Honda, which had won three races in the first year of its joint venture with Red Bull, worked to further improve the performance of its power unit (PU) in order to achieve its long-cherished goal of winning the championship in Year 2. The RA620H was an improvement of the successful RA619H Spec 4 from last year. Combustion chamber design was unaltered, while the pistons were improved to increase the compression ratio. Honda had judged there was room for improvement with its ever-maturing high-speed combustion technology.

Winning the championship became a realistic goal for 2020, but the global spread of COVID-19 wreaked havoc on the F1 season from the opening race. Teams had gathered in Australia to prepare for the opening round, but the race was suddenly canceled after team personnel were confirmed to be infected during grand prix week. The pandemic continued to spread globally, and plans for starting the season could not be made. The F1 world worked together to keep the season alive, announcing a new schedule in May. The 2020 season would start in July, and the number of rounds was drastically reduced to 17.

The FIA set emergency regulations in response to the pandemic. In order to avoid rising development costs and to maintain fairness, the FIA decided to freeze development during the season, and to limit bench operation hours as well as closing factories.

Despite the various restrictions, Honda continued development as best as it could within the rules. One of the most significant achievements was the “Bear plating” technology used to process the cylinder surface. Combustion pressure was increased due to high-speed combustion, and initial performance was hard to maintain due to severe parts deterioration. As a solution, Honda’s Kumamoto Factory became involved to develop cylinder plating that was resistant to piston ring friction. This greatly improved the engine’s durability and reliability, enabling it to withstand higher power outputs.

Due to the emergency regulations prohibiting in-season updates, the RA620H was used throughout 2020 without any upgrades. Red Bull Honda continued to struggle as its arch rival Mercedes became more competitive than anticipated. In Round 5, the 70th British GP at Silverstone, Max Verstappen won his first race of the season, but struggled to repeat the performance despite consistently fighting for the lead. An unexpectedly happy race for Honda, however, came in Round 8, Italy, when AlphaTauri (formerly Toro Rosso) driver Pierre Gasparini won. It was the 50th race of the partnership between Toro Rosso and Honda which began in 2018, a memorable victory for Honda.

On October 2, 2020, Honda announced that it would withdraw from F1 activities after the 2021 season, to focus its resources, including engineers and development costs, on the carbon-neutral era. The development team members, who were informed around one month before to the announcement, had begun work on a new PU in hopes of capturing the title in the 2021 season, which would be their last year in F1.

Despite being irregular, the 2020 season was a successful continuation of the sport, with a total of 17 rounds. Verstappen won the final race in Abu Dhabi from pole position to take his second win of the season. Verstappen was third overall in the drivers’ standings, and Red Bull Honda concluded the season second in the constructors’ race.