The 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, officially known as the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2020) took place over 57 laps on 29 November 2020 on the ‘Grand Prix Circuit’ configuration at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain. The race was the fifteenth round of the 2020 Formula One World Championship. It was the sixteenth time that the Bahrain Grand Prix has been run as a round of the Formula One World Championship.
This race was the first of two back to back Formula One races scheduled to be held in Bahrain. The second race, named the Sakhir Grand Prix, is due to take place at the same venue on 6 December, but will be held on a different circuit layout.Â
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton won the race from pole position ahead of Red Bull Racing teammates Max Verstappen and Alexander Albon. Lewis Hamilton continued to shine brightest today on the opening day of the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2020, after setting the fastest time in F1’s second 90-minute practice, held under the bright lights of Bahrain International Circuit (BIC).
Hamilton crossed the finish line under safety car conditions, as the chequered flag was waved by National Taskforce for Combatting the Coronavirus (COVID-19) member and Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) Hospital Infectious Disease Consultant and Microbiologist Lt Col Dr Manaf Al Qahtani.
The 57-lap night racing spectacle had three major incidents on track, two of which took place without even a lap being completed.
The first involved Romain Grosjean, who crashed his Haas into the barrier just moments after the start, resulting in an immediate red flag. Grosjean escaped with second degree burns. The race was suspended for eighty minutes following the serious accident.
The other competitors lined up in the pit lane to await its resumption, while the barrier was replaced and the track cleared of oil and debris.
At the first re-start, the drivers lined up on the grid once again. Following over an hour’s delay, the race was re-started but then Lance Stroll’s Racing Point challenger flipped over, forcing a brief safety car period.
Both Grosjean and Stroll were able to walk away from each incident and they received immediate medical attention. Each instance involved both drivers making contact with AlphaTauri’s Daniil Kvyat.
The third incident took place two laps before the end, when Sergio Perez in the other Racing Point car was third and on his way to a podium finish. But bad luck hit and flames started to come out from the car’s rear, forcing him to pull over and retire. Albon inherited third place.
When racing resumed after Stroll’s flip, Hamilton put in another masterful drive to continue his magnificent winning run this F1 season. He was able to build a massive gap from the rest of the field en route to the finish, but following Perez’s car trouble, the yellow flag came out and it was a crawl to the end behind the safety car.
That set the stage for Hamilton’s triumph, Perez’s late disappointment and Red Bull’s double podium.
This race was the first of two back to back Formula One races scheduled to be held in Bahrain. The second race, named the Sakhir Grand Prix, is due to take place at the same venue on 6 December, but will be held on a different circuit layout.
Lewis Hamilton will miss a Formula One weekend for the first time as he tested positive for coronavirus.
The Sakhir Grand Prix, scheduled for 4-6 December at Bahrain International Circuit, will be recognising the Kingdom’s frontline health workers, first responders and their immediate family members, who have been invited to attend the race by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.
Sakhir-headquartered Bell Racing is supporting the #ThankYou_OurHeroes campaign by applying a special logo on the helmets of most of its drivers involved in the Formula One Rolex Sakhir Grand Prix.