Styrian GP Race Report: The Perfect Storm
Round 2 of the bizarre but brilliant 2020 Formula One season took place at the first and probably the only, Styrian Grand Prix. We had a second helping of action from the Red Bull Ring, in Austria, and it didn’t disappoint.
“ If his rivals want to beat him, they need to outdo Lewis off the track, not just on it.”
Any fears that consecutive races at the same circuit would feel like a ‘copy and paste’ could promptly be put to bed. Torrential rain on Saturday created the perfect storm for the best drivers in the world to perform. Despite treacherous conditions, only one of the 20 runners hit the barriers. This goes to show the remarkable ability of these drivers to maintain speed and command as their cars attempt to swap ends on what feels like ice. Pure class. Pure instincts.
Historically, those drivers who could best master wet conditions have tended to be among the greats. Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher were ‘rain-masters’ of their era. The current generation’s cream of the crop raised again on Saturday. Lewis Hamilton took his Mercedes to a place where few, if any, have or ever will go. Hamilton was a staggering 1.2 seconds faster than second-placed Max Verstappen. For reference, the difference between second and tenth was also 1.2 seconds. League of his own? Undeniably.
The Formula One world looked on in awe as the six-time champion ruled over his rivals in a display akin only to his lap in Singapore 2018 and Senna’s Monaco pole in 1988. Watching Lewis’ onboard footage is a pleasure at the best of times but if you want to treat yourself, go and watch that lap. You won’t regret it.
Following a sublime pole position, Hamilton would control proceedings from lights to flag. He increased his pace when he needed to, but ultimately it was a victory taken at a canter. Such measured performance is something that we have become accustomed to, with his 85th career win taking him within 6 of the all-time record. Given the scruffy nature of last weekend, yesterday’s victory was one of the more important ones. While others went walking in the mountains or home, Lewis went back to the track to continue the search for speed with his engineers. If his rivals want to beat him, they need to outdo Lewis off the track, not just on it.
“Valtteri seems in the best mental and physical form of his Mercedes career, which will breed confidence. Hopefully, he will use that to take it to Hamilton.”
Yes, Lewis took top honours this weekend but his teammate, Valtteri Bottas still leads the championship after two races. I think Valtteri will be happy with that. However, he should be wary of letting Lewis Hamilton get any momentum. That is dangerous. The Fin has proven on multiple occasions that he can win a Grand Prix, he now needs to do just that regularly if he wants to be champion. Valtteri seems in the best mental and physical form of his Mercedes career, which will breed confidence. Hopefully, he will use that to take it to Hamilton.
It does seem as though a Mercedes shoot out for the title is on the cards. Nevertheless, such a statement can only be taken from testing and two races at the same track. Next week in Budapest, the lower speed layout may find other suitors in the form of Red Bull. Therefore, it would be foolish to write off the rest of the pack based on two thoroughly impressive weekends from Mercedes.
“We will have to wait for the verdict from the FIA, though, I’d rather no action was taken because the current midfield battle is fantastic to behold.”
Another individual who has impressed, taking the hearts of the fans and third in the championship, is Lando ‘last lap’ Norris. After such challenging years, it is a pleasure to see McLaren at the sharp end of the field once again. Carlos Sainz showed his class, taking third in qualifying but sadly faded in the race due to a slow pit stop dropping him into a traffic jam. Lando, meanwhile, had got a silly penalty in practice for not slowing down sufficiently under yellow flag conditions. This meant he started further down the order. Not that that stopped him. Due to a good strategy and a compliant teammate letting him through, Lando’s superior tyres ushered in a late charge which saw him pass three cars in the remaining two laps (another onboard that I recommend). As I mentioned last week, getting the team on side is vital for the coming years, and he is doing just that.
On the penultimate corner of Lando’s late surge, he passed Sergio Perez, who’s front wing had seen better days. I was disappointed for Sergio. He’d done so well to drive from seventeenth on the grid to fifth. He had then lunged down the inside of Alex Albon, hitting him at what is now the Thai’s least favourite corner. They touched, breaking Perez’s wing and allowing Albon to demonstrate the car control he’d learned from his similar experience with Hamilton during the previous race. A tad clumsy from the Mexican, nonetheless, an excellent recovery drive.
Sixth and seventh position wasn’t bad for Perez’s Racing Point, who have the third quickest car but started way down the order after a poor qualifying. Renault protested the legality of the Racing Point that looks incredibly similar to last year’s Mercedes. It would appear Racing Point have been cheeky in copying the design of such a dominant car, however, in working closely with the FIA they have ensured that what they have done is within the rules. On the flip side, you can understand why Renault, who have ultimately spent more money for a slower package, aren’t best pleased with the situation. We will have to wait for the verdict from the FIA, though, I’d rather no action was taken because the current midfield battle is fantastic to behold.
“Leclerc dived into an ever-closing wedge and took his teammate, himself and his pride out of the race.”
Following the race, Ferrari cancelled their team press conference, which says a lot about their weekend really. Good news came in the form of an upgrade coming a week earlier than planned. The question is, did they improve the performance? The answer - nobody knows. A shaky qualifying saw Leclerc drop out in Q2 and Vettel in 10th. The Scuderia’s drivers tardy getaway saws them fighting one another, deep within the pack. Leclerc dived into an ever-closing wedge and took his teammate, himself and his pride out of the race.
Charles took responsibility for the mistake and apologised publicly to the team. It is a good job for Leclerc that he is on a five year deal with the Italian team. Otherwise, his place in the team might have been scrutinised in greater detail. With that being said, Leclerc is still only 22 years of age and proved last year that he does and will learn from these tough moments. That ability to learn is what makes him world champion material - something Ferrari recognise.
Even so, I wouldn’t be surprised if fingers are beginning to get pointy behind the scenes in Maranello. Ferrari need to be competing at the front of Formula One. It’s weird having a race without a red car. I feel sorry for Seb Vettel, who is trying to enjoy his last races for Ferrari and demonstrate his ability to onlookers with a spare seat. He might be relieved to be leaving an imploding Ferrari. That also raises the concerns that Carlos Sainz’s camp may have in joining next year. Hopefully, the Hungaroring circuit will help the Italian outfit get back on track.
All in all, Styria produced another fine race for us. I can’t help but smile, knowing that there is a third race coming in just a few days. And that seems to be the format of F1 2020 - thick, fast and thrilling.