The wait is over. More than 100 days have passed since the last time, and the 20 drivers are ready to start the engines this Friday for the dispute of the first free practice of the 2020 season. Formula 1 will become the first international championship to resume, in his case start after the fiasco in Australia.
Without fans, something they will notice a lot on a circuit like the Red Bull Ring, with extreme health security measures And all the eyes of the world on them, the ‘great circus’ deploys the tent in a circuit in which the great favorite, Lewis Hamilton, has only won in 2016, and that year he was not world champion. Starting on a circuit as complex as the formerly known as the A1 Ring, something unprecedented, opens up the possibilities for all riders.
Even if Hamilton will come out as the great candidate in all bets, no one should ignore that Max Verstappen has won here in the last two years. The 2019 race and his fight with Charles Leclerc were in the retinas of the spectators as one of the best of recent times, which together with the Monegasque’s desire to shine in the first race of the year can leave an epic battle.
Leclerc is called to be one of the great agitators of the unexpectedly short 2020 season, without forgetting that he has at his side a Sebastian Vettel who will leave Ferrari at the end of the year. Although he is no longer what he was, the pride of a four-time champion forces him to battle as if he were a 20-year-old newcomer. Perhaps he is about to contest his last dozen races (hopefully), or perhaps it will be the last before changing teams (Renault is on the prowl and the seat is played with, among others, Fernando Alonso), but in any case not will want to make a fool of himself.
The battle of middle earth
In a circuit where the minute is rounded in the fastest lap, and despite having several overtaking points, the pressure not to err is maximum. Especially on Saturday, in the fight for pole, no driver will be able to get lost in the search for a turn in the shortest possible time.
If the fight for pole is a mystery, the three big teams will be the ones to choose it. The fight for the middle zone will be much more open, and that’s where Carlos Sainz will seek to shine. The driver who has made headlines during this confinement for his brand-new signing for Ferrari has before him a golden opportunity to start one step ahead of the rest.
No pressure for the first time since he came to F1, as he has a guaranteed contract for 2021, Sainz is challenged not to accommodate. And it is not an easy challenge: it takes great mental strength to not make the mistake of relaxing Lando Norris, his still companion, wants to vindicate himself before the arrival next year of a much more experienced Daniel Ricciardo and with the veteranness that they give him his years at Red Bull and Renault. The French team will be, a priori, again one of McLaren’s great rivals for the points and, perhaps, for the top of the table, as long as the top three leave them something to snatch off the plate.
This Thursday we already saw part of the new normality that will take place in the circuits. Temperature test practically in every corner, hydro-alcoholic gel on the doors of the humblest team bases (Red Bull does not have its popular Energy Station) and even messages to promote distance, such as: «Do you really need to enter here? ». Some riders have even chosen not to leave the circuit and sleep in motorhomes near the track, in the image of what many other competitions such as MotoGP or the lower categories of motorsport do.
Even the relationship with the press, much less numerous, has changed. The previous press conference on Thursday was semi-virtual, with a few journalists in the room, separated, and many others online. With masks, the runners were answering the questions that were thrown at them, a mask in the mouth and the usual tension of the start of the competition.
What has not changed is that the weather will bring fun again: This Thursday, a great storm fell on the Austrian circuit. The new normality, in this sense, closely resembles the traditional one.
.
