Formula 1 2020: 12 pictures of a season like no other
- Published
The 2020 Formula 1 season - a campaign that so easily might never have happened at all - is now at an end.
It has been a season like no other, providing 17 races full of drama, surprise winners, unforgettable moments and a familiar, record-breaking champion.
Here, BBC Sport looks back on the season in 12 memorable images:
A false start down under
Way back in March the campaign had a false start as the season-opener in Australia was called off hours before it was due to begin because of coronavirus - much to the annoyance of many fans.
Business as (un)usual
The season finally got under way four months later in Austria but the pandemic meant it did so in front of empty grandstands.
A magical mystery tour
The revised calendar saw F1 visit some exciting new tracks which were well received by fans, like September's grand prix in Mugello in Italy. Other stops took in Portugal's Portimao track for the first time, and unexpected returns to Imola, Istanbul Park and the Nurburgring.
Taking a knee to take a stand
Throughout the season drivers joined the global stand against racism and made a gesture before each race.
One record broken...
On the track Lewis Hamilton dominated. He earned his 92nd grand prix victory in Portugal to break Michael Schumacher's race wins record...
....another equalled
And in Turkey he clinched a seventh world title, equalling the German legend's record haul.
Three wheels on his wagon
Hamilton won 11 of the 17 races, none more dramatic than the British Grand Prix where he limped home on three functioning wheels after a tyre blowout on the final lap.
New entrants to the winner's circle
There were surprise race winners too. Sergio Perez won the Sakhir Grand Prix - his maiden F1 win coming at the 190th attempt.
And Pierre Gasly was the shock winner of an epic Italian Grand Prix. He looked stunned to be joined by Carlos Sainz and Lance Stroll in an unlikely top three.
An amazing escape
One of the lasting memories of the season will be Romain Grosjean's terrifying crash in Bahrain. He was fortunate to walk away from it but missed the final two races of the season.
The one that got away
Let's not forget George Russell. He looked set to win his first grand prix when leading as Mercedes' stand-in driver at the Sakhir Grand Prix - after Lewis Hamilton was forced to sit out after contracting coronavirus - but had it snatched away after a pit-stop mix-up and a puncture. He did at least have the consolation of scoring his first World Championship points.
Goodbye to all that
The season ended with a string of goodbyes in Abu Dhabi. Sebastian Vettel left Ferrari after six years and was given a guard of honour from his garage. Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean - absent after his accident in Bahrain - said farewell to Haas, Sergio Perez departed Racing Point to an uncertain 2021, while Daniil Kvyat had what almost certainly was his final race for Alpha Tauri. Elsewhere McLaren's Carlos Sainz and Renault's Daniel Ricciardo had their final drives before moving to pastures new for 2021.
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