2020 Tuscan Grand Prix Facts for Kids

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2020 Tuscan Grand Prix

Race 9 of 17 in the 2020 Formula One World Championship

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Race details

Date

13 September 2020

Official name

Formula 1 Pirelli Gran Premio della Toscana Ferrari 1000 2020

Location

Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello
Scarperia e San Piero, Tuscany, Italy

Course

Permanent racing facility

Course length

5.245 km (3.259 mi)

Distance

59 laps, 309.497 km (192.312 mi)

Weather

Sunny

Attendance

1,500

Pole position

Driver

Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes

Time

1:15.144

Fastest lap

Driver

Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes

Time

1:18.833 on lap 58 (lap record)

Podium

First

Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes

Second

Valtteri Bottas

Mercedes

Third

Alexander Albon

Red Bull Racing-Honda

Lap leaders

Sebastian Vettel (left) and Charles Leclerc (right) celebrated Ferrari's 1000th grand prix with special helmets, dark burgundy, and helmets.

The 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix was a special Formula One car race. It took place on September 13, 2020, at the Mugello Circuit in Tuscany, Italy. This was the ninth race of the 2020 Formula One World Championship. It was also the first race of that season where fans could watch from the stands. So far, this is the only Tuscan Grand Prix ever held. It is also the only Formula One race to happen at the Mugello track.

Lewis Hamilton from the Mercedes team won the race. His teammate, Valtteri Bottas, came in second place. This was the third time that season Mercedes finished first and second. Alexander Albon from Red Bull Racing-Honda finished third. This was his first time on the podium in Formula One. He became the first Thai driver to achieve this. He was also the first Asian driver (not from Japan) to get a podium finish. This race was the first since 2016 to have two red flags. Because of these two stops, the race had three standing starts.

About the Tuscan Grand Prix
- How the Pandemic Affected the Race
- Teams and Tyres
Race Day Highlights
Championship Standings
- Drivers' Championship
- Constructors' Championship
See also

About the Tuscan Grand Prix

This race was held to celebrate a big milestone for Ferrari. It was their 1000th race in the Formula One World Championship. To mark this special event, the safety car used a red color instead of its usual silver. The Mugello Circuit hosted a Formula One World Championship race for the very first time. Ferrari's car, the Ferrari SF1000, also had a special look. Instead of its usual bright red, it was painted a dark burgundy color. Both Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc, Ferrari's drivers, wore special racing suits and had unique helmet designs.

How the Pandemic Affected the Race

The COVID-19 pandemic greatly changed the 2020 Formula One season. Many races that were planned had to be canceled or moved to different dates. This led to a new race calendar being created. The eight races before this one were held without any fans. However, for the Tuscan Grand Prix, organizers allowed up to 2,880 spectators to attend.

Teams and Tyres

Ten different teams, each with two drivers, took part in the race. The drivers and teams were the same as those listed for the entire season. No substitute drivers were needed for the race or practice sessions. Pirelli, the only company that makes tyres for Formula One, provided three types of hard tyres for the teams to use. These were called C1, C2, and C3 compounds.

Race Day Highlights

The race had several exciting moments and incidents.

First Lap Incidents

Right at the start, on the first lap, there was a crash at turn 2. Max Verstappen, Pierre Gasly, Kimi Räikkönen, and Romain Grosjean were involved. Gasly and Verstappen had to leave the race. Räikkönen needed to get a new front wing. Verstappen's car got stuck in the gravel. At the same corner, Carlos Sainz Jr. spun around and damaged Sebastian Vettel's front wing. All these incidents caused the safety car to come out.

The First Red Flag

On lap 6, the safety car left the track. But then, a problem called an "accordion effect" happened. Drivers in the middle of the pack sped up before the leaders did. They then had to brake suddenly. This caused another crash involving Sainz, Kevin Magnussen, Antonio Giovinazzi, and Nicholas Latifi. All four of these drivers had to stop racing. The race was then stopped completely with a red flag. During this stop, Esteban Ocon had to retire because his brakes failed. Earlier, George Russell had even reported that Ocon's brakes were on fire.

The Second Red Flag

The second red flag came out on lap 45. This happened after Lance Stroll had a tyre problem on lap 43 at turn 9. His car crashed into the barrier and caught fire. This made it difficult for the marshals to clear the track safely.

Race Finish and Results

Lewis Hamilton won the race, which was his 90th career win. Valtteri Bottas finished second, and Alexander Albon came in third. This was Albon's first time on the podium. Kimi Räikkönen finished ninth, earning his first points of the season. George Russell had a tough restart after the second red flag. He dropped from ninth to twelfth place and finished eleventh, just outside the points. Twelve drivers were warned by the FIA for their part in the crash on lap 6.

Jolyon Palmer, a former racing champion, praised the Mugello track. He said it was different from typical track designs but still gave a great show.

Race Classification

Pos.	No.	Driver	Constructor	Laps	Time/Retired	Grid	Points
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	59	2:19:35.060	1	26
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	59	+4.880	2	18
3	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing-Honda	59	+8.064	4	15
4	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	59	+10.417	8	12
5	11	Sergio Pérez	Racing Point-BWT Mercedes	59	+15.650	7	10
6	4	Lando Norris	McLaren-Renault	59	+18.883	11	8
7	26	Daniil Kvyat	AlphaTauri-Honda	59	+21.756	12	6
8	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	59	+28.345	5	4
9	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari	59	+29.770	13	2
10	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	59	+29.983	14	1
11	63	George Russell	Williams-Mercedes	59	+32.404	18
12	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas-Ferrari	59	+42.036	15
Ret	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point-BWT Mercedes	42	Accident	6
Ret	31	Esteban Ocon	Renault	7	Brakes	10
Ret	6	Nicholas Latifi	Williams-Mercedes	6	Collision damage	19
Ret	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas-Ferrari	5	Collision	20
Ret	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari	5	Collision	17
Ret	55	Carlos Sainz Jr.	McLaren-Renault	5	Collision	9
Ret	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing-Honda	0	Collision	3
Ret	10	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri-Honda	0	Collision	16
Fastest lap: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) – 1:18.833 (lap 58)
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