They’ve done it again! Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team wrapped up its 2020 Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship at the historic Imola circuit in Italy with four races to spare, following a one-two finish at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix last weekend.
Winning a World Constructors’ Championship is always exciting, especially when it’s concluded so early into the season, but this particular one is extra special to the Brackley-based team, as it also marks the seventh consecutive championship titles for the team – surpassing the previous record of six held by Ferrari with the help of one Michael Schumacher from 1999 to 2004.
With the new title, Mercedes also retained the record of being the only team to win a World Championship title in the Hybrid V6 era, which shows just how dominant the Silver Arrows have been ever since the rule change came into effect in 2014.
The history-making Grand Prix was won by none other than six-time F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton, who benefitted from a strategy decision that gave him the opportunity to pit under Virtual Safety Car. Teammate and polesitter Valtteri Bottas finished second with a handicapped car due to a significant piece of debris lodged underneath the car, after Max Verstappen suffered a tyre blowout while sitting in second place.
Commenting on the historic achievement, Team Principal Toto Wolff said, “This is an unbelievable moment, this afternoon feels like a culmination of everything. This has been an unusual season in so many ways and it makes me very proud that we’ve been able to achieve this.
“Lots of blood, sweat and tears went into this behind closed doors, a lot of people have made great sacrifices to achieve this, so a massive thank you to everyone in the team, here at the track and back at home in Brixworth and Brackley.”
Indeed, this season is “unusual” to say the least. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 Formula 1 season was forced to run on a shorterned schedule of 17 races instead of a planned 22. Most races were also run behind closed doors, while teams are placed under heavy restrictions throughout the season.
Lewis Hamilton’s win at Imola also marked his 93rd victory in the sport, extending his lead over Michael Schumacher’s record of 91 wins – a record he’s just broken in the Portuguese Grand Prix a week ago. Next in line on the leaderboard after Michael Schumacher is Sebastian Vettel with 53 wins; there’s no doubt that Hamilton will hold on to this record for a very, very long time.
The one-two finish at Imola also meant that the 2020 Drivers’ Championship can only be won by a Mercedes-AMG Petronas driver, though it is most likely that Lewis Hamilton will be clinching his Seventh World Championship title – matching Schumacher’s record – as he currently leads his teammate Bottas in the standings with 85 points, with just four races to go.
Despite the Mercedes dominance in the sport, we really think that you should tune in to Formula 1 again, especially now that the mid-table teams have truly stepped up their games – third to sixth place on the Constructors’ Championship is only separated by one single point as of now!
