Whilst Netflix may not have deemed all of these worthy of a place in Drive to Survive, here’s part 2 of my stand out moments from the 2020 F1 season.
9) Anthony Hamilton’s iPad
F1’s return to Portugal was the scene of Lewis Hamilton’s record breaking 92nd win, a tally that for years many thought was unreachable. Whilst the presence of family and friends was limited in the paddock last year due to Covid, Anthony Hamilton was there to celebrate his son’s incredible feat. With the pride on his face palpable, it was one of the many moments of the season that brought a tear to my eye. The fact that Hamilton senior was filming his son on an iPad though was not just funny, but really humanised and brought the pair down to earth. A lot of people can relate to that classic parent behaviour of using a clunky iPad to film and take photos with, and it really highlighted that they are just like any other father son duo across the world. They have had their disagreements and differences in the past, but they have always shared love and a dream.
10) Animals On The Loose
Hey, I haven’t seen this on anyone else’s highlights reels, but I was very entertained by the assortment of animals we saw around the paddock and on the track last year. We had the Imola cat, who I’m sure cursed Seb Vettel with a 13 second pit stop after the driver said she looked a bit on the chubby side. Then in Turkey, a rogue dog running around during final practice looked like it had a better grip of circuit conditions than most of the drivers. At the next race in Bahrain an adorably fluffy dog invaded the track in FP2, prompting Seb to sing ‘Who Let The Dogs Out’ (maybe my favourite radio message of the year). And we can’t leave out Roscoe, Lewis’s loyal companion who accompanied him to every race, and even got to sit in for Bono (please look for this photo, you won’t regret it). It has also brought me a lot of joy to discover that whilst animals of all kinds are disallowed at races, Bernie Eccelstone granted Roscoe a lifetime puppy paddock pass, so he can always be there with Lewis.
11) Hamilton And Vettel Share A Moment
Ultimately the biggest story in a year that was full of them, was Hamilton winning his 7th Drivers’ Championship with one of the finest drives of his career in Turkey. And whilst there are many moments from his race I could pick out (his perfectly executed overtakes, his insane handling of his tyres, his radio message after winning) what really stayed with me was his interaction with Vettel in Park Ferme. It just felt so right that the first individual to congratulate Lewis in person was the driver he has called his greatest ever competition. We regularly see drivers calling each other names, playing mind games or using dirty tactics, and this has gone on throughout F1’s 70 years. But seeing Seb tightly clutching a crying Hamilton’s hand, whilst telling him how special it was for the all the drivers to witness him making history, was a poignant reminder of the humanity and sportsmanship of the two greatest drivers of their generation, and of the sport itself.
12) Max And His Bin
After marginally missing out on what could have been a career highlight pole position to Lance Stroll in Turkey, Max Verstappen was understandably devastated, and chose to console himself by sitting down behind a massive wheelie bin. I don’t quite know why this made me laugh so much but perhaps it’s to do with how relatable the whole situation felt: we were all Max and his bin at some point in 2020. And if 2020 can be summarised by Max’s Turkish Grand Prix weekend, lets hope 2021 is a bit more Hungarian Grand Prix: a disastrous start but ending up better than anyone could have imagined.
13) Grosjean Walks Away
Romain Grosjean’s crash at the Bahrain Grand Prix was the most terrifying and horrifying thing I have ever seen on live television. It was an agonising 2 minutes and 56 seconds until we were given the news we were all so desperate to hear: that Grosjean was safely out of the car. Just thinking about that period of waiting makes me feel sick. But thanks to many factors, including the halo that Grosjean had been so critical of in the past and the fearless bravery of medical car driver Alan van de Merwe and Dr Ian Roberts, he escaped the inferno. It was an accident that will ultimately end up defining his F1 career, but thankfully not in the tragic way it might have.
14) Musical Chairs In Sakhir
I can’t remember another occasion when there has been such excitement and speculation over who will be driving for which team in the run up to a Grand Prix than the week preceding the first ever race at the Bahrain Outer Circuit. From the minute chatter that George Russell could sub in for an absent Hamilton started I was glued to my phone for updates. There was much excitement for Pietro Fittipaldi and Jack Aitkin making their Formula 1 debuts, but all eyes were on Russell. With his fairy tale promotion to Mercedes announced on the Wednesday prior to the race, he was given a once in a lifetime opportunity to show the World Champions he could handle the heat at the top and should be next in line for a permanent seat at the team. Russell drove faultlessly throughout what was one of the most high pressure trial shifts in the sport’s history, pulling off the overtake of the season on his teammate in the process. And whilst the evening ended very differently from how Russell would have liked, the opportunity to see such a fresh mix-up of talent, due to a conflation of crazy circumstances, was a treat that likely won’t be repeated any time soon.
15) Victory (At Last) For Checo
After getting caught up in a first lap tangle at the Sakhir Grand Prix with Charles Leclerc, Sergio Perez was forced to pit and found himself stone cold last. It was a terrible blow in his fight with Leclerc and Daniel Ricciardo in the Drivers Championship, and Racing Point’s Constructors hopes. But for only the 6th time in F1 history he managed to battle his way from the back of the grid to the top step of the podium. In fact, it was the first time a driver has won a race after being last on the first lap. Bad luck had plagued a season in which Checo drove his socks off, his results being compromised by reliability and his contracting Covid. Although he scored a 2nd place in Turkey, this really felt like a long due reward that the Mexican had more than earned. He also broke the record for most race starts before a win, a whopping 190. Whilst Russell was arguably the people’s choice to win the race, it speaks buckets that support and joy for Checo’s victory was in abundance. It was another searingly emotional moment from the 2020 season that reminded me of the power and beauty of Formula 1.
