F1 Talk: Time to get back racing

Its the weekend you have all been waiting for, the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix which will get the season that never got going finally underway.

The Red Bull Ring is the destination and due it being just 2.6 miles, the laptime is short and the field is usually compact.

There is so much to look out for. Who knows the true pecking order? What developments have gone on behind the scenes in the last few months? Will the drivers be rusty and not quite on top of everything?

Add that the track is unique in itself, high altitude and just seven real corners, it could be a strange and chaotic weekend.

The only form guide we have is from pre-season testing and last year’s Austrian race but they were both lightyears ago in the F1 world.

Red Bull and Mercedes are the favourites going into the weekend. Who has the edge? I think you have to say Mercedes purely because their form in Austria last year was all down to overheating issues which they will have now got on top of.

Mercedes also looked imperious in testing and you will find it tough to not say Lewis Hamilton is the man to beat.

I think many people will be hoping Mercedes do not have it all their own way though. Six years, title after title, race win after race win, much of it utterly dominant.

Red Bull have been on an upward trend and the second half of last year somewhat of a breakthrough. The gamble to stick a Honda power unit in the back of the car has paid off and the goal is to deliver Max Verstappen a world championship.

That goal is to do it this year and this season is the last chance to become Formula 1’s youngest ever world champion.

Verstappen was exceptional last year in Austria, the drive of the year for me as he recovered from a horrible start to win the race (albeit in slightly controversial circumstances).

I have a feeling the Red Bull of old will be back. What I mean by that is the car we saw during Sebastian Vettel’s four consecutive world championship wins.

A car which has an incredible amount of downforce, a front end that rotates beautifully with the rear sticking to the race track. Will it be enough to beat the mighty Mercedes? I think it will around Austria even if Mercedes are generally better across the season.

Everyone wants to see Hamilton vs. Verstappen battling over the course of a season. We were robbed to an extent of a young Michael Schumacher racing against Ayrton Senna and we all saw how exciting it was to see Fernando Alonso take Schumacher’s crown in the mid 2000s.

Momentum is vital in sport and with two Austrian races, followed by the Hungarian GP a week later, it offers a fantastic opportunity for Verstappen and Red Bull to put Mercedes under pressure.

If Hamilton does have a weak track, it might be Austria since he has only won here once. A little fact is that the winner of the Austrian Grand Prix, since F1 returned to Spielberg in 2014, has never gone on to win the title that year.

Both Mercedes and Red Bull will bring some big aerodynamic upgrades and a new power unit which should bring more reliability.

Upgrades are one of the most important parts of F1. With eight races in 10 weeks, the upgrades that are being brought to Austria are pivotal and will make or break your season.

Should they work, then it is a big win but if they don’t, then its back to the drawing board. But, with races coming thick and fast, there is very little time to bring significant upgrades to the grand prix.

The team with the most upgrades on their way to the Red Bull Ring is Renault. According to the latest reports, the Renault will look very different even though they looked pretty good in pre-season testing.

But testing was four months ago so if Renault can make their upgrades work then it will be the most encouraging sign we have seen from them in the turbo-hybrid era.

Austria was Renault’s weakest weekend of the season last year which is strange considering how strong they were at other high speed tracks such as Montreal and Monza.

Downforce and the altitude can only be the answer so it will be fascinating to see whether they are weak once again or if they can really start to trouble the big three teams. Watch out for Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon this weekend.

Racing Point were very impressive in pre-season testing and with the backing of Aston Martin from 2021, this year could be the start of something big for the team that has been punching above its own weight for many years.

Last season was a slightly below par year for the team but there is lots of confidence and hope that Sergio Perez might be able to take a podium here and there in 2020.

Austria is an unusual track with just seven real corners and such a short laptime so expect fireworks in qualifying and maybe one or two surprises due to the quick lap and a compact field.

Everyone will be a little rusty this weekend so the drivers and teams who make the least mistakes should come out on top in what promises to be an exciting and fascinating weekend.

Qualifying is at 2pm Saturday with the grand prix 2:10pm on Sunday (UK time).