Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton defended their respective titles after the United States Grand Prix
Hamilton became a six-time F1 champion and is just one behind the legendary Michael Schumacher.
Mercedes also won their sixth straight constructors title with Toto Wolff doing an exceptional job leading the German team.
![Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas](http://www.mediareferee.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Lewis-Hamilton-and-Valtteri-Bottas-1024x683.jpg)
Valtteri Bottas has been great as the No.2 driver in the team, and all eyes should now shift to the 2020 season.
There could be some great racing as there is no pressure on most of the drivers.
![Formula One](http://www.mediareferee.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Formula-One-3-1024x682.jpg)
Ferrari and Red Bull were the closest competitors to Mercedes, but the pair weren’t consistent with their upgrades and seemed to lack race pace throughout the year.
Any changes expected in the 2020 F1 car?
Formula One is known for technical brilliance as teams try to outdo each other. The aim isn’t just to be fast in a straight line as cornering, downforce and aerodynamics all come to play in building a quality F1 car.
Normally, the car built for the next year should see a lot of innovation from the teams.
However, that might not take place for the 2020 F1 car as there are several regulation changes for the 2021 season.
![McLaren Renault](http://www.mediareferee.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/McLaren-Renault-1024x683.jpg)
The 2021 F1 cars are expected to look completely different to the cars from 2020.
The new regulations aim to bridge the gap between the teams. Heads have a tough decision to make ahead of the 2020 F1 season.
They have to plan for the 2021 regulations but cannot be completely banking on those changes and ignore next year’s car.
F1 teams spend millions to develop their race crafts and any slip-ups by a could cost them millions of dollars.
There shouldn’t be too many changes in the 2020 F1 car from the 2019 edition.
There is one major change in a name though with Toro Rosso being renamed as Scuderia Alpha Tauri-Honda (h/t ESPN).
Rubber trouble
The other issue is with the tyres for the upcoming season. Pirelli have tested new compounds with several of the F1 teams. However, the teams are unconvinced with the new rubber.
This could be a problem for Pirelli as the teams could reject the new tyres completely, and they would have to revert to the 2019 compounds.
While the older compounds are known well to the teams, the problem lies in the fact that drivers cannot push the tyres and record quick lap times continuously.
Most races become a story of tyre management, and that is something that F1 does not need.
2020 schedule
The F1 2020 schedule features 22 races with Vietnam set to feature on the calendar.
![Max Verstappen](http://www.mediareferee.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Max-Verstappen-1024x677.jpg)
The F1 2020 schedule also features the Dutch Grand Prix, which should see a lot of support for Max Verstappen.
As is the case with most F1 seasons, the 2020 campaign will begin in Australia and end in the UAE.