2020 AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX PREVIEW

After its postponement in the wake of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, and a 63-day shutdown period, the long anticipated 2020 season officially restarts this weekend in Austria.

The revised calendar will see two races held at the same circuit on consecutive weekends and to ensure the safety of all involved, the event will sadly be closed to spectators.

The nature of Formula One in 2020 is a little different to normal and as a result we will contest the first two rounds of this season at the Red Bull Ring.

The layout of the track as well as the tyre compounds are the same for both events, and so if weather conditions are stable, then we have a rare opportunity to test the cars and the drivers over two full race weekends in near identical conditions.

Austria is a tricky venue for the first race of the season as the circuit demands efficient downforce, strong ride characteristics and often very high levels of PU cooling.

The lap is short and there are few opportunities to make up for a mistake, which increases the pressure on the drivers and the engineers.

That said, it is a wonderful setting in which to race Formula One cars, and it will provide a great atmosphere and intensity despite being staged behind closed doors.

The 2020 season gets underway with the tyre choice that was always planned for Austria: C2 as the P Zero White hard, C3 as the P Zero Yellow medium, and C4 as the P Zero Red soft.

This same tyre choice will apply for both races in Austria, which will be run on consecutive weekends for the first time, as part of the revised F1 2020 calendar.

The drivers already have experience of this nomination in Austria, because the same compounds were selected for the Red Bull Ring last year.

As a reminder, the technical specification of the entire 2020 Pirelli Formula 1 tyre range is also identical to the 2019 specification.

With both races being held in early July, ambient temperatures are very likely to be high. However, the track’s location in the Northern Styrian Alps means that variable weather can be also become a possibility.

In the past, this has traditionally been a one-stop race. The majority of corners are right-handers, but the two most demanding corners are actually left-handers: which means that the unloaded tyres go into them relatively cold each time.