It is no secret that the Formula One season started some weeks back with testing but those were appetizers, we are getting set to be serve the main course. On Sunday, it would be lights out down under in Australia, the opening Grand Prix of the year will place over 58 laps of the 5.303-kilometre Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit.
Motor sport enthusiast cannot wait any longer as the world attention switches focus to Melbourne in the midst of Coronavirus threat. So, what are the talking points going into this race?
The first on everyone lips is COVID-19. It’s impossible to ignore the global health situation since the outbreak of this deadly disease. Racing is going ahead as planned in Australia, but it’s an ever-changing situation that needs constant monitoring. Teams have been faced with a few logistical challenges to try and ensure racing can take place safely and with as little disruption as possible.
To the tracks itself, Valtteri Bottas stole the show in Australia last year with a dominant performance in the season-opener. Many thought Bottas was ready to take the fight to Lewis Hamilton in the drivers’ championship as Mercedes started with five consecutive one-two finishes. In the end, Bottas’ challenge faded but the Finn returns refreshed this season and promising an even better version of himself. Just how big a threat will he be? Still the champions, Mercedes, the Dual Axis Steering (DAS) system developed by the Silver Arrows is not only pioneering, it could potentially be a performance differentiator and give Mercedes an added edge. It remains to be seen if it will be deployed on all circuits or just specific ones with long straights, and where it will have the biggest impact. One thing’s for sure, we’ll all be watching those onboard shots of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas very carefully.
Challengers, Ferrari reached a settlement with FIA regarding the operation of their power unit last year but the terms have not been publicly disclosed. It has led to an angry response from the seven teams that do not use Ferrari engines, resulting in a back-and-forth of statements from the teams and the FIA. The teams are unhappy at a lack of transparency from the governing body, and once they all convene in the same place, there are sure to be some strong opinions voiced.
It wasn’t just DAS that helped Mercedes emerge as favourites for the 2020 season, as they enjoyed a strong six days of testing in terms of outright pace and long run performance. There were reliability concerns for the Silver Arrows though, while both Red Bull and Ferrari also seemed to be hiding their full potential. We might be expecting Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas to be the pair to beat in Melbourne, but remember how good Ferrari looked last year in Barcelona?
The intrigue doesn’t stop with the top three teams, as the midfield battle looks like being as tight as ever this season. Racing Point in particular caught the eye during testing, with the team unveiling a car design that is very similar to last year’s title-winning Mercedes. Not only did the car look familiar, it performed strongly too and that meant a few rival teams were voicing some dissent regarding the partnership between Mercedes and Racing Point.
After an extremely excited launch season that saw teams unveiling their cars on a daily basis ahead of the first test, it’s easy to forget that we still haven’t seen one team’s look for 2020. Renault ran during testing using a special black livery, and as cool as the car looked, the team are going to reveal their official colour scheme on Wednesday afternoon at the Albert Park circuit. We don’t know what to expect the French automotive manufacturer.
Whatever you do, do not miss the first action on Sunday, race start time is 06.10 WAT.