Seven months after they final competed in earnest, the Formula One circus will push a post-lockdown reset button to open the 2020 season in Austria on Sunday. The occasion at Spielberg is being held on its authentic calendar date, however will not be the once-anticipated 11th spherical of the championship, however the first — a season-opener delayed by the worldwide coronavirus pandemic. Greater than three months after the Australian Grand Prix was abandoned on the eve of opening follow in Melbourne, the race within the Styrian Alps shall be run behind closed doorways, with out followers, sponsors’ brokers and visitors and solely a handful of reporters restricted to the media centre.
The standard high-rise motor houses shall be changed by tents and awnings whereas the groups, lower to 80 members and all in protecting gear, will function in sanitised “bubbles inside bubbles” in a paddock bereft of human contact and the same old swell of hearsay and hypothesis.
For all concerned, who’re examined 4 days earlier than the occasion and 5 days later, it will likely be an unprecedented and distinctive expertise.
But, regardless of all of the change and the surreal environment it’s anticipated that the motion, when it begins, will ship the identical doubtless story.
Lewis Hamilton, powered by the all-conquering Mercedes, goes seeking a seventh drivers’ title to equal the file of Michael Schumacher.
“It has been insufferable — I’ve missed the racing and the competitors a lot, so it will likely be nice to be again,” mentioned Mercedes staff boss Toto Wolff.
Even throughout lockdown, drivers strikes for subsequent 12 months befell, Ferrari asserting the discharge of four-time champion Sebastian Vettel, to be succeeded by Carlos Sainz of McLaren and Daniel Ricciardo signing to depart Renault and be the Spaniard’s alternative on the cash-starved outfit so badly hit by the pandemic.
On the transfer
These 2021 strikes is not going to have an effect on this 12 months’s line-ups, however could have an effect on relationships between departing drivers and groups anxious to not permit distinctive operational and efficiency intelligence to depart with them.
If wherever, that is prone to have most impact at Ferrari because the Italian staff strives to keep away from open battle between rising star Charles Leclerc and Vettel, who’s a free agent and a possible goal for not solely Renault, but additionally Mercedes.
The pair, who have been intense rivals final 12 months, examined in Italy final week forward of the opening “double-header” with two successive races at Austria’s Crimson Bull Ring circuit earlier than a 3rd race in Hungary.
“I’ve no expertise of heading again to the identical observe and having a second race, however I have been round for some time,” mentioned Vettel.
“I assume the extent of perfection shall be greater the second weekend – the extent of errors shall be even smaller.
“It is going to be an opportunity to evaluate technique simply seven days afterwards in order that’s a primary and let’s examine how we sort out that problem.”
Orange support
The opening three races kind simply a part of an intensive spell of eight European races in 10 weeks, which can change into 9 in 11 if a spherical at Mugello, in Italy, is added.
Vettel added that he “cannot think about what it will likely be wish to race with none followers,” particularly on the sweeping circuit the place Max Verstappen was roared to victory by an enormous orange wave of Dutch supporters final 12 months.
Verstappen and Crimson Bull are anticipated to problem Mercedes, with Ferrari and Racing Level, newly dubbed “the pink Mercedes” staff after copying the champions’ vehicles, in shut pursuit within the opening occasions the place it will likely be intriguing to see if Hamilton’s focus has been affected by his lively and vocal assist for the present anti-racism protests.
Promoted
Final week, simply days after launching the Hamilton Fee to spice up variety in motorsport, he slammed remarks made by former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone as “ignorant and uneducated” earlier than calling for the restoration of Grand Prix in Africa.
“It is a actually bizarre time on the planet and the most important problem in my thoughts will not be concerning the championship essentially,” he mentioned. “It is not a traditional 12 months.”
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