Following an action packed season across Formula One, Two and Three in 2020, we pick out the five greatest races across all three series of this year.
With 26 different race winners in 59 races across the top three single-seater categories compromising of F1, 2 & 3, 2020 certainly delivered plenty of thrilling action in a tough year for motorsport fans amongst others.
It therefore made sense this Xmas to revisit five memorable races from across all three series given the various stories behind some of the most cracking wins, beginning with a shock F2 winner in Barcelona.
2020 F2 Spanish Feature Race
Spain isn’t known for producing cracking races with it looking that way after Callum Ilott claimed the net lead from Robert Shwartzman on lap eight ahead of their pit stops.
Ilott consequently looked set to cruise to victory as he rapidly trimmed his deficit to 5.5 seconds by lap 23, before the safety car was deployed two laps later as several drivers including Ilott pitted as did MP Motorsport’s Nobuharu Matsushita who earned a free stop after running long from 18th on the grid.
Read More - Nobuharu Matsushita Edges Spanish Feature Thriller
Upon the restart, Ilott struggled to get his soft tyres in shape and Matsushita took full advantage before unleashing a powerful charge to take victory from Tsunoda, marking an unbelievable win in a crazy conclusion to the race.
What I in particular liked about this race was that it was unpredictability of F2 at its very best with a deserving winner coming when we least expected a twist, who had executed his strategy to perfection with a slice of luck swinging his way.
2020 F1 Turkish Grand Prix
Next up is the 2020 F1 Turkish Grand Prix which was arguably the most entertaining race of this season, featuring the crowning of another seven-time world champion.
Racing Point produced a brilliant first half of the race with Lance Stroll leading Sergio Perez, who delivered a stern defence against both Red Bull drivers – which caught 2021 teammate, Max Verstappen out with a spin which ruined his chances of victory.
Read More - Lewis Hamilton Seals Seventh F1 Title
Lewis Hamilton meanwhile seemed to unusually struggle with the conditions as he battled both Ferraris who were enjoying their best race since Hungary, only to execute an unbelievable one-stop strategy with a brilliant second half of the race to win by 31.633s from Perez who had also stopped once.
Further behind, Stroll fell down the order due to front wing damage whilst Valtteri Bottas endured a torrid race to gift Hamilton a dramatic record-equalling seventh title as he suffered multiple spins.
Although many would argue it was a dull race, I genuinely loved it from the spectacle of Racing Point potentially getting their first F1 victory to Hamilton’s brilliant fight to the front and everything else going on throughout the race.
Read More - World Reaction to Lewis Hamilton's Seventh F1 Title
2020 F3 Tuscan Race One
For the opening race of a title deciding weekend, Formula Three delivered a thriller as the title leader found himself 16th on the grid with his main rival in fifth.
This race however had so much action throughout the field from the top three of Lirim Zendeli, Jake Hughes and Frederik Vesti fighting each other all the way for the win whilst Logan Sargeant and Theo Pourchaire tried to muscle their way into the mix to boost their own title hopes.
Oscar Piastri meanwhile found himself in a tough midfield fight of which he only recovered to 11th, thereby setting up a dramatic final race decider of which he snatched the title.
Read More - Frederik Vesti Edges Tuscan Race One Thriller
This race ultimately though had everything to get the pulse racing on an early Saturday morning from a tense fight for the victory won by Vesti to various battles throughout the field, of which San Donato corner played a huge role in testing the bravery of drivers to overtake under braking.
That is therefore I have ranked it third in my five favourite races of 2020 because there was literally everything that you want to see in a dry single-seater race.
2020 F1 Sakhir Grand Prix
Bahrain has often delivered thrillers in F1’s hybrid era but none quite like the first-ever outer-circuit race under the Sakhir Grand Prix banner.
This race simply had so many stories ranging in emotion from George Russell leading on Mercedes debut to late heartache to a first lap collision, which triggered F1’s greatest fightback in years in just the second race this season without a podium.
Perez had been spun on the opening lap which dropped him to last on the grid after an enforced consequential stop, yet executed his tweaked strategy to perfection aided by two slices of luck to cruise to a maiden victory after 190 starts in F1.
Read More - Sergio Perez Wins Sakhir Thriller in Stunning Fightback
You meanwhile had to feel for Russell who had led the race until his Williams replacement, Jack Aitken triggered a safety car from which it all fell apart with a botched tyre mix-up at his pit stop before a puncture ruined his fightback charge.
This race meanwhile represented Esteban Ocon’s first podium in F1 as he superbly fended off Lance Stroll for second, which makes it just that more incredible in terms of wide-ranging emotion and a higher pick than Pierre Gasly’s emotional Monza win, which just missed out on the top five.
2020 F2 Sakhir Sprint Race
If want a race full of flat-out battles and overtakes on top of a title decider, look no further than our top race of 2020 as the Sakhir Sprint Race served up a dramatic F2 finale which left fans holding their breath throughout.
Schumacher simply needed to stay out of trouble to clinch the title and in top eight, whereas Ilott needed to finish top two plus fastest lap if he was to emerge victorious but we instead had a pulsating race from lights to flag with the title rivals starting alongside each other on the second row.
Read More - Jehan Daruvala Wins 2020 Sakhir Sprint as Mick Schumacher Crowned 2020 F2 Champion
Tyre management however proved a defining factor as Schumacher was forced into a mid-race stop due to multiple lock-ups which could of ended his title ambition, unaware that Ilott also had tyre issues and eventually fell away to concede his title bid.
There however were plenty of thrilling duels throughout the field with Tsunoda spending much of the race battling Nikita Mazepin yet managed his tyres, producing a late thrilling drive to snatch second at the final corner from Ticktum who lost the lead and victory to Jehan Daruvala.
It all sounds relatively typical F2 on paper but when watching live, it was just something else which made it hard to turn your eyes away with so much action and therefore my top single-seater race of 2020 topped off by a Carlin one-two finish and 12th different winner this season.
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