We take (almost) the same and start again (almost) as before. Faithful to his habits and expectations, Mercedes will start on the front line, with Valtteri Bottas on pole alongside Lewis Hamilton, during the first Grand Prix of the F1 season, contested behind closed doors in Austria on Sunday. Departure will be given at 3.10pm Sunday.
In front of the empty stands of the Red Bull Ring but all the same a few hikers perched on the mountains overhanging the circuit, the Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and the British Lando Norris (McLaren) won the second line after the qualifications Saturday.
Qualifications that were even more complicated than expected for Ferrari, with Monegasque Charles Leclerc 7th and German Sebastian Vettel 11th on the grid.
"Mercedes is on a different level"
On one of the shortest circuits of the season (4.318 km), the time difference between Mercedes, six-time defending champion drivers and manufacturers, and the others is abysmal, with 5/10 between Bottas and Hamilton on one side and Verstappen the other.
"Mercedes is on a different level," admitted the Dutchman, double holder of the Austrian event. To try to overturn the established order, it will take the gamble to start racing on medium tires, slower but more durable, when the rest of the top 10 has chosen soft tires. “There is nothing to lose. We will try to complicate things as much as possible, "promised the 22-year-old pilot, masked and two meters away from his rivals, during one of these video press conferences which have become the norm. coronavirus time.
Hamilton on the hunt
"We show year after year that we continue to be the best team," said Hamilton, who is aiming for a seventh consecutive constructors' title with the Silver Arrows and a seventh since 2008 among drivers to equal Michael's record. Schumacher. A domination that the Briton attributes to the "open-mindedness" and "unity" of his stable.
Surprised by the gap widened over the competition in just one lap, the reigning champion still believes that the GP should be "tighter", the pace of the Red Bull being closer on the long stints. The performance gain obtained by Racing Point inspired by the victorious Mercedes of 2019 is also confirmed, with the sixth position for the Mexican Sergio Pérez and the ninth for the Canadian Lance Stroll.
Support for Black Lives Matter?
While F1, with a rainbow logo, and Mercedes, with a livery and black coveralls, have adopted initiatives to show their support for the Black Lives Matter anti-racism movement, drivers could do the same on the wire rack. "We will potentially see people show their respect in their own way," said Hamilton, the spearhead of this movement, who regrets, however, a lack of unity with some of his counterparts.
The season should have started in mid-March in Australia but was delayed by the new coronavirus pandemic. It begins, at a minimum, with a series of eight races in Europe until early September, for the hour behind closed doors and following a strict sanitary protocol.
Of field ', but with a mask
In the garages, all are required to work gloved and masked and the pilots requested to keep helmets and gloves. Kissing is prohibited after a good result, even if we have seen Bottas and Hamilton deviate from the protocol by embracing each other when getting out of the car.
The first podium of the weekend, in Formula 3 on Saturday morning, gave an idea of what is preparing for the queen race on Sunday, with physical distance between the first three, trophies carefully disinfected and champagne decidedly very difficult to drink behind a mask. …
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- Austria
- Covid 19
- Lewis Hamilton
- Mercedes
- Sport
- F1