F1 2020 Season Review

As a special Christmas present, here’s a season review. And what a jolly year it was (if you followed my tips, which were a delightful mixture of well-judged and bloody lucky).

In terms of the blog tips, this was my most successful betting year. That’s nice, especially considering it doesn’t include the flukey timing of the Sakhir-Hamilton bets and that I missed Russia because my internet wasn’t working. It’s also worth noting I had more good luck than bad, including a few very significant slices. Norris being winner without the top chaps in Styria (12) was particularly lucky as he grabbed it at the line.

Many long term bets also came off, including one from a couple of years ago on Hamilton beating Schumacher’s win record at 9. A pre-season tip on Racing Point to be third didn’t come off, but the in-season tip on McLaren did (just over 3). Likewise my Leclerc hedge to be best of the rest failed, but the Perez tip at just over 3 did come off.

Using Hedged stats, 13 of 26 blog bets came off, with (£10 stakes) a profit of £150.

The Bet and Forget stats were 12/26 bets coming off, with a profit of £164.




The season was notable for me almost never betting on qualifying because of the Mercedes pace advantage making the odds unappealing. The best results (barring the Sakhir ones mentioned) were the Norris bet in Styria and Kvyat at 7 at the 70th Anniversary race for points. That one was particularly satisfying as almost everyone finished and he squeaked into the points in 10th. Always nice getting the judgement right.

I’m sure there’s been more bad luck but the only instance that springs to mind readily was Leclerc to win group 2 in Turkey at 2.45 which he buggered by locking up at the last corner and letting Vettel pass him. Comparing that to the Norris fluke, it’s clear fortune favoured me this year.

The title race was a non-event but it was very close for best of the rest in both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles. Perez and McLaren won those, and both were rather impressive. The Mexican, who is driving for Red Bull next year, missed races due to COVID-19, and had two DNFs in the last few races, including one that cost him 15 points. McLaren, meanwhile, performed very smoothly all year, aided by two talented and well-matched drivers who drove one another to excel on track and got along very well off it too. Ricciardo and Norris is a promising lineup for next year too.

Ferrari did fairly well, ultimately, given what a dog their car was to start with, but the engine cost them dearly and they were outmatched by Renault and just a little ahead of AlphaTauri. With an upgraded engine next year and Sainz replacing Vettel there’s a credible path for them to take the Constructors’ (alas, Bottas is the weakest link in the major teams). I’ve backed this with a tiny sum at 12, and likewise McLaren at 101. The odds, post-Perez announcement, have changed slightly to 13 and 51 respectively.

Red Bull was in a No Man’s Land once again. Just a bit more pace and it’d be something of a contest, and next year they have a Verstappen-Perez pairing that has the potential to cause a real headache for Mercedes. Hope so, anyway. Bored of the dominance.

Renault were left treading water and lose the talented Ricciardo for the also talented (but more tempestuous) Alonso. I’d take the Aussie, frankly. I do think it’s likely to be the right course for Ricciardo, as I think McLaren will do better than Renault in the long term.

AlphaTauri came close to Ferrari but were more akin to fastest of the backmarkers (a mile ahead of Haas, Alfa Romeo, and Williams) than breaking into the tight midfield tussle. Those latter three teams have a long way to go. The substantial rule changes in 2022 will be an opportunity for them.

Race-wise, the finale was maximally tedious but the season as a whole has been good, with numerous excellent races (Sakhir standing out). We had a couple of new race winners (Gasly and Perez), and a hyper-competitive midfield.

Next year will be a time of modest changes, with a more dramatic shift in 2022 which could thoroughly realign the F1 stars.

Morris Dancer

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