Formula 1 is back – and so are we

It has been a long wait, but the 2020 Formula 1 season should finally get going at the Red Bull Ring this weekend. It’s nearly four months since the Australian Grand Prix was abandoned and a lot has happened in that time, both in motorsport and the wider world.

We still don’t know exactly how many F1 races we’ll have this season, but the reduced calendar will mean an intense few months for the teams and drivers. Given Lewis Hamilton’s particular strength over a long season and the fact that Red Bull has won the past two Austrian GPS, the truncated campaign could provide the Mercedes star with a stern challenge in his quest for a seventh world title.

Hamilton has been in the headlines a great deal of late, rightly standing up for what he believes amid the Black Lives Matter movement, and he’s likely to be at the centre of things in Austria this weekend. In our new season preview we talk to Christian Horner (page 16), boss of the team most likely to take the fight to Mercedes, assess Sebastian Vettel’s position now that it has been confirmed he will leave Ferrari at the end of this campaign (p24), and take a look at the new direction Williams is taking to prepare for F1’s future (p30).

After a coronavirus-enforced pause in May and June, we are pleased that Autosport magazine is also back, starting with this week’s issue. The magazine, which first appeared on 25 August 1950 (right), will continue to provide insight and analysis of the wide breadth of motorsport, from F1 to rallying via Formula E, with increased coverage of UK national competition. Turn to p70 for an update on the national scene as club racers prepare to hit the track once again.

We would like to thank all our readers for your patience and kind messages of support during these unprecedented times. The situation remains challenging, but we relaunch with the aim of continuing to provide all the things our loyal readers love about Autosport.