In Pictures: Eifel 2020
The 2020 Eifel Grand Prix, a race where many records were equaled or broken:
91 wins for Lewis Hamilton, equaling Michael Schumacher.
Most race starts in Formula 1 for Kimi Raikkonen with 323 .
Fastest ever race lap 1:28.139,, set by Max Verstappen on the last lap of the race.
Mercedes-Benz power units today tied Ford's all-time record of 228 consecutive points finishes, set between 1967 and 1983 with the legendary Cosworth DFV engine.
The weekend started with some weather issues and Friday practices were cancelled due to it as the helicopter could not fly to the nearest neurological hospital.
On Saturday things look way brighter, albeit very cold still. At Racing Point things were not so smooth as Lance Stroll was very sick and did not get better in time for FP3. The team decided to call Nico Hulkenberg, who drove from Cologne, about 100 km away, and got to the track on time to get tested for Covid-19 and get acquainted with the RP20. He could only manage four laps in qualifying and could not get better than 20th on the grid.
““It’s just like a normal day in my life - expect the unexpected. It was never going to be a walk in the park when you come in with no preparation at all.” ”
On the other end of the grid, it was Valtteri Bottas who qualified on Pole, ahead of Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc.
On Sunday, the day was a bit colder than the day before. The race started and after a bit of fighting for positions, everyone sorted out the first few corners in about the same order they started in.
On lap 9, Ricciardo passes Leclerc and takes P4, albeit very far from the trio upfront. A couple of laps later, Vettel spun off at Turn 1 after taking avoiding action trying to avoid running into the back of Giovinazzi, but fortunately he recovered and was able to continue.
On lap 13, Bottas locked up hugely into Turn 1 and allowed Hamilton to go by, losing the lead of the race, and having to pit for new tires to replace the badly flat-spotted ones, coming out in fourth, behind Ricciardo. Regretfully, his W11 was losing power and finally retired from the race on lap 19.
On lap 23, It's Ocon's turn to retire. It looks like a hydraulics issue in his RS20. Two laps later, Albon retired. A puncture radiator was the culprit. Then, Norris' issues started. He reported no power from his Renault power unit. The team instructed several modes to overcome the problem but none worked and finally, on lap 44, stopped on the side of the road at turn 6. The safety car was deployed, allowing several drivers to take free pitstops, being Ricciardo one of them.
At the end it was Lewis Hamilton with a sterling drive taking the win and equaling Michael Schumacher's record for the most wins in F1, 91.
In Parc-fermé, during the podium interview, Lewis, in celebration of the achievement, was presented with one of Michael’s helmets, by Michael’s son Mick. The helmet was the one worn by the seven times world champion at Brazil 2012. His last race in Formula 1.
That was the 2020 Eifel Grand Prix, by the way, it wasn't called the German Grand Prix as Hockenheim holds the rights to it.
QUOTES FROM THE PODIUM
““It’s tough to put what this means into words. I remember watching Michael winning all those races when I was a kid and playing racing games with my brother and choosing to play as Michael. I dreamed of being there myself, but I don’t think anyone and especially me, imagined another driver getting anywhere near Michael’s records. It was beyond my wildest dreams to be equaling his number of race wins and it just shows that dreams can come true. It’s an incredible honor and something that will take some time to sink in. But I couldn’t have done it without this incredible team, everyone pushing so hard and giving it absolutely everything. A huge thank you to everyone back at the factories and also a huge respect for Michael, I feel really grateful today.””
““Overall it was a positive weekend and I think we can be very pleased with another second place. I tried to keep as close as possible to Lewis during the race and we just didn’t quite have the pace to fight him but overall, I was pleased with the performance. We have taken a step forward with the car this weekend, so I am of course happy with that, but we still need to improve and we will keep pushing so we can take the fight to Mercedes every weekend. The Safety Car re-start was not easy with the cold temperatures and the tires, especially with the others behind having a bit of a temperature advantage after catching up to us, but I managed to keep them behind and pull away again with Lewis. I’m of course also happy with the point for the fastest lap which was an extra bonus. It’s also good to see Daniel back on the podium, he is a great driver and he really deserves it.””
““Oh wow, it feels like the first time I ever got a podium. These emotions and that feeling you get when you get out the car, hug the team, the mechanics slapping you on the helmet, it’s just amazing and I am so happy we did it! It’s obviously my first one with Renault and it’s something I wanted to achieve when I set out on this journey with the team. It’s been two and a half years since I’ve been in this press conference too, so it’s been a while for me. I felt like it was coming with our performances in recent races, so I am so happy to have done it. The race itself was pretty tight and there was some discussion on whether to pit for a second stop or not, but we had the luxury of track position. The Safety Car then gave us an advantage, so we made that call and, in the end, it was the right one. What a day!””
