2020 Portuguese Grand Prix

Previous race

Hamilton won the Eifel Grand Prix at the Nürburgring — his seventh win of the season. Ricciardo finished third, his first podium of the season and Renault’s first podium since their return. Bottas, who had started from pole, retired after locking up into turn 1. The race also saw Kimi Räikkönen pass Rubens Barrichello’s record for the most Grand Prix starts.

Milestones

The Portuguese Grand Prix returns for the first time since the 1996 season, and the Algarve International Circuit in Portimão hosts its first Formula One World Championship race.

Tyre choices

Pirelli brings the C1, C2, and C3 compounds — the three hardest available. During the second practice session, Pirelli also tests 2021 prototype tyre compounds for the first 30 minutes.

Practice

The first session ran without incident, ending with Bottas fastest ahead of Hamilton and Verstappen. Two red flags interrupted the second session: the first came when Gasly’s AlphaTauri caught fire; the second after Stroll and Verstappen collided. The session ended with Bottas ahead of Verstappen and Norris. The stewards investigated the Stroll–Verstappen collision and took no action. The third session was red-flagged in the final minute after Vettel ran over a drain cover that then came loose on the track. Bottas was again fastest, ahead of Hamilton and Verstappen.