Emilio Romagna GP 2020

NOVEMBER 1, 2020

Race Notes - Hamilton wins again in Imola

Lewis Hamilton, Emilio Romagna GP 2020
© Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.

By Mark Karp

Lewis Hamilton won the Emilio Romagna Grand Prix at Imola, in his Mercedes GP, ahead of his team mate Valtteri Bottas, 5.783 seconds behind. Daniel Ricciardo finished on the podium in third in his Renault, 14.320 seconds behind the winner.

Mercedes clinches it’s seventh Constructors Championship. The win is Hamilton’s 93rd career win, and the 29th different track he has won at in Formula One. Hamilton now leads the championship by 85 points, with four rounds remainiing.

Daniil Kvyat (15.141s) in the AlphaTauri-Honda finished in fourth, followed by Charles Leclerc (19.111s) in the Ferrari was fifth, Sergio Perez (19.652s) in the Racing Point-Mercedes was sixth, Carlos Sainz (20.230s) in the McLaren-Renault was seventh, his team mate Lando Norris (21.131s) was eighth, Kimi Raikkonen (22.224s) in the Alfa Romeo-Ferrari was ninth and his team mate Antonio Giovinazzi (26.398s) finished with the final point in tenth place.

Before the start it is cool but the sun started to break through, as Bottas sits on pole with team mate Hamilton alongside. Verstappen and Gasly, wearing a Senna tribute helmet, on row 2, Ricciardo and Albon on row 3, Leclerc and Kvyat on row 4, Norris and Sainz in the McLaren’s rounding out the top ten.

The quickest strategy is with a one-stopper at around lap 30, soft starters expected to start pitting on lap 22. The top three starting on mediums, the rest of the top ten starting on soft tyres.

The team is checking Gasly’s car on the grid with potential power unit issues. Mercedes has Hamilton’s seat out of the car and they are adjusting it at the last minute.

At the appointed time the field came around, and the lights went out and Bottas leading, Verstappen getting ahead of Hamilton, Ricciardo up to fourth. Magnussen spins on the first lap. Stroll loses places, and pits on for a new front wing and switches to hard tyres.

Bottas leads Verstappen, Hamilton, Ricciardo, Gasly, Leclerc, Albon, Kvyat, Norris and Sainz in tenth.

On lap 3 Hamilton sets fast lap at 1m19.664s, the top three running a second apart.

Hamilton tells the team, “it is hard to follow here."

On lap 6 Sainz gets past his team mate Norris for ninth place. Perez chases Norris.

On lap 6 Bottas sets fast lap at 1m19.417s and leads by 1.5 seconds.

AlphaTauri tells Gasly to pit for fifth and they retire the car, with a coolant leak.

At lap 10 Bottas leads Verstappen by 1.7 seconds, followed by Hamilton (3.0s), Ricciardo (13.8s), Leclerc (16.5s), Albon (18.8s), Kvyat (19.8s), Sainz (21.7s), Norris (23.7s) and Perez (24.9s) in tenth place.

Giovinazzi pits for medium tyres, Russell pits for hard tyres.

On lap 14 Leclerc pits for hard tyres. Norris for medium and Ocon for hard tyres at the same time.

Tge bext lap Albon, Ricciardo and Kvyat all pit for hard tyres.

On lap 16 Bottas sets fast lap at 1m18.814s, and leads by 2.3 seconds, Hamilton trails Verstappen by 1.4 seconds,

Kvyat is challenging Albon for 12th place.

On lap 18 Sainz pits for medium tyres and rejoins 13th.

On lap 19 Verstappen pits from second place for hard tyres and rejoins in third.

Hamilton tells the team, “I am going to pick up the pace, don’t stop me”.

On lap 20 Bottas pits from the lead for hard tyres and rejoins in second place.

Hamilton sets fast lap.

At lap 21 Hamilton leads Bottas by 24.2 seconds, followed by Verstappen (25.3s), Perez (30.2s), Vettel (37.2s), Raikkonen (40.5s), Latifi (45.0s), Magnussen (52.3s), Ricciardo (54.7s) and Leclerc (56.4s) in tenth place.

Mercedes tells Bottas that he has some left side floor damage.

On lap 22 Hamilton sets fast lap at 1m18.367s, and again the next lap at 1m17.830s.

Red Bull thinks Bottas is holding up Verstappen.

Mercedes asks Hamilton if he can extend 10 more laps, and they ask, “if you’ve got a little more pace we could do with it”, he resonds, “I don’t!”

On lap 28 Ricciardo passes Magnussen for eighth.

Perez pits from fourth for hard tyres and rejoins in seventh.

On lap 29 Ocon pulls off to the side of the track with a reported clutch failure..

On lap 30 the virtual safety car is out, and Hamilton uses the opportunity to pit from the lead for hard tyres - and rejoins still in the lead.

On lap 30 Hamilton leads Bottas by 3.5 seconds, followed by Verstappen (5.3s), Vettel (25.5s), Raikkonen (30.1s), Latifi (36.6s), Perez (39.9s), Ricciardo (44.7s), Leclerc (47.5s) and Albon (49.2s) in tenth place. Vettel, Raikkonen and Latifi yet to pit on medium tyres.

Verstappen running wide as he pushes to catch Bottas.

On ap 35 Latifi pits from sixth for hard tyres and rejoins 15th.

Verstappen closes to under a second behind Bottas in second place.

On lap 40 Vettel has a slow pit stop for hard tyres and rejoins in 14th place.

At lap 40 Hamilton leads Bottas by 11.1 seconds, followed closely by Verstappen (11.9s), Raikkonen (43.9s), Perez (45.9s), Ricciardo (54.3s), Leclerc (56.3s), Albon (58.6s), Albon (58.7s), Kvyat (1m00.5s) and Sainz (1m02.6s) in tenth place.

On lap 42 Bottas runs a bit wide and Verstappen passes him in the DRS zone for second place.

Perez is chasing Raikkonen, yet to pit, for fourth place.

Magnussen is complaining that he is getting a headache do to rough upshifts.

On lap 48 Hamilton sets fast lap at 1m17.279s.

Raikkonen is the last to pit for soft tyres and rejoimns in 17th.

Magnussen retires the car.

On lap 50 Verstappen spins off into the gravel trap, and tells the team the team that something broke on the car, the safety car is out.

Bottas pits for soft tyres. Perez, Kvyat, Sainz and Vettel pit as well.

The nexr lap Hamilton pits as well, still in the lead.

The order behind the safety car is Hamilton, Bottas, Ricciardo, Leclerc, Albon, Norris, Perez, Kvyat, Sainz and Raikkonen in tenth.

Still under the safety car Russelll crashes while trying to keep his tyres warm.

Norris pits for soft tyres and rejoins ninth.

Stoll pits and overshoots, and the front jackman tumbles.

The safety car lets the lapped runners through.

On lap 58 the race resumes Hamilton and Bottas. Albon spins. Kvyat paases Leclerc for fourth.

Hamilton leads Bottas, Ricciardo, Kvyat, Leclerc, Perez, Sainz, Norris, Raikkonen and Giovinazzi in tenth.

Perez is chasing Leclerc for fifth.

On lap 59 Hamilton sets fast lap at 1m16.644s, and again the next lap at 1m16.305s, and again on la 61 with a 1m15.914s, and again on the last lap with a 1m15.484s.

Hamilton crosses the line with the win, over Bottas and Ricciardo.