F1 2020 Review

Shortly, the new season of Drive to Survive will debut on Netflix. Like all F1 fans, I’m excited to see what stories are highlighted and to get some inside looks at the paddock during this pandemic. It thus seemed like a good time to put together my own review of last season. Between the massive delay, the completely cramped alternative schedule, and the huge driver moves before even the first race, the 2020 season was filled with drama.

Team Rankings

We all know what the championship table looked like at the end of the season. But I think we can all agree that the table doesn’t always reflect who had a great season and who didn’t. With this in mind, I thought I would assemble my own ranking, from best to worst, of the teams. 

(1) McLaren

This year saw a return to the sharp end of the grid for one of F1’s most storied teams. And what a year! Podiums, reliability, performance, dynamic drivers, and a consistent crew all contributed to making this McLaren’s best year in F1 in almost a decade.

(2) Alpha Tauri

This year Pierre Gasly demonstrated that he didn’t need a Red Bull seat to win races. This is his team. And boy howdy, did he give the team one hell of a year. Of course, the highlight was his win at Monza. But throughout the year, Gasly put on a clinic of racecraft, taking that car into places few thought it could go.

(3) Renault

After last year, I think many of us didn’t expect much from the French squad. And given the early announcement of Daniel’s move to McLaren at the end of the year, I didn’t expect him to get the support needed to grab podiums. Yet, the team showed a marked improvement over last year.

(4) Williams

Two words: George Russell. Despite the change at the top, the underdeveloped car, the lack of funds, and all the rest, Williams made it into Q3 this past year. George even was in shot of points in the car a few times. This past season showed that they are making the right foundational moves to build on in the years to come.

(5) Red Bull

Could Max have won the title? Yes. Could Red Bull have done the same? Not a chance. Their long time strategy of burning through drivers has finally caught up to them. Albon is now the third driver to struggle in the #2 car. Don’t get me wrong. When the team is on fire, they’re nearly unstoppable. But this wasn’t their year.

(6) Ferrari

Whatever they had to change to appease the FIA, it must have been big. Their worst finish in decades meant that this was a year to forget for the team. Despite this, Leclerc showed the depth of his talent. But it will take more than his talent to get Ferrari back to winning ways.

(7) Alpha Romeo 

No major problems, no controversies, no dynamic performances, nothing at all to make this team stand out. They should up and did what they do every year and finished about where they do every year. Should Kimi retire? Yes. Will this coming season be any better? I doubt it.

(8) Mercedes

Did they impress? Not really. They have the best car on the grid and yet they struggled all season long. The best example of this was the second race at Bahrain. If they were truly out to impress, then Russell should have won that race. We did learn one thing this year though. Russell definitely proved that its not Hamilton. It’s the car.

(9) Haas

From the very start of the season, Haas admitted they weren’t even going to try. Having shifted all their resources to 2022, the car languished at the back of the field while KMag and Grosjean kept making a mess of things. When Grosjean’s crash toward the end of the year is a team’s highlight, you know things are bad. At least, the rookies will get a season of driving around at the back out of trouble in 2021.

(10) Racing Point

Tracing Point or I mean, the Pink Mercedes, are owned by an unscrupulous  man who thinks there’s nothing wrong with cheating. His son is a tool. And the best I can say about the team’s year is that Perez finally was able to break free of them. Though the last was more to do with the problems at Red Bull then his incredible talent, unfortunately.

Best Race: Monza

This was F1 at its best. There was tight racing, a hard fought battle for the win, and plenty of drama. The only thing that could have made that race better was the Tifosi. 

Best Moment: Norris hugging Brown

With his first podium in F1, in the first race of the season no less, Norris was over the moon. Rightly so. But the hug between him and Zak Brown was truly touching. You could immediately sense the genuine appreciation, dare I say love, between the two.

Biggest Surprise: The Old Tracks

With the jumbled calendar, we saw a bunch of the old F1 tracks return. And it was pure delight to watch. Rumor has it, we’re going to see more of them in the coming seasons and I hope so.

Worst Race: Russia

As long as F1 continues to get big money from Russia, we’re going to be stuck with this horrible track and boring race. This past season it proved to be much the same. Something needs to be done with the track. One Abu Dhabi is plenty. 

Worst Crash: Grosjean in Bahrain

Romain climbing out of that car, relatively unharmed, could have been the best moment of the season. But I don’t want to glorify something that was so horrifying in that way. It was shocking. And it was a testament to just how far F1 has come in terms of safety.

Worst Driver: Lance Stroll

Do I really need to explain this one?

Well, there you have it. Think I’m off my rocker? Did I miss something? Have a favorite race or moment from the season? Let me know. Though this coming season is going to be much of the same in terms of car development, I’m excited to see Sainz in red, Daniel in papaya, and Perez with wings.