The crash-fest that was the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix was one for the books, in many different ways. The race had to be restarted three times, including 2 standing starts and one rolling one, and was nothing if not noteworthy for its spectacular accidents. Ferrari’s 1000th Grand Prix was a mixed bag for the Scuderia, with both cars, festooned in a special burgundy red paint scheme for this race, surviving the melees to finish in the points. Albeit in 8th and 10th places. Upfront however, it was another case of deja vu all over again, with Lewis Hamilton finishing nearly 5 seconds ahead of his teammate Valtteri Bottas to win the inaugural Tuscan Grand Prix at Mugello.

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Ominous Start

Via Autosport

With Mercedes dominating the qualifying sessions and Hamilton on pole, no one doubted the Silver Arrows' speed on this twisty and undulating track in the Tuscan hills. Bottas, however, got the better of his teammate at the start into Turn 1. Third place Max Verstappen fell back rapidly due to a power loss, while Charles LeClerc did quite well to muscle his Ferrari into third place. For Verstappen, the worst was yet to come, as he was rear-ended by Kimi Raikkonen and out onto the gravel. More commotion ensued in the back of the pack, resulting in the first Safety Car deployment.

Red Flags and Red Faces

Via Autosport

A rolling restart behind the Safety Car saw Bottas at the front biding his time before arriving at the start/finish line, while a couple of cars in the back of the pack prematurely accelerated. That over-eager jumped start caused multiple collisions putting Giovinazzi, Magnussen, Sainz and Latifi out of the race. This caused the first red flag session of the race, with all cars pulling into the pit lane in anticipation of another standing start. The race restarted with only 13 cars remaining in the field. On the restart Hamilton dutifully paid back Bottas by out-braking him into Turn 1 and assuming the lead once again.

LeClerc's Ferrari quickly showed its lack of speed when the Monegasque driver quickly fell prey to Stroll, Ricciardo and others as his race turned from promising to ominous in short order. Right behind the two Mercedes who were pulling away from the field, Racing Point, Renault and the sole remaining Red Bull of Albon were jostling for position when a spectacular crash saw Lance Stroll turn his RP20 into a smoldering pile of pink auto parts. This brought out the race's second red flag with the cars pulling into the pits yet again for another standing start. Once the race got underway again, Hamilton took advantage of Bottas' slow getaway to ease into the lead, with Ricciardo muscling his way past the Finn into second place. He would soon fell prey to Bottas, however, as the Mercedes showed the Renault who reigns supreme. Albon's Red Bull also passed the Australian, although he was unable to close the gap to Bottas.

Twisted Plot, Familiar Ending

Via Motorsport.com

At the end, it was Hamilton who serenely crossed the finish line ahead of Bottas. Alex Albon took a morale-boosting third place for Red Bull. One could have imagined the fight Verstappen would have taken to the Mercedes duo, but alas it was another case of a Hamitlon-Bottas pair occupying the top spots in another display of Mercedes supremacy. It was a wildly entertaining race, sadly more so for the ancillary activities and developments than on track over-takings. But, F1's most unusual season is like a predictably scripted movie that keeps us coming back for more.

Source: Sky Sports

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