ADVERTISEMENT
Straight to the grid
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Home
  • News
    • All
    • Driver News
    • Latest
    • Team News
    Fernando Alonso predicts a tough battle in the midfield this season

    Fernando Alonso to race for Aston Martin from 2023 in light of Sebastian Vettel retirement

    Verstappen

    Max Verstappen sails to the win at the Hungarian Grand Prix – Driver’s comments

    Russell

    Qualifying results: George Russell secures pole as Verstappen lands unfamiliar start for Hungarian GP

    practice session hungary

    FP3 Report Hungary: Williams’s surprise jump to the top as Latifi goes fastest at a wet Hungaroring

    Charles Leclerc

    FP2 Report Hungary: Ferrari continue to lead with Leclerc in first as McLaren improve but Mercedes lag

    Carlos Sainz

    FP1 Report Hungary: Carlos Sainz leads first hour on track at the Hungaroring

    Hungaroring

    Hungarian Grand Prix: Here’s the full weekend schedule for Irish viewers

    standings

    Max Verstappen and Red Bull lead the championship standings ahead of final race before summer break

    Sebastian Vettel

    Sebastian Vettel to retire from Formula 1 at the end of the 2022 season

    • Latest
    • Driver News
    • Team News
  • Features
    • All
    • Interviews
    • Race Reports 2020
    • Race Reports 2021
    Verstappen

    French GP Race Report: Red Bull win, Mercedes improvements and Ferrari double-disaster

    Leclerc

    Qualifying results: Charles Leclerc on Pole for the French Grand Prix

    Verstappen

    FP3 Report: Max Verstappen dominated last hour on track ahead of Qualifying

    FP2 Report: Ferrari’s Friday success as Carlos Sainz tops later timesheets in France

    FP2 Report: Ferrari’s Friday success as Carlos Sainz tops later timesheets in France

    • Interviews
    • Race Reports 2020
    • Race Reports 2021
  • Races
    • Race Calendar
    • Championship standings
  • More
    • Quiz
    • Competitions
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • All
    • Driver News
    • Latest
    • Team News
    Fernando Alonso predicts a tough battle in the midfield this season

    Fernando Alonso to race for Aston Martin from 2023 in light of Sebastian Vettel retirement

    Verstappen

    Max Verstappen sails to the win at the Hungarian Grand Prix – Driver’s comments

    Russell

    Qualifying results: George Russell secures pole as Verstappen lands unfamiliar start for Hungarian GP

    practice session hungary

    FP3 Report Hungary: Williams’s surprise jump to the top as Latifi goes fastest at a wet Hungaroring

    Charles Leclerc

    FP2 Report Hungary: Ferrari continue to lead with Leclerc in first as McLaren improve but Mercedes lag

    Carlos Sainz

    FP1 Report Hungary: Carlos Sainz leads first hour on track at the Hungaroring

    Hungaroring

    Hungarian Grand Prix: Here’s the full weekend schedule for Irish viewers

    standings

    Max Verstappen and Red Bull lead the championship standings ahead of final race before summer break

    Sebastian Vettel

    Sebastian Vettel to retire from Formula 1 at the end of the 2022 season

    • Latest
    • Driver News
    • Team News
  • Features
    • All
    • Interviews
    • Race Reports 2020
    • Race Reports 2021
    Verstappen

    French GP Race Report: Red Bull win, Mercedes improvements and Ferrari double-disaster

    Leclerc

    Qualifying results: Charles Leclerc on Pole for the French Grand Prix

    Verstappen

    FP3 Report: Max Verstappen dominated last hour on track ahead of Qualifying

    FP2 Report: Ferrari’s Friday success as Carlos Sainz tops later timesheets in France

    FP2 Report: Ferrari’s Friday success as Carlos Sainz tops later timesheets in France

    • Interviews
    • Race Reports 2020
    • Race Reports 2021
  • Races
    • Race Calendar
    • Championship standings
  • More
    • Quiz
    • Competitions
No Result
View All Result
Straight to the grid
No Result
View All Result

2020 Styrian Grand Prix Race Report

We’re back in the Styrian hills for the second week in a row for the first double-header of the season at the Red Bull Ring.

Austrian

We’re back in the Styrian hills for the second week in a row for the first double-header of the season at the Red Bull Ring.

After a masterclass in wet weather driving, Lewis Hamilton came away with pole position from Saturday’s extremely challenging Qualifying session.

After a long battle with Max Verstappen, trading fastest lap times throughout, Hamilton ultimately came out on top and by the significant margin of 1.2 seconds.

The Red Bull driver who complained about poor visibility on the team radio throughout qualifying did not let the torrential downpours stop him from putting the pedal to the metal, and he claimed P2 for today’s race, the third consecutive time he has done so at the Red Bull Ring.

After being the first out of the pits for qualifying, Sebastian Vettel ended up as the only Ferrari to make it to Q3, finishing the session in P10 for today’s race following yet another difficult weekend for the prancing horses.

Charles Leclerc came away from qualifying with a three-place penalty for impeding Alpha Tauri’s Daniel Kvyat, meaning Leclerc started today from a disappointing P14.

Race Report:

Lewis Hamilton started on pole position for the 89th time in his Formula One career, proving most comfortable in the tough track conditions on Saturday.

The six-time World Champion started fifth on the grid last weekend as a result of a three-place penalty for ignoring a yellow flag warning, this week, however, saw him lead from lights out to flag with only a brief period spent behind his teammate Valtteri Bottas when he pitted for tyres.

Bottas and Verstappen were always the main contenders for the remaining podium positions throughout today’s 71 lap race.

McLaren’s Carlos Sainz immediately put the pressure on Mercedes from the get-go, along with Verstappen, but the speed of the six-time world champion in his W11 left them swiftly behind after the first lap.

Verstappen’s Red Bull seemed to be the only other car on track today that managed to compete with the Mercedes team, but Hamilton ultimately dominated the race, remaining comfortably ahead of the rest.

Ferrari continued to encounter difficulties at the start of this truncated season. A collision on the first lap between the teammates meant a swift end to the day for Sebastian Vettel, who had to retire after significant damage was caused to his car’s rear wing.

Following the incident between the two Ferrari drivers, a safety car was deployed for the one and only time.

While Charles Leclerc would return to the race after a swift change of tyres, his reappearance was brief as a damaged floor meant an early shower for the driver who seven days ago claimed a surprise podium for the Italian team.

Today’s double retirement is another blow for Ferrari who failed to get any significant race time on their aerodynamic upgrades.

Once the safety car exited the track, the race was back on, with Hamilton still leading the pack, with 1.5s between him and Red Bull’s Verstappen, meanwhile, Bottas worked to clear the McLaren in front in order to join the competition at the top for another podium finish this weekend.

Meanwhile, in midfield, a battle between Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon had begun. Ricciardo managed to make a clean overtake around the outside into Turn 4, but soon after, Ocon headed to the pits with another issue with Renault’s cooling system, which resulted in Ocon becoming the third retiree of the race.

Hamilton briefly relinquished his position as race leader, entering the pits to switch to the medium tyres, which gave his teammate ample time to make his way to the top, although Hamilton swiftly reclaimed top spot when Bottas entered the pits on Lap 35.

Saturday’s wet weather created some difficulties for Racing Point which saw Perez eliminated in the first part of qualifying to start from P17 on the grid today. Lance Stroll qualified ahead of his teammate in 13th position.

However, Racing Point demonstrated the speed of their RP20, with both battling it out side by side until Daniel Ricciardo’s Renault caught up and managed to split the pair.

Although suffering from cooling system issues similar to that of his retired teammate, the Australian driver managed to position his Renault perfectly to fend off Stroll for some time, until his stint in the pits saw him return in seventh behind Albon.

Later on in the race, with just five laps to go, a fight for second place sparked off between Verstappen and Bottas, with the Mercedes making a number of attempts to overtake the persistent Red Bull driver.

After a disappointing race last weekend, which saw Verstappen retire early on in the race, the young Dutch driver put up an incredible fight from start to finish, but he couldn’t prevent pure Mercedes power, allowing Bottas to finally make the move to second place.

Verstappen still managed to land the 32nd podium of his career coming in third, followed by his Red Bull teammate Alex Albon, in fourth position.

Hamilton, after dominating throughout, managed to keep focused for all 71 laps to win his first race of the season, with Bottas coming home in second, making it the first one-two of the season for Mercedes and probably not the last.

McLaren’s Lando Norris yet again showed his determination and skill, with some swift overtaking over the final couple of laps which saw him move from P8 to end the race in P5, another great performance from the young British driver who got the first podium finish of his career last week at the Austrian season opener.

After a consistent fight and some brilliant overtaking, Ricciardo finished today’s race in P8, followed by Carlos Sainz, who started the race third on the grid, finishing in P9, followed by Daniel Kvyat rounding out the top 10.

Once again, Mercedes have proven themselves to be the team to beat this season. The Red Bull, particularly in the hands of Verstappen looks to be their most consistent challenger, at least in the early part of the season.

The midfield battle has provided the most entertainment, with Racing Point, McLaren and Renault looking set to battle it out for the minor points placements on a regular basis.

Next week, the Hungaroring presents a new challenge, where last season the podium consisted of Hamilton, Verstappen, and Vettel. Going on the evidence so far, Mercedes and Red Bull are likely to feature again, but Ferrari will have to improve significantly if they’re to challenge for a top-three finish.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Related

Tags: AustriaRace ReportRed Bull RingStyrian Grand Prix
Previous Post

Race Report 2020 Austrian Grand Prix

Next Post

Late pit stop deprives Verstappen of victory at the British Grand Prix

Related Posts

Verstappen
Catch up

French GP Race Report: Red Bull win, Mercedes improvements and Ferrari double-disaster

Leclerc
Catch up

Qualifying results: Charles Leclerc on Pole for the French Grand Prix

Verstappen
Catch up

FP3 Report: Max Verstappen dominated last hour on track ahead of Qualifying

FP2 Report: Ferrari’s Friday success as Carlos Sainz tops later timesheets in France
Catch up

FP2 Report: Ferrari’s Friday success as Carlos Sainz tops later timesheets in France

French GP, Circuit Paul Ricard
Catch up

French Grand Prix: Here’s the full weekend schedule for Irish viewers

Leclerc
Catch up

Austrian GP: Leclerc sails to the win despite throttle issues as Verstappen settles for second

Next Post
Hungaroring

Hungarian Grand Prix: Here's the full weekend schedule for Irish viewers

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
30 years ago Jordan Grand Prix made its Formula One debut

30 years ago Jordan Grand Prix made its Formula One debut

Jordan

INTERVIEW: Eddie Jordan is an ‘irrepressible character’ who ‘ducked and dived’ to make it in F1

Latest figures show F1 to be the second fastest growing major sports league on the planet

Latest figures show F1 to be the second fastest growing major sports league on the planet

standings

Championship Standings: Max Verstappen leads as we head to Texas

Hungaroring

Hungarian Grand Prix: Here’s the full weekend schedule for Irish viewers

Carlos Sainz

FP1 Report Hungary: Carlos Sainz leads first hour on track at the Hungaroring

Charles Leclerc

FP2 Report Hungary: Ferrari continue to lead with Leclerc in first as McLaren improve but Mercedes lag

practice session hungary

FP3 Report Hungary: Williams’s surprise jump to the top as Latifi goes fastest at a wet Hungaroring

Fernando Alonso predicts a tough battle in the midfield this season

Fernando Alonso to race for Aston Martin from 2023 in light of Sebastian Vettel retirement

Verstappen

Max Verstappen sails to the win at the Hungarian Grand Prix – Driver’s comments

Russell

Qualifying results: George Russell secures pole as Verstappen lands unfamiliar start for Hungarian GP

practice session hungary

FP3 Report Hungary: Williams’s surprise jump to the top as Latifi goes fastest at a wet Hungaroring

Recent News

Fernando Alonso predicts a tough battle in the midfield this season

Fernando Alonso to race for Aston Martin from 2023 in light of Sebastian Vettel retirement

Verstappen

Max Verstappen sails to the win at the Hungarian Grand Prix – Driver’s comments

Russell

Qualifying results: George Russell secures pole as Verstappen lands unfamiliar start for Hungarian GP

practice session hungary

FP3 Report Hungary: Williams’s surprise jump to the top as Latifi goes fastest at a wet Hungaroring

Popular Stories

  • Latest figures show F1 to be the second fastest growing major sports league on the planet

    Latest figures show F1 to be the second fastest growing major sports league on the planet

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Yuki Tsunoda and Mick Schumacher apologise to teams for Quali-ending crashes

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Daniel Ricciardo ready for “full attack” at Italian GP after securing P2 start

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Charles Leclerc wins Australian GP for Ferrari

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Here’s the full lineup of new liveries taking to the track for the season opener in just 1 day

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Straight to the Grid

Straight to the Grid

Straight to the Grid is Ireland's first exclusive Formula One news source, bringing fans all of the latest
news, results, interviews, features and much more!

Navigation

  • Catch up
  • Competitions
  • Driver News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Irish F1
  • Latest
  • News
  • Quiz
  • Race Reports 2020
  • Race Reports 2021
  • Race Reports 2022
  • Team News
  • Uncategorized

Instagram

  • Highlights from the Hungarian GP where Max Verstappen took his eighth win of the season 🏆
  • Max Verstappen has won the French Grand Prix
  • Three days to the  #frenchgp
  • Charles Leclerc wins the Austrian Grand Prix - his first since Australia
  • Carlos Sainz has won the British Grand Prix - marking the first win of his career
  • Max Verstappen has won the Canadian Grand Prix 🏆
  • 🇨🇦
  • Sergio Perez wins the Monaco Grand Prix
  • 🇪🇸🏎 

🔜 Monaco
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Latest
    • Driver News
    • Team News
  • Features
    • Interviews
    • Race Reports 2020
    • Race Reports 2021
    • Race Reports 2022
  • Races
    • Championship standings
    • Race Calendar
  • More
    • Quiz
    • Competitions

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.