Review of the second round of the 2020 F1 season at the Red Bull Ring, on the outskirts of Spielberg, Styria, for the Styrian Grand Prix.
Overall the race itself was entertaining race to watch. Current Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton on pole for Sunday's race after an extremely wet qualifying. At the start of the Styrian Grand Prix, Hamilton took the lead ahead of both Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz Jr.
Just like Bottas from last week, it was Hamilton's race with no treat from behind to win this seasons Styrian Grand Prix for Lewis Hamilton's first race win of the season.
Meanwhile, Valtteri Bottas finished in second place in the Mercedes to complete a Mercedes one-two finish. Bottas was fourteen seconds behind Hamilton at the end.
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen finished in third place in the Red Bull to complete the podium, Norris was thrity-four seconds behind Hamilton at the end of the seventy-one lap race.
Highlights of the race below, enjoy.
Rate the Teams and Drivers
Mercedes - 9
Lewis Hamilton - 10 (pole, race win)
Valtteri Bottas - 8 (finished second)
Ferrari - 4
Sebastian Vettel - 5 (DNF, Collision with Leclerc)
Charles Leclerc - 3 (DNF, Collision damage with Vettel)
Red Bull Racing - 7
Max Verstappen - 8 (finished third)
Alexander Albon - 7 (finished fourth)
McLaren - 8
Carlos Sainz Jr. - 7 (finished ninth, lap down, fastest lap)
Lando Norris - 9 (finished fifth)
Renault - 6
Daniel Ricciardo - 7 (finished eighth)
Esteban Ocon - 6 (DNF, Overheating)
Alpha Tauri: - 6
Daniil Kvyat - 7 (finished tenth, lap down)
Pierre Gasly - 5 (finished fifteenth, lap down)
Racing Point - 8
Sergio Pérez- 9 (finished sixth)
Lance Stroll - 7 (finished seventh)
Alfa Romeo - 5
Kimi Räikkönen - 6 (finished eleventh, lap down)
Antonio Giovinazzi - 5 (finished fourteenth, lap down)
Haas - 5
Romain Grosjean - 5 (finished thirteenth, lap down)
Kevin Magnussen - 5 (finished twelfth lap down)
Williams - 4
George Russell - 5 (finished sixteenth, two laps down)
Nicholas Latifi - 4 (finished seventeenth, two laps down)
Next stop the Hungaroring, for the Hungarian Grand Prix in a weeks time.
It was confirmed today (10/7/20), Formula 1 has added two more races to its 2020 calendar taking the total number of races confirmed so far to 10 as it seeks to rebuild the season during the coronavirus crisis.
Mugello, the Ferrari own circuit, more associated stating MotoGP races; will stage its debut Grand Prix on 13th September as the Tuscan Grand Prix, with the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi on 27th September.
F1 bosses are aiming to add further races within the coming days and are said still to be on target for a calendar of 15-18 races this year.
Mugello will be run behind closed doors like the first eight races with participants following guidelines to minimise the spread of Covid-19 (coronavirus). While Sochi may have fans to attend the race.
Coronavirus, officially named Covid-19, that has killed nearly 560,000 people, with over 12,000,000, cases reported.
It was confirmed yesterday (8/7/20), that former Renault driver Fernando Alonso will race with Renault Sport F1 Team for 2021 season on a two year deal, returning to the sport after two years away, alongside Esteban Ocon, completing the manufacturer's driver line-up for 2021.
Alonso will return to the outfit with whom he won his two World Championships, and for whom he has already driven twice during his career.
He left F1 in 2018 and is due to make a third attempt to win the Indianapolis 500 with McLaren in August.
Alonso move to Renault in 2002 became a test-driver, then promoted as a driver in 2003. In 2003, Alonso became the youngest driver at that time to achieve a Formula One pole position at the Malaysian Grand Prix, while finishing third for his first podium of his career. By the Hungarian Grand Prix that season, Alonso won the race, became the youngest driver to win a Formula One race at that time.
Then in 2005, Alonso won seven Grand Prixs' that season to become F1 World Champion ahead of Kimi Räikkönen, to became the youngest Drivers' Champion at that time at the age of 24 years and 59 days old, breaking Emerson Fittipaldi's record. He also ended the five-year dominance of Michael Schumacher. Then in 2006, Alonso repeated it again winning seven Grand Prixs' and winning 2006 F1 World Title ahead of Michael Schumacher. By the end of 2005, Alonso announced that he would be moving to McLaren for 2007.
Despite winning four Grand Prixs' that season with McLaren, Alonso left the team at the end of the 2007 season despite having two seasons left, after the spy-gate scandal which excluded McLaren from the Constructors' Standings. Alonso opted to return to Renault for 2008, winning two more Grand Prixs' in 2008 includes infamous Singapore Grand Prix where the team won via crash-gate.
With a win-less 2009, Alonso opted to move to Ferrari for 2010. Ending Alonso's six seasons at Renault winning seventeen Grand Prixs' and two Drivers' Titles.
It was Alonso decision to return to Renault at the age of 39, too old for Formula 1? No, Kimi Raikkonen will finish off the season as a 41 years old. Don't forget Michael Schumacher was 41 when he return to Formula 1 in 2010 although wasn't as fast at his first go. `Don't forget that Nigel Mansell won a Grand Prix when he was 41 too back in 1994 he had a second and half off in Indy Car.
Could a Renault Sport Academy driver in Christian Lundgaard or Guanyu Zhou get the drive yes. Renault opted for Alonso for multiple reasons. Is the right choice? time will tell.
Predictions for this weekends Formula 1 Styrian Grand Prix back at the Red Bull Ring on the outskirts of Spielberg, Styria. The home Grand Prix for Red Bull Racing.
So Predictions for the race, for the win I predict Max Verstappen for the race win in the Red Bull, Alexander Albon second in the other Red Bull, and third place for Valtteri Bottas in the Mercedes. Don't forget Lewis Hamilton, the Ferrari drivers, the McLaren drivers, and the Racing Point drivers as well for a podium place.
Former Formula 1 driver Alex Zanardi has had a third operation as a result of the severe head injuries he suffered in a hand cycle accident.
Zanardi, former Jordan and Williams F1 driver, turned four-time Paralympic gold medallist, collided with a lorry during a race in Pienza, Italy, on 19th June 2020.
A hospital statement said his remained "severe" and he is sedated and ventilated in intensive care.
Zanardi's cardio-respiratory and metabolic condition is "stable", a hospital statement said.
The statement described the cranial and facial fractures Zanardi had suffered as "complex".
The operation "required careful programming that made use of computerised, digital and three-dimensional technologies, made to measure for the patient," according to Professor Paolo Gennaro, director of maxillofacial surgery at Siena University Hospital.
The statement added that the next update on Zanardi would be "issued as soon as there are significant changes in the athlete's clinical picture".
Thoughts and Prayers to Alex's family and friends at this moment of time.
Review of the first round of the 2020 F1 season at the Red Bull Ring, on the outskirts of Spielberg, Styria, for the Austrian Grand Prix.
Overall the race itself was enjoyable and entertaining race to watch possibly the best race of the season despite its the first race of the season. Valtteri Bottas on pole for Sunday's race. At the start of the Austrian Grand Prix, Bottas took the lead ahead of both Current Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris.
Despite two Safety car periods in the race and chaos behind him, it was Bottas race with no treat from behind despite gearbox issues for the last part of the race to win this seasons Austrian Grand Prix for Valtteri Bottas's first race win of the season.
Meanwhile, Current Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton finished in second place in the Mercedes to complete a Mercedes one-two finish. However, Hamilton has been given a five-second time penalty for causing a collision with Alexander Albon on lap 61 fighting for second, resulting him to finish in fourth place.
That meant Charles Leclerc finished in second place in the Ferrari, Leclerc was three seconds behind Bottas at the end.
Meanwhile, Lando Norris finished in third place in the McLaren to complete the podium, Norris was five seconds behind Bottas at the end of the seventy-one lap race.
Highlights of the race below, enjoy.
Rate the Teams and Drivers
Mercedes - 8
Lewis Hamilton - 7 (finished fourth)
Valtteri Bottas - 10 (pole, race win)
Ferrari - 6
Sebastian Vettel - 5 (finished tenth)
Charles Leclerc - 8 (finished second)
Red Bull Racing - 7
Max Verstappen - 7 (DNF, Electronics)
Alexander Albon - 8 (finished thirteenth/DNF, four laps down/Electronics)
McLaren - 9
Carlos Sainz Jr. - 8 (finished fifth)
Lando Norris - 10 (finished third)
Renault - 6
Daniel Ricciardo - 6 (DNF, Overheating)
Esteban Ocon - 7 (finished eighth)
Alpha Tauri: - 7
Daniil Kvyat - 7 (finished twelfth/DNF, four laps down/Puncture)
Pierre Gasly - 7 (finished seventh)
Racing Point - 7
Sergio Pérez- 7 (finished sixth)
Lance Stroll - 7 (DNF, Engine)
Alfa Romeo - 6
Kimi Räikkönen - 6 (DNF, Wheel)
Antonio Giovinazzi - 6 (finished ninth)
I thought this might never happen this season, Formula 1 has re-starts again. Predictions for this weekends Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring (formally the A1-Ring) on the outskirts of Spielberg, Styria. The home Grand Prix for Red Bull Racing.
So Predictions for the race, for the win I predict Max Verstappen for the race win in the Red Bull, Lewis Hamilton second in the Mercedes, and third place for Valtteri Bottas in the other Mercedes. Don't forget Alexander Albon, the Ferrari drivers, the McLaren drivers, and the Racing Point drivers as well for a podium place.
