Restart your engines ...
FORMULA 1: AUSTRIA HOSTS FIRST RACE THIS WEEKEND SINCE LOCKDOWN-ENFORCED BREAK
Mercedez, with Hamilton and Bottas, will again be the team to beat.
This must be the strangest article I have ever written, with the F1 season starting in July. Having written our 2020 F1 supplement back in March, this should be classified as a déjà vous moment.
At long last this weekend in Austria, the surrounding hills will be alive to the sound of F1 engines.
For what it is worth, my predictions for 2020:
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport W11
With the quickest time set by Valtteri Bottas during pre-season testing, both the Finn and champion Lewis Hamilton were equally impressed with the new W11.
But it was not a trouble-free test session with a minor electrical problem and an oil pressure issue which led to a power unit swap.
Is there a chink in the Mercedes armour?
These problems will have been sorted and it will likely be a seventh drivers’ title for Hamilton and a possible challenge from Bottas, who is looking for a new contract with the Brackley outfit.
Scuderia Ferrari Winnow SF1000 Mission
Team Principal Mattia Binotto faces a difficult situation with one driver striving for a fifth world championship, possibly his last shot at the title, up against a teammate who is determined to prove he deserves the number one spot for the Maranello team in 2021.
Sebastian Vettel, at 32, must raise his game, not just for Ferrari but to show other teams he has lost none of his talent in the hopes of continuing his F1 career.
Charles Leclerc, the 22 year old, will be fighting hard to prove who’s boss before he is joined next season by a fired-up Carlos Sainz.
The SF1000 suffered some power unit issues in the pre-season testing and seemed to be struggling for pace, but is the team sandbagging? They reportedly have more power for Austria –we can but wait and see.
Aston Martin Red Bull RB16
The team to set the cat amongst the pigeons has to be Red Bull.
Their RB16 is performing well and the driver combination of Max Verstappen and Alexander Albon makes for a formidable force.
In a private test session, the car appeared to be a little tail happy, producing several leery spins, but both drivers put this down to them discovering the chassis’ limits.
With no serious issues in pre-season testing and the first three races being on circuits that have suited them in the past, it could be a great start to the season for the Milton Keynes team.
McLaren F1 Team MCL35
The last year with Renault before the move to Mercedes power and the pre-season tests looked encouraging with neither Carlos Sainz Jnr nor Lando Norris experiencing any issues.
Team chief Andreas Seidl is taking a cautious view of the coming season and believes the team is unlikely to repeat last year’s dramatic improvement.
It has been a difficult year financially for McLaren, so let us hope the Woking team can find the funding and the performance to move them higher up the championship table.
Renault F1 Team RS20
Daniel Ricciardo and new teammate Esteban Ocon will be running a tub based on the 2019 car and it is expected to stay this way until 2022.
The reliability of the team’s power unit was encouraging and Ricciardo managed the second quickest testing time overall.
Long-run pace was good during earlier testing.
I expect Renault to fight for a top four position and perhaps a podium finish during the year.
Scuderia Alpha Tauri Honda AT01
After pioneering the Honda power unit for the last two seasons, the renamed Toro Rosso team has worked well and looks set for a promising season.
With Franz Tost at the helm and drivers Daniil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly retained, the new AT01 proved to be reliable during testing and could be a bit of a surprise in the midfield battle.
I do not expect regular podium visits but envisage both the Russian and the Frenchman causing some upsets.
BWT Racing Point F1 Team RP20
After a mediocre 2019 season, this year’s Racing Point has lifted the spirits of drivers Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll.
The unveiling of the RP20 raised a few eyebrows, closely mimicking last season’s Mercedes W10 and earning the nickname of the “Pink Mercedes”.
Team principal, Otmar Szafnauer is quoted as saying the RP20 is the best car ever to leave the company’s headquarters.
He firmly believes it will be capable of heading the front of the midfield and possibly challenging the top three.
Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN C39
In pre-season testing the C39 showed a fair turn of speed and apart from Kimi Raikkonen running out of fuel, it appears there were no real problems for the Alfa Romeo team.
Team principal Frédéric Vasseur is hoping it remains this way, allowing the Hinwill-based team to improve on last year’s eighth position.
Fighting in the lower half of the field, it will be another tough year for the team.
Haas F1 Team VF-20
Team principal Guenther Steiner must be hoping that the VF-20, plus the familiar pairing of Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen, will erase all memories of last year, dropping from fifth on the table in 2018 to ninth in 2019.
Owner Gene Haas must be having second thoughts regarding his investment in F1, although Steiner is convinced Haas are here to stay.
Recording the least pre-season testing laps, this could be another season to forget.
Williams Racing FW43
The FW 43 suffered failures with the Mercedes power units, not just one but two, during pre-season testing.
On its third engine, George Russell and Nicholas Latifi soldiered on, appearing happy with the chassis dynamics.
Performance was adequate but it would have been difficult to improve while lacking confidence in the reliability of the engine.
Having lost its title sponsor recently, we all hope that new investors will experience a year that sees a turn in the Grove based team’s fortunes.