Formula 1: The key difference that decided the runner-up battle

Valtteri Bottas prevailed in the battle for second place in the 2020 Formula 1 driver standings over Max Verstappen, but it came down to the wire.

For the second consecutive year and for the fifth time in the first seven seasons of the V6 turbo hybrid era, Mercedes swept the top two positions in the Formula 1 driver standings. Lewis Hamilton secured a record-tying seventh world championship and Valtteri Bottas finished runner-up for the second year in a row in 2020.

But while Hamilton was able to capitalize on the dominance of the Silver Arrows and clinch the title with three races remaining on the 2020 schedule, that battle for second place with Bottas and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen was a tight one that came down to the wire, with Bottas ultimately denying Verstappen what would have been a career-high finish.

Both drivers won two races and finished on the podium in nine others throughout the course of the coronavirus pandemic-shortened 17-race 2020 season. In fact, they both had exactly the same number of wins (two), runner-up finishes (six) and third place results (three).

But it was the non-podium finishes that ultimately helped Bottas prevail.

Throughout the year, Bottas, as a whole, struggled more often than Verstappen did. However, retirements, specifically a handful of first-lap retirements, prevented Verstappen from prevailing in the runner-up battle.

Both drivers failed to finish on the podium six times. Neither driver finished a race in fourth place, and every time one of them finished outside of the top three, it was due to some unforeseen circumstance.