Charting the rise and fall of the F1 movers and shakers

10 Lando Norris

Down 1

Norris achieved something remarkable in 2020 – he managed to star even while there was no racing to be done as a result of the coronavirus delaying the start of the season. The Briton’s entertaining antics while streaming his virtual racing exploits won him fans and deserved attention, which he used to raise money for the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund when fulfilling a promise to shave his head.

When the real racing started, he lived up to the hype and delivered a stunning first F1 podium by taking third in the season opener, charging on the final lap to get close enough to Lewis Hamilton that he could take advantage of the Mercedes driver’s time penalty.

That was as good as results got, but he seized a chance when the big teams left openings – something more experienced drivers missed. He also performed well in qualifying at that Austrian GP, taking fourth (and starting third) – a result he replicated in the season finale with what he reckoned was his best lap in F1 so far. That Abu Dhabi weekend was his strongest performance in 2020, a season during which starts and getting stuck in traffic regularly hampered him. But bad luck also played its part, such as his engine-related retirement while battling at the Nurburgring.

His results looked to be taking a negative slide as the season concluded, but he arrested that with a charging fourth in the Bahrain GP and then that excellent fifth in Abu Dhabi.

9 Carlos Sainz Jr

Down 5

Sainz’s 2020 changed dramatically when it was revealed that he would leave