The Start of The 2020 Season

Pic: Red Bull Ring

So, racing is back!!

Today was the first quali session of 2020 and what a TREAT. A disappointing session for Ferrari with them qualifying 7th and 11th. Mercedes have qualified 1-2; locking out the front row and showing how strong they are looking going into this season. Lando Norris has got his best-ever quali result and will be starting in 4th tomorrow where he splits the two red bulls. Racing point have been incredibly close to the front of the pack and we think that tomorrow will provide a LOT of entertainment which is great for both the fans and drivers. 

This weekend there are a few new packages coming into play which may explain the impressive performances from the midfield teams. 

Firstly, the reigning champions have made a few detail changes to their car with a new rear wing as well as an updated cooling system. The cooling system has more than likely been introduced due to the fact that Hamilton and Bottas both had to turn down their engines due to hot conditions in Austria 2019. The team tested multiple rear wings throughout winter testing in Barca. The new wing and end plate are set to improve straight-line speed which seems to be doing the job as they were 3 tenths faster in qualifying this year compared to last. The Mercedes team have also introduced a Dual Axis Steering System (DAS) which was first witnessed and tested during the winter test. This introduction was protested by Red Bull as they believed it was a breach of Technical Regulations, specifically article 3.8 which refers to aerodynamic influence. However, this was ruled as legal by stewards as it is part of the steering system. 

Next we have Red Bull Racing who have arrived to Austria with a new-specification Honda power unit which should help with race pace. This should allow for the RB drivers to give front runners Mercedes a run for their money. Both drivers are positioned well to fight for a podium. Will we see Verstappen win at the red bull ring for the 3rd year in a row? 

McLaren have not informed us of any new specifications coming into this weekend however both Carlos and Lando have stated that the car is a lot quicker than last year meaning they can fight the front runners. Lando qualifying 4th has shown just how far McLaren have come in recent years. 

Racing Point have come on leaps and bounds from last year with a 0.9 second improvement in Qualifying in Austria compared to 2019. Many are calling them “Mercedes 2019” due to the fact they have followed the design of the Mercedes 2019 W10. Stroll and Perez have both performed well in qualifying and it’s good to see a classic midfield team moving up the ranks potentially. 

Disappointing start to the season for Ferrari with Sebastian Vettel not even making it out of Q2. The drivers have been open and honest by stating they are not where they want to be and that there are still changes to be made. The team hope to bring a new package to the car for the Hungarian GP in a few weeks but for the 2 Austrian races they will be running the same car as seen in winter testing. 

Alpha Romeo and Haas seem to have had a poor start with them all out in Q3 bar Grosjean who reached Q2. 

Alpha Tauri have been consistent with their performance last year and time will tell if they can fight with best of the rest. They have proven in the past that they are capable of getting a podium after getting 2 last year. 

Williams look to have made some impressive improvements from 2019 with George Russell only missing Q2 by 7 tenths of a second. Hopefully this season we will see them fight their way from the back and maybe get some points! 

Overall it looks like this short but jam-packed season will be full of entertaining racing with lots of surprises. Time will tell who will come out on top.

We hope you guys enjoy the race tomorrow and we will keep up to date with all the drama on our socials! 

Speak soon,

Sach and Soph 

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