F1 News
Red Bull Honda had bad starts in F1 2020, but some did even worse
Max Verstappen has complained a lot last season about the fact that he gets bad from his place on the grid with the Honda engine. As a result, he often had to be on the defensive or saw his only chance to attack Lewis Hamilton disappear in smoke. However, it could be a lot worse.
What about his direct competitor at many of those starts, Valtteri Bottas. The Mercedes driver lost 21 positions in the first lap over the entire season. That's the most of everyone and 12 more than Verstappen.
It goes without saying that the drivers who usually start at the front also have the least chance of making up positions. This list is therefore headed by the names from the backfield. Still, the winner is a little surprise. Antonio Giovinazzi was by far the most successful driver in the first lap in 2020, with 46 places recovered.
Positions won / lost in the first lap | |
| Driver | Places lost/gained |
| Antonio Giovinazzi | +46 |
| Kevin Magnussen | +36 |
| Nicholas Latifi | +22 |
| Kimi Raikkonen | +17 |
| Carlos Sainz | +16 |
| Daniel Ricciardo | +14 |
| Lance Stroll | +11 |
| Charles Leclerc | +11 |
| Pierre Gasly | +7 |
| Romain Grosjean | +2 |
| George Russell | 0 |
| Lando Norris | 0 |
| Sergio Perez | -2 |
| Lewis Hamilton | -4 |
| Daniil Kvyat | -8 |
| Max Verstappen | -9 |
| Sebastian Vettel | -9 |
| Esteban Ocon | -9 |
| Alexander Albon | -12 |
| Valtteri Bottas | -21 |
| Data based on tables from RaceFans.net and counts from Reddit user 'LePaxton' | |
This article was written and originally published by Pelle on the Dutch edition of GPblog.com.