penalty for the collision with Kvyat, but he retired his car due to a damaged radiator before the penalty could be applied.
Lando Norris reported power loss on lap 26 and eventually suffered a total power unit failure on lap 44, pulling over after turn six. This triggered a safety car period. The safety car remained out until lap 50 to allow lapped cars to pass. Following the restart, Pierre Gasly passed Leclerc for sixth place.
Lewis Hamilton took his 91st race win, equalling Michael Schumacher's record. During post-race interviews, Mick Schumacher presented Hamilton with his father's race-worn Mercedes helmet from 2012 on behalf of the Schumacher family.
Daniel Ricciardo finished third, becoming the first Renault driver to reach the podium since Nick Heidfeld at the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix. Romain Grosjean finished 9th for Haas, marking the final points finish of his career. Kimi Räikkönen broke the record for most race starts with 323, a record held by Rubens Barrichello since the 2008 Monaco Grand Prix.
After the race, the top three in the drivers' championship were:
Lewis Hamilton – 230 points
Valtteri Bottas – 161 points
Max Verstappen – 147 points
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