F1 awards 2020

[BTCC frog]

There are different awards for the year. You can comment with your pick for each category, and at the end, I will count up the most popular choice for each as the winner. I have just made these categories up, so feel free to add any extra ones.

Best Driver of the season:
Best Team of the season:
Best Drive of the season:
Most improved driver:
Most improved team:
Qualifier of the season:
Qualifying lap of the season:
Race lap of the season:
Best start of the season:
Best overtake of the season:
Best race of the season:
Best technical innovators:
Best mechanics:
Best strategists:
Best moment of the season:

[BTCC frog]

So here are my picks:

Best Driver: Lewis Hamilton
Best Team: Mercedes
Best Drive: Sergio Perez, Sakhir
Most improved driver: Pierre Gasly
Most improved team: Williams (just shades Racing Point due to the question marks over its legality - they did, of course, get a penalty)
Best qualifier: Charles Leclerc (his best was in Sakhir)
Best qualifying lap: Lewis Hamilton, Styria
Best race lap: Kimi Raikkonen, lap 1 Portugal
Best start: George Russell, Sakhir, although I will probably think of a better choice later
Best overtake: A difficult one, with no obvious choice, but I chose Russell on Bottas in Sakhir
Best race: Turkey
Best technical innovators: Mercedes, for DAS
Best mechanics: Red Bull, for all those sub 2 second pitstops, fixing Verstappen's car before Hungary, and fixing a spark plug in five minutes in Imola qualifying
Best strategists: Haas, for pitting Magnussen and Grosjean on the formation lap in Hungary (even though they were penalised)
Best moment: I chose two for this. Pierre Gasly's sensational win in Monza, and Romain Grosjean escaping one of the worst crashes of all time relatively unscathed.

[S griffin]

Best Driver: Hamilton, with Verstappen a close second
Best Team: Merc
Best drive: Perez at Sakhir
Most improved driver: Gasly
Most improved team: Racing Point
Best qualifier: Verstappen
Best qualifying lap: Stroll at Turkey
Best start: Sainz at Monza
Best overtake: Albon on Ricciardo at Mugello
Best race: Turkey or Sakhir
Best technical innovation. Mercedes DAS
Best mechanics: Red Bull
Best strategists: Renault
Best moment: Perez's win in Sakhir

[Born Racer]

Best Driver of the season: Hamilton - no complacency. Keeps edging forwards and gets stronger in different areas.

Best Team of the season: A few wobbles, but Mercedes were pretty peerless on most occasions. The occasional operational blunder.

Best Drive of the season: George Russell - Sakhir.

Most improved driver: Gasly. Had the measure of Kvyat overall and was on it most weekends.

Most improved team: McLaren. They were more consistent than 2019 and when they didn't look strong on Friday, they often clawed back some results.

Qualifier of the season: Leclerc

Qualifying lap of the season: It probably wasn't actually the best, but I'll plump for Stroll at Istanbul on the sheer basis that he pulled that surprise out of the bag.

Race lap of the season: Sorry to be unoriginal, but despite your mentioning it, BTCC frog, Raikkonen's opener at Portimão sticks in the mind. He might not be the fastest, but he's wily. At the other end of the race, 2nd choice - Hamilton hanging on at Silverstone on the last lap.

Best start of the season: Russell in Sakhir was superb. You could see it from the off.

Best overtake of the season: Another vote for Albon, on Raikkonen at Silverstone, round the outside at Stowe.

Best race of the season: Sakhir. Russell and Mercedes provided so much euphoria and agony. A blockbuster performance.

Best technical innovators: Red Bull - I defer to this article: https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...EEcDZ2W87.html

Best mechanics: Red Bull, for those pit stops.

Best strategists: I can't recall, but I did wonder whether at times Red Bull should have grabbed a few more from Mercedes and caught them napping, so I guess I'll say Mercedes. Not sure about this one.

Best moment of the season: I think Hamilton's bizarre finish at Silverstone was the one. Grosjean walking away in Bahrain is worthy of a mention, of course.

To add some categories - biggest disappointment: Ocon. I'm sure he was expecting more.

Best circuit action - Mugello. Divine.

[chunterer]

Best Driver of the season: Hamilton or Perez
Best Team of the season: McLaren
Best Drive of the season: Hamilton Turkey or Perez Bahrain
Most improved team: Williams
Qualifier of the season: Leclerc
Qualifying lap of the season: Leclerc (Abu Dhabi?)
Race lap of the season: Sainz lap 1 Portimao
Best start of the season: Kimi Portimao
Best overtake of the season: Albon on Ricardo, Turn 1 Mugello or on Kimi at Copse, Silverstone
Best race of the season: Turkey or Bahrain 2
Best technical innovators: Mercedes
Best mechanics: Red Bull
Best strategists: Mercedes
Best moment of the season: Russell Bahrain