The Portuguese Grand Prix took place at Portimao on 25 October 2020. This was the first Grand Prix to be held in Portugal since 1996 and the first to take place at the Autodromo do Algarve. A demanding track that utilises the natural hilly terrain so it resembles a roller coaster, it is a firm favourite with drivers. The inclusion of Portugal on the 2020 calendar was the result of the cancellation of many of the races due to the Covid 19 global pandemic. The team at Portimao did a great job to get the circuit ready to host an F1 Grand Prix at such short notice. It turned out to be a worthy venue and an epic race.
The weather in Portugal was definitely Autumnal and the grid lined up on a cold track under overcast skies with spots of rain.
Hamilton was on Pole, followed by Valtteri Bottas completing another Mercedes front row lock out. Verstappen and Leclerc were third and fourth, followed by Perez, Albon, Sainz, Norris, Gasly and Ricciardo rounding out the top ten. The second half of the grid was: Ocon, Stroll (returning after suffering from Covid), Kvyat, Russell, Vettel, Raikkonen, Giovinazzi, Grosjean, Magnussen and Latifi.
Lap 1: Hamilton got off the start well, with Verstappen and Bottas immediately fighting over second place. Perez joined the fight for second, while Sainz overtook Leclerc. Verstappen dropped back behind Bottas and Perez, then clipped the pink Racing Point, sending Perez onto the grass. There were lock ups from Hamilton, Verstappen (who looked all over the place) and Norris. Bottas went back into the lead. Sainz went into third, passed Verstappen and then overtook Hamilton for second.
Meanwhile, from a start position of 16, Kimi Raikkonen had scythed his way through the field up to 6th. It was an epic start from the Finn, who had initially dropped a place to Giovinazzi at the first corner. Raikkonen managed to get his soft tyres up to speed, whilst those around him couldn’t. Speaking afterwards, Kimi said he had started badly and was wondering what the others were doing as he made his way up the field. It was a demonstration of class from the former champion that will live long in the memory.
Lap 2 and Sainz gets past Bottas to take the lead. Perez headed to the pits after his coming together with Verstappen.
By lap 4, Sainz was still in the lead, with his McLaren team mate Norris up to 4th. Bottas seemed to be struggling for grip with Hamilton closing up on him.
Lap 5 and Bottas seems to be finding some grip and starts to hunt down Sainz. Verstappen got past Norris using the DRS.
On lap 6, Bottas took the lead back from Sainz, and Hamilton started to close down the Spaniard. Verstappen was flying in 4th place, having set the fastest lap. More good news for the Dutchman was that the stewards decided to take no action over his coming together with Perez, marking it down as a racing incident.
Hamilton took second place from Sainz over the start finish line as they started lap 7. Sainz started to struggle with his tyres and Verstappen was only half a second behind.
Verstappen took third place at the start of lap 8 and Leclerc got past Raikkonen as his soft tyres started to fade.
Lap 9 and Leclerc takes 5th from Norris and Raikkonen lost a place to Ricciardo. On the next lap, Gasly overtook Raikkonen. Lance Stroll got the black and white flag for track limit violations. He still managed to relegate Raikkonen down to 10th.
The race started to settle down and on lap 12 Leclerc overtook Sainz for 4th place. Raikkonen pitted from 10th to change his rapid but spent soft tyres for the mediums. He re-joined the race in last place.
Gasly moved up to 6th and Stroll got past Ricciardo on the next lap. Perez managed to get past Latifi for 18th.
Lap 15 and Ricciardo pits for new tyres. Russell managed to get up to 12th place behind Vettel.
Gasly and Sainz were having a fine battle for 5th place.
Lap 18 and Lance Stroll had go at getting past Norris but lost out and went off the track, breaking his front wing. Norris was not impressed and had to box his damaged McLaren.
Meanwhile, Hamilton has closed down Bottas and takes the lead on lap 20. Albon pits and returns to the track in 18th place.
Gasly overtakes Sainz for 5th place and Perez has made his way back through the field to 11th.
Drivers report drops of rain again.
Lap 24 and Verstappen pits to change his softs for mediums. Lance Stroll gets a 5 second penalty for causing the collision with Norris.
The rain blows over. It rains in the hills but not on the track.
Kvyat pits on lap 26. Carlos Sainz pits on lap 27 followed by Grosjean.
Lap 28 and Vettel pits from 8th place. Vettel takes a different strategy and changes to hard tyres. He re-joins the race in 15th.
Lap 29: Gasly pits, followed by Giovinazzi. Gasly comes back onto the track in 8th while Giovinazzi re-joins in 16th.
Stroll gets another 5 second penalty for exceeding track limits.
At the half way point in the race the positions are as follows:
Hamilton, Bottas, Leclerc, Verstappen, Ocon, Perez, Russell, Ricciardo, Gasly. Sainz and Raikkonen fight it out for 10th. Albon is in 12th, then Vettel, Norris, Giovinazzi, Grosjean, Kvyat, Magnussen, Latifi and Stroll.
Bottas reports a dash warning to cool the car.
Sainz finally gets past Raikkonen for 10th on lap 34. Only Hamilton, Bottas, Leclerc, Ocon and Russell have yet to pit. Perez and Ocon have a fabulous wheel to wheel battle, with Perez prevailing for 5th place.
Lap 35 and Leclerc finally pits from 3rd place. Like Vettel, the Ferrari driver is sent out on hard tyres.
Lap 36: Stroll pits again and serves his time penalties.
Russell pits on lap 38 and returns to the race track in 14th place. Bottas reports tyre vibrations.
Lap 40 and Hamilton pits and changes onto the hard tyres. Bottas requests soft tyres. He pits and receives hard tyres like Hamilton. Grosjean receives a 5 second penalty for track limit violations.
Bottas is struggling on the hard tyres as Hamilton moves further ahead.
Norris pits with a slow puncture on lap 45, putting him down to 17th place. Gasly overtakes Ricciardo for 7th.
Perez pits again on lap 46 and changes onto the soft tyres; he manages to stay ahead of Gasly.
Bottas is beginning to make the hard tyres work and sets the fastest lap. Sainz gets past Ricciardo for 8th on lap 48. Ocon, in 5th, is still yet to make a pit stop.
Albon makes a pit stop and the Red Bull team make another amazing sub 2 second pit stop.
With 15 laps to go, it’s Hamilton in the lead, followed by Bottas, Verstappen, Leclerc. Ocon is 5th and yet to stop. Perez is 6th, then Gasly, Sainz, Ricciardo and Raikkonen rounding out the top ten. Vettel is 11th, followed by Albon, Russell, Giovinazzi, Kvyat, Grosjean, Norris, Magnussen, Latifi and Stroll.
Lap 54 and Lance Stroll becomes the first car to retire from the race. Ocon finally pits.
Ocon re-joins in 8th, in front of his team mate. Vettel takes 10th from Raikkonen at the start of lap 55.
Daniel Kvyat becomes the latest driver to get a 5 second penalty for violating track limits. Norris is shown the black and white flag for track limit violations.
With ten laps to go, Hamilton sets another fastest lap. Drivers are starting to report strong gusts of wind.
Magnussen pits on lap 57, relegating himself to last place.
With 7 laps to go, Hamilton reports getting cramp. It doesn’t seem to affect him too badly as he has lapped everyone up to Leclerc in 4th place.
Norris gets past Russell on lap 60.
With 5 laps to go, Hamilton once again sets the fastest lap.
Lap 64 and Gasly tries to overtake Perez, who defends aggressively.
Lap 65 and Gasly goes around the outside at turn one to take 5th. Sainz starts to close up on Perez and passes him on the straight.
Hamilton starts the final lap to take his 92nd win and breaks the record of Michael Schumacher. Unusually for this season, there is a small crowd of spectators to see history being made. Hamilton gets to celebrate his unprecedented 92nd victory to the cheers of the crowd.
The final places are Hamilton, Bottas and Verstappen making up the podium. Leclerc gets a good 4th place for Ferrari, followed by Gasly, Sainz, Perez, Ocon, Ricciardo with Vettel taking the final point in the second Ferrari. Raikkonen was 11th, followed by Albon, Norris, Russell, Giovinazzi, Magnussen, Grosjean, Latifi and Kvyat.
The Grand Prix of Portugal was an absolute show case for Formula One. Kimi’s opening lap heroics made headlines and the race was full of action from the first to the final lap. Of course, it will be remembered as the race when Lewis surpassed Michael Schumacher’s record of 91 wins. To be honest though, the Autodromo do Algarve was the star of the show. The undulating track did what it was supposed to do: it tested the drivers and the cars to their limits. It enabled the drivers to race each other and show their skill and courage. It provided a compelling race that held the attention from the first corner to the final lap. Let us hope that the substitute track becomes a regular fixture on the grand prix calendar of the future.
Clare Topic
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