By winning the race, Hamilton claimed his seventh World Championship title, equalling the record set by Michael Schumacher.

Most of the originally planned Grands Prix were cancelled or postponed, prompting the sport's governing body, the FIA, to collaborate with stakeholders on drafting a new calendar.

[16] The lap record was set in 2005 by Juan Pablo Montoya with a time of one minute and 24.770 seconds at an average of 226.693 kilometres per hour (140.860 mph).

[1] A second drag reduction system (DRS) zone was added on the straight between the final and first turns, with the goal of aiding overtaking.

[8][f] While the event was popular with competitors and television audiences, low in-person attendance and the high cost of hosting the race were responsible for its absence from the previous eight seasons.

[33] Mario Isola, the head of Pirelli's Formula One tyre programme, tested positive for the coronavirus on the day of the race and went into self-isolation.

[40][41] Following Friday's practice sessions, Isola said that Pirelli had not been aware of the resurfacing which had been done to the track two weeks prior, and that if they had known, they would have brought softer tyre compounds which would suit the smoother surface better.

If Hamilton finished in second place then Bottas would have needed to have won and set the fastest lap of the race in order to remain in contention.

[25] The third and final one hour practice session was held in wet conditions on Saturday morning and ended with Verstappen fastest ahead of Leclerc and Albon, while championship leader Hamilton did not set a time.

[59] Racing Point driver Lance Stroll set the fastest time of the final subsession to score the maiden pole position of his career,[40][59] completing a lap in one minute and 47.765 seconds at an average speed of 178.321 kilometres per hour (110.804 mph).

[61] The team were able to set up their cars to work well in the slippery conditions, with Stroll's teammate Sergio Pérez qualifying in third place after spending most of the final subsession at the top of the time sheets.

[63] The Red Bull car had performed better on the full wet tyres in the second part of qualifying than on the intermediates in the final subsession, which was the first session of the meeting where Verstappen did not set the fastest lap time.

[66] Albon in the other Red Bull equalled his best qualifying result with fourth position;[63] he set his fastest time on the full wet tyres.

This compromised his teammate Kevin Magnussen's qualifying result, as he could not set a fast enough time after the session resumed to make it through to the second part.

[59] The Williams drivers could not maintain the necessary tyre temperature, with the resultant lack of grip leaving George Russell a long way off the pace,[68] qualifying eighteenth.

[68][72] Stroll was investigated for failing to slow for yellow flags (which were warning that his teammate had spun on track ahead of him) in the third part of qualifying.

However, he was cleared of any wrongdoing as he was deemed to have slowed sufficiently for the incident, with the drying track surface leading to Stroll's improved lap time.

[76] A review was launched after the second segment of qualifying was started whilst race marshals were still using a tractor crane to recover the car of Latifi, who had spun off in the previous subsession.

[67][72] This caused concern with some drivers citing the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix, during which Jules Bianchi had a fatal collision with a recovery vehicle.

[70] The lack of safety car periods and the slow drying of the track surface allowed Hamilton to manage his tyre wear and temperatures effectively throughout the race.

[120] Hamilton's Mercedes teammate and sole remaining title rival Bottas finished in fourteenth place after spinning six times during the race.

Grosjean's teammate Magnussen, who had been running as high as eleventh until he lost two laps to a botched pit stop, withdrew late in the race while experiencing problems with poor visibility.

[123][124] The result moved Pérez (who stated before the race that he did not know if he would have a Formula One contract for the 2021 season)[125] up two places into fourth in the championship ahead of Leclerc and Ricciardo.

Hamilton, Pérez, and Vettel were joined for the podium ceremony by Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, who collected the trophy for the winning constructor.

[130][131] He also reflected on the significance his status as the only black driver in Formula One, and stated that he hoped to have more races in similarly difficult conditions where he can demonstrate his talents.

[113] Bottas said that the Grand Prix "could be the most difficult race I have ever had in Formula One", but looked forward to having a more relaxed conclusion to the season after the championship was decided.

[134] While some commentators were critical of Bottas following his title loss, Hamilton expressed the view that his teammate deserves "due respect" and that "mentally, ... he is one of the strongest drivers".

"[1] Managing director of Formula One Ross Brawn expressed the view that the slippery conditions during the race allowed more experienced drivers to showcase their talents.

[143] Some commentators agreed with Hamilton, with Giles Richards writing for The Guardian newspaper comparing his performance to that of Ayrton Senna at the 1993 European Grand Prix.

[144] The 2014 GP2 Series champion Jolyon Palmer said in a BBC Sport column that "this was surely one of his best career wins on a weekend when Mercedes were not at their dominant best."