Grand Prix 2020 Austrian Grand Prix Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

The long 4 month 7 month drought of F1 is soon to be over. as on 15th March 5th July we will finally be getting 2020 season underway (Virus permitting
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) .I can guarantee 1 thing that the 1st race of this decade cant be any worse than the 1st race of the previous decade which seemed to set the tone for the poor decade that would follow. as 2010 Bahrain GP is ranked up there with the 2019 French GP & others as some of worst F1 races in history. so bad that they were started a discussion to have mandatory 2 stop races. but we will see who will follow in steps of Giuseppe Farina, Bruce McLaren, Jack Brabham, Alan Jones, Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher & Fernando Alonso as the 1st Grand prix winner of the new decade, which is starting in the most peculiar & odd way of its whole 70yrs. so no pressure on Sundays winner as will have to keep up the world champion streak & even the 1 that didn't founded 1 of F1 most successful teams

but on Australia, there history of motor....., wait Austria you say. sorry about that guys, Austraila & Austria very easy to mix up :facepalm:

Luckily Austria also has had a long history with F1 stretching back 55 years, even if it doesnt feel that long if grand prixs have been in short bursts. but so many drivers & other major people in F1 history have come from this small country. Lauda, Berger, Rindt, Wurz, Wolff, Marko & the mighty Patrick Friesacher. the history starting at the zeltweg airfield very close to red bull ring. where the top 3 on the grid after qualifying in 1964, was the British trio of Graham Hill, John Surtees & Jim Clark. but all 3 retired before half distance & actually a weird race when you look at it because bandini won his only GP of his 42 race career from 7th on the grid only 9 finished 2 on the lead lap. a brit finished on the podium but 3 laps down & Jack Brabham finished last 29 laps down (whats the point :dunno:) Then austria had to wait 6 years when they would race at fearsome Österreichring between 1970 & 1987 when it was stopped on safety grounds for many reasons as the final pole lap averaged 159mph despite narrow track little run off & the 2 big accident at the start, was the final nail in the coffin. Then Austria would have to wait 10 yrs til the Next GP after It huge overhaul by herman tilke funded by Phone Operator A1 we would return from 1997 to 2003 bringing some notable moments 1998 where we unusual front row of Fisichella & Alesi, also 1st rumoured use of ferrari team orders. which would rear its ugly head in 2002 that is 1 of F1 infamous moments & also known for horrible crash between sato & Heidfield at turn 3. Then in modern times it takes a distinct turn because in a way we are lucky to be racing at the red bull ring at all. because less than a year after the final GP at A1 ring in 2003. The grandstands & pits were demolished. but construction was halted making it completely unusable. & so many people tried but fail to resurrect it, it looked bleak for the great circuit but 5 years later in 2009 Red Bull decide they were going bringing it back to life (2nd time lucky after 2005 when he refused to spend money on it) in time for the 2011 DTM series. then after Doomed from the start New York race. Bernie said a spot became available on F1 Calendar which Red bull Enquired & the rest since 2014 is history

but now in modern times it is quite strange to be starting it in Austria because this will be the 1st time the season has started in Europe since 1966 when Monaco GP was season opener, also when you think of 12 months ago coming into Austria 2019. the title was dead Hamilton was 76 pts clear of the next non Mercedes driver & we were just waiting for when we crowned Lewis as the 6x world champion not if, but this whole season is going to be extremely odd as it will be the 1st ever double headers in F1 history even if its Austrian & Styrian GP. also British/70th anniversary. maybe some circuits that will host as a 1 off with portugal. Mugello (for Ferrari's 1000th) Hockenheim, Imola, Bahrain "Oval" & a season that might stretch into january as the sport tries to get 8 to make a World Championship & 16 races to fulfill the F1 TV contracts. no podiums the trophy will be collected by the drivers on the grid & both top 3 interview will take place like they do post qualifying last season on the grid as well. no pen interviews for obvious reasons instead they will be in front of the team garages. & F1 cars that will last more than a season for 1st time since the 70's. which will be a strange end to this era before maybe the biggest rule change for F1 in many decades. is looking like an intriguing season which hopefully Australia Austria will give us some answers.
  • how good are Mercedes. as they sandbagged last year looked like the 3rd quickest car & ended up winning 9 of 1st 10 races
  • Are Red bull hiding championship challenging pace. will we finally after many years. get to see how Verstappen copes under pressure of a title battle. because up til now he could win 5 races retire from other 15 & consider it very successful
  • are ferrari troubles are bad they seem & have found an answers in the lockdown. can Leclerc & Vettel on track relationship be repaired or will it be a free for all , also does Vettel get a contract renewed for 2021 does vettel get drive in 2021
  • will Vettel be freed from pressure & will Sainz rise to the pressure of proving why he should be at Ferrari next season
  • can Force India racing point provide a huge surprise become the 1st team to be able to challenge the big 3 for 1st time since enstone team with grosjean in 2013
  • is this the beginning the end for Haas, as they are debating their future
  • Can Mclaren & Renault take the Next Steps that the budgets they pressure them into
  • is this Williams new car finally capable of giving Russell a car to get into B race & out of the doldrums
  • Will Aquafresh become the new title sponsor after all the livery already there
  • Will Riccardo have many suspious technical failures after taking 50m from Renault while only racing for them for 8 months. before jumping ship for McLaren
  • will Esports drivers like Albon, Verstappen, Norris, Leclerc & Russell have an advantage on the other drivers who havent done any driving in this shutdown period
  • what will Lewis Hamilton say, now there is no fans
  • will we see the same intensity as we had in november, as football has struggled with that since the return
 
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A challenge during practice is unusual as that gives Mercedes a chance to change it before the race if it is ruled illegal.

I'm surprised Red Bull didn't wait until at least FP3 or qualifying.

One can only hope the FIA tell Red Bull to GTFOH and Red Bull go on to perform dismally in the race.

Not as dismally as Ferrari though.
 
only F1 could have 4 & half months where were everyone knew about DAS & its controversy. so why could we have this cleared up in that time off not on the 1st day back
 
just to go on a tangent because if i dont ill forget when i wake up tomorrow, to say history doesnt bode well for latifi is an understatement because i was looking at the debuts because in FP1 ithey talked about latifi celebrating his 25th birthday & how in modern times strange as latifi at 25. id say only montoya & webber have made their F1 debut at 25 or older in the last 25yrs. & had what you would consider a successful F1 career
 
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The FIA and Formula 1 can today confirm that between Friday 26th June and Thursday 2nd July, 4,032 drivers, teams and personnel were tested for COVID-19. Of these, zero people have tested positive. The FIA and Formula 1 are providing this aggregated information for the purposes of competition integrity and transparency. No specific details as to teams or individuals will be provided by the FIA or Formula 1 and results will be made public every 7 days.
 
Latifi is not looking like a great idea for Williams. Spun in P1 and P2 and stuffed it in the wall in P3.
Looking at his dismal racing record on Wikipedia I can only assume he bought his seat.
 
Yeah, rent-a-drive at its finest.

I'd love to see what George Russell could do in a decent car.
 
time to get some answers to questions weve wondered since February & how will stroll or perez cope with that extra pressure .

not that Lewis Hamilton needs anymore help. but just looking at the last time F1 started in europe it was british driver on pole & also the last 6 European starts we had a british pole sitter
 
i would say that its a combination that Russell is quality. id say easily in top 8 drivers on that & latifi isnt at that level. also on his debut. but im assuming this will be kubica part 2
 
i knew ferrari were going to struggle but theyve gone from 2nd best to 5th behind both Racing Point & McLaren :o

which my big question wheres McLaren pace come from, i wasnt expecting McLaren to be up there challenging racing point. i assumed it was another 2 tier F1 grid
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edit - very sneaky from McLaren. everyone talking about racing point taking the fight all year & weekend. then flying under the radar & bam 4th for Norris,
 
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After Mercedes once again demolished the opposition today, I can see why so many teams were desperate to have a reverse grid for the second race next week.
 
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