After an enforced hiatus thanks to the Covid-19 Pandemic, Formula 1 is finally back in action this weekend at the Austrian Grand Prix, based at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg and Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton set the pace initially. The season was due to start in March in Melbourne, Australia. But that race was canceled on Friday morning after a McLaren team member tested positive for the virus, and the season has been on hold since then. Let's see what transpired during Friday's practice session.
Formbook Predicts Winner
Pre-season testing was the only guide to the formbook we have had since then, way back in February. And the formbook suggested that Mercedes would be quickest and that is how it panned out. Lewis Hamilton topped both of Friday’s practice sessions ahead of teammate Valtteri Bottas, with the Racing Point of Sergio Perez looking like the closest challenger to the team, although Ferrari and Red Bull didn’t really show their true form.
Racing Point impressed in the pre-season with a car based on the 2019 Mercedes title winner, which has lead to criticism from its rivals. Mercedes also faced criticism for its DAS system, which alters the angle of the wheels on the car with movements of the steering wheel. Red Bull has lodged a protest with the FIA Stewards over the system today.
Tight Midfield
The midfield was congested, with McLaren, Renault and the other Racing Point of Lance Stroll all in there, but Stroll should have been with his teammate in the top three had it not been for a mistake on his best lap. It was not trouble-free for Mercedes though.
Mercedes Issues And Results
Reliability was a problem in testing and it carried over here, with Bottas stopping early in the afternoon session thanks to a gearbox issue. Various drivers also spun as well, the track being very green and needing rubbering in as everyone adjusted to their first true laps in anger since late February. Hamilton’s best time of the day was 1m 04.304s. Times are expected to tumble further as we head into the final practice session on Saturday, ahead of qualifying later that day.
The standings are as follows: 1 . Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes 1m04.304s, 2 . Valtteri Bottas - Mercedes +0.197s, 3 . Sergio Perez - Racing Point +0.641s, 4 . Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari +0.657s, 5 . Daniel Ricciardo - Renault +0.668s, 6 . Lando Norris - McLaren +0.783s, 7 . Lance Stroll - Racing Point+0.831s, 8 . Max Verstappen - Red Bull +0.911s, 9 . Charles Leclerc - Ferrari +0.994s, 10 . Carlos Sainz Jr. - McLaren +1.048s, 11 . Esteban Ocon - Renault +1.111s, 12 . Daniil Kvyat - AlphaTauri +1.139s, 13 . Alexander Albon - Red Bull +1.149s, 14 . Antonio Giovinazzi - Alfa Romeo +1.304s, 15 . Kevin Magnussen - Haas +1.374s, 16 . Romain Grosjean - Haas +1.604s, 17 . Pierre Gasly - AlphaTauri/ +1.712s, 18 . George Russell - Williams +1.821s, 19 . Kimi Raikkonen - Alfa Romeo +1.974s, and bringing up the rear, 20 . Nicholas Latifi - Williams +2.820s.
Sources: Autosport, Race Fans