Spielberg bei Knittelfeld (Austria) (AFP)
"It would have been nice to share it with spectators": Valtteri Bottas, winner of the first Grand Prix of the F1 season, Sunday in Austria, had a thought for the big ones absent from an event that was long overdue three months.
In pole position of the first closed-door GP in history, due to coronavirus, the Finn from Mercedes has kept a cool head despite concerns for his gearbox and no less than three exits from the safety car.
"There was clearly a bit of pressure throughout the race," he said. "I had to save the car quite a bit. At one point, I was a little worried."
The Monegasque Charles Leclerc, thanks to a "perfect" race despite a poorly performing Ferrari, and the British Lando Norris, who climbed the podium for the first time at the age of 20, complete the honor roll of this return .
After choking in his champagne-soaked mask which flowed freely on an otherwise unusual podium, on the grid and without dignitaries to present the trophies, the McLaren driver also regretted the absence of the public.
"Being here now and not being able to enjoy it with the fans makes things a little more difficult to grasp," said the young man, who is playing his second season in F1.
Before agreeing with Bottas and Leclerc that "it is better to run in these conditions than not to run at all", as has been the case for sixteen weeks, since what should have been the inaugural GP in Australia in mid-March.
And if the stands were empty, a few hikers had, as the day before, walked to find a point of view on the circuit and diehard Dutch Red Bull Max Verstappen fans were watching the race on TV from a nearby campsite.
- Hamilton in error -
The bad points go to Lewis Hamilton. Only fourth, he does not ideally begin his quest to equal the record for seven world titles by Michael Schumacher.
After an error in qualifying that cost him three places on the grid, the Briton of Mercedes was sentenced to a penalty of five seconds for hanging on the Thai Alexander Albon (Red Bull), who overtook him.
"I really felt like it was a racing incident but whatever, I will take any penalty that (the race stewards) think I deserve and I will move on," said promised the reigning champion.
With only eleven out of twenty single-seaters arriving, the recovery was tough for Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo, Lance Stroll, Kevin Magnussen, Romain Grosjean, George Russell, Kimi Räikkönen and Daniil Kvyat, who gave up on mechanical problems.
The Mercedes, they feared for their gearboxes for much of the race, which is not a good omen before the revenge next week on the same track.
On the occasion of the Grand Prix of the Styria region, the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg will be the scene of another first: two races have never been held on the same circuit in a single season.
Until then, the paddock being designed as an airtight bubble, pilots and stables are asked to stay put. Hiking is on the program for Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon, biking and sleep in the morning for Romain Grosjean, in the absence of his three children.
- "End racism" -
Off the track, before the start on Sunday, fourteen of the twenty pilots placed one knee on the ground as a sign of support for the fight against racism. Nineteen were wearing T-shirts with the words "End Racism" when Hamilton wore the slogan "Black Lives Matter".
It was left to the pilots to express their commitment to this fight in their own way.
Encouraged by the British driver, the first black driver in the category, several drivers and teams, as well as F1 and the International Automobile Federation (FIA), recently took a stand against racism following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in the United States in late May.
Originally scheduled for March 15 in Melbourne, the start of the season has been delayed. Eight GPs in Europe are on the provisional calendar. The promoter of the championship wishes to program between 15 and 18, instead of 22.
© 2020 AFP