The 2020 Formula 1 season began unusually in Austria after COVID-19 delays, with Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas winning the race.
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The Austrian Grand Prix in 2020 had the rather unique distinction of starting the Formula 1 season. That was, of course, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The season was scheduled to begin as always in Australia, but the race was called off two days before it was supposed to begin. As a result, the season was delayed by a few months and needed to be reworked. Multiple venues hosted two races on back-to-back weekends, including Austria. The Austrian GP was followed by the Styrian GP, held in the Red Bull Ring itself and with the exact same track layout. The season opener was won by Valtteri Bottas.
As the 2021 Austrian GP weekend comes near, we look back at last year’s dramatic race.
The 2020 season began late due to delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Therefore, even when the sport finally returned, it did so under heavy restrictions.
Mask wearing and social distancing needed to be maintained in the paddock. Every team as well as TV and media people would be operating under limited capacities.
Thus, it is amazing that while working under a number of new rules and unprecedented circumstances, the race weekend was still dramatic.
Qualifying saw Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas take pole position. His teammate and defending world champion Lewis Hamilton started behind him, but there was a twist.
Hamilton had, during qualifying, ignored yellow flags and not slowed down his speed. At first, race stewards believed when he said he didn’t see the flags.
However, Red Bull Racing lodged a complaint on the decision. A review was undertaken and Hamilton was handed a three-position penalty.
As a result, he would start from fifth with Max Verstappen, Lando Norris and Alexandor Albon the beneficiaries of this decision.
The race started with minimum incident but, given the high speed nature of the track, overtaking was bound to happen. It was Norris who suffered most due to the cars behind him.
The McLaren was passed first by Albon and then Hamilton, who was determined to make up places at a quick pace. Indeed, he was third in the race by Lap 9 having passed Albon too.
The next target was Verstappen, but misfortune struck the Red Bull. His car began to slow down and he was called into the pits. The issue was an electrical one that his mechanics were unable to correct and he retired from the race.
The second retirement of the race came in the form of Daniel Ricciardo, then with Renault. His car was called into the pits due to suspected overheating issues and that was the end of his race.
The safety car wasn’t needed till that point but out it came on Lap 25. Kevin Magnussen’s Haas suffered from brake failure and he went off on Turn 2.
The safety car ended on Lap 31, which immediately saw another incident take place. Sebastian Vettel attempted to get his Ferrari ahead of Carlos Sainz. However, the cars made contact and sent Vettel spinning, dropping him down the order.
Amazingly, the race would see more drama. The safety car was needed twice more in quick succession towards the end of the race.
However, the defining moment of the race came towards the end. An incident between Hamilton and Albon left the Red Bull driver worse for wear. He didn’t have to retire but fell to the back of the grid.
Hamilton was adjudged to be guilty of initiating contact and was handed a five-second post-race penalty. And thus began a dramatic final stretch.
Hamilton was in second position when crossing the start-finish line at the chequered flag. However, with Charles Leclerc close behind him, it was known Hamilton could only finish third on the podium.
But Norris had other ideas. Knowing of Hamilton’s penalty, he pushed hard on the final lap. He grabbed the fastest lap of the race and reduced the gap between him and Hamilton to 4.8 seconds.
Of course, this meant Hamilton was now fourth with Norris taking the last podium position. Not the ideal start to his title defence, of course.
But, at a time when COVID-19 was changing everyday life as we know it, this race provided a much-needed escape from reality.
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