Austrian Grand Prix 2020 LIVE: Updates as 2020 F1 season kicks off at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg (Image: GETTY)
Austrian Grand Prix 2020 LIVE
- Valtteri Bottas starts on pole at the Austrian Grand Prix
- Lewis Hamilton handed a late three-place grid penalty
- Max Verstappen is out to secure a third successive win in Austria
- Sebastian Vettel will have to fight his way through from 11th
Lap 6: Bottas has really got the hammer down in front and is putting a decent gap between himself and Verstappen. Hamilton is closing in on Albon.
Lap 4: Hamilton makes his first move of the day as he gets past Norris to go fourth. At the opposite end of field it’s a familiar sight as Williams bring up the rear end.
Lap 3: Albon makes the most of DRS being activated to breeze past long-time friend Norris and move into third. Christian Horner will be loving this!
Lap 2: Bottas gets urged to “look after that car” on team radio in a reminder of the danger posed by the kerbs at the Red Bull Ring.
Lap 1: Sensational start from Bottas as he pulls away from the pack from the off. Norris has a cheeky look at going past Verstappen but the Red Bull star retains third.
2.14pm: And there we have it, the 2020 F1 season is finally underway! Stick with us for live updates as the action unfolds over in Spielberg.
2.04pm: We’re moments away from lights out at the Red Bull Ring and excitement is piquing. The formation lap comes next and, then, away we go!
1.58pm: A moving moment at the Red Bull Ring as most of the F1 grid take a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Hamilton, who remains the only black driver to have competed in a Grand Prix, leads the initiative while wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the Black Lives Matter message.
1.55pm: Huge stat pointed out by Sky Sports F1‘s David Croft. Thanks to Hamilton’s penalty, Norris becomes the first McLaren driver to start third in any race since Jenson Button back in 2016. Interestingly, that came during the Austrian Grand Prix that year. Cheers Crofty!
Austrian Grand Prix 2020 LIVE: Lewis Hamilton led his rivals in supporting Black Lives Matter (Image: GETTY)
1.50pm: 1996 F1 champion Damon Hill doesn’t sound best pleased about what’s happening in Spielberg. The British racing legend tweeted: “I get up early. Go for a bike ride and when I get back all hell has let loose in F1! Oh dear. It was all going so well.”
1.47pm: Hamilton admitted in yesterday’s post-qualifying press conference that Verstappen’s switch to a medium tyre might pay dividends today. “I think it’s going to be a close race still,” Hamilton said. “He’s on the medium tyre so a slightly different strategy and they’re very quick on race pace – so it should be a lot closer tomorrow, I would expect.”
Verstappen now has the opportunity to make the most of the potential advantage as he goes in search of a third successive Austrian Grand Prix win. Can he do it? Stay right here to find out!
1.42pm: CONFIRMED – Hamilton has been handed a three-place grid penalty. Stewards have reviewed new footage filmed from the Mercedes driver’s car during Q3 and determined he could have seen a yellow light panel flashing as the flags were being waved. He will start fifth on the grid.
1.40pm: Mercedes will now be banking on Bottas making the perfect start with Verstappen breathing down his neck. The W11 was half a second quicker than the RB16 in qualifying and the Silver Arrows – who race in all-black for the first time here – will need to make the most of that advantage.
It’s not just at the front where we’re in for some fascinating battles, though. Esteban Ocon, racing in his first Grand Prix for more than 500 days, was disappointed to qualify in 14th and will have the likes of Vettel, Pierre Gasly and Daniil Kvyat in his sights on the first lap.
Austrian Grand Prix 2020 LIVE: Lewis Hamilton has been handed a late three-place grid penalty (Image: PA)
1.30pm: Former F1 driver Martin Brundle admits the changes to the starting grid are coming later than ever before. Speaking on Sky Sports F1, Brundle said: “I don’t remember ever having a grid changed this close to a race.
Brundle thinks Verstappen and his team stand to benefit, with their choice of tyre from yesterday possibly set to pay dividends. “This plays beautifully into Red Bull’s hands,” Brundle said. “They’re starting on the medium tyre, a different tyre to the top-10.”
1.25pm: Big blow for Hamilton less than an hour from lights out in Spielberg. Red Bull’s protest has seemingly proved successful, with Verstappen’s gear being moved from third on the grid to the front row, next to Bottas.
Hamilton’s setup is being moved back to fifth, suggesting Mercedes expect the 35-year-old to be handed a three-place grid penalty. Just a reminder, this specific penalty would relate to Hamilton potentially ignoring yellow flags and not slowing down after Bottas left the track during Q3 yesterday.
1.20pm: There is set to be a moment of reflection prior to the Austrian national anthem being played at today’s race. It is expected at this point that some of the F1 field will take a knee in support of Black Lives Matter.
Norris addressed the situation on Twitter and said: “One quick message too before people make assumptions about what decisions drivers take on the grid to express their support against racism. We all share the same belief in ending racism and supporting equality for all.”
1.15pm: At the opposite end of the grid to Bottas, Williams new boy Nicholas Latifi will start the first Grand Prix of his F1 career from last place. The Canadian, whose father has been tipped to pump some of his fortune into struggling Williams, crashed during Free Practice 3 and saw the incident impact his qualifying run.
2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen finds himself in the unfamiliar position of starting alongside Latifi on the last row, where the most-experienced and least-experienced drivers on the grid meet. Just ahead of Raikkonen will be Alfa Romeo team-mate Antonio Giovinazzi and Latifi’s team-mate George Russell.
Austrian Grand Prix 2020 LIVE: Valtteri Bottas is on pole after Mercedes locked out the front row (Image: GETTY)
1.10pm: Plenty of pre-race focus has been on whether drivers will take a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Verstappen says he will not do so and tweeted: “I am very committed to equality and the fight against racism. But I believe everyone has the right to express themself at a time and in a way that suits them. I will not take the knee today but respect and support the personal choices every driver makes.”
Leclerc, likewise, will not take a knee and tweeted: “I believe that what matters are facts and behaviours in our daily life rather than formal gestures that could be seen as controversial in some countries. I will not take the knee but this does not mean at all that I am less committed than others in the fight against racism.”
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1pm: Bottas set a new lap-record at the Red Bull Ring yesterday as he and Hamilton both managed to undercut the time put down by Ferrari’s Leclerc last year. The 30-year-old went round the circuit in this picturesque corner of Styria in just 1:02.939.
Hamilton was not far behind, though, clocking in at 1:02.951 during Q3 – after which he avoided a potential grid penalty having been accused of ignoring yellow flags and contravening track limits. The Brit has a seventh F1 title in his sights and will want to start with a bang today. However, he may drop to 10th if Red Bull’s late protest sees stewards change their mind.
12.45pm: Hello and welcome to Express Sport‘s live coverage as the Austrian Grand Prix kicks off the 2020 F1 season. Valtteri Bottas starts on pole after the Finn and Lewis Hamilton underlined Mercedes’ superiority over their rivals during qualifying yesterday. Hamilton is, however, in danger of losing second spot after Red Bull asked stewards to review their decision to not penalise the reigning champion for possibly ignoring yellow flags during Q3.
It’s an altogether different story for Ferrari, who look well off the pace of their long-time rivals and even Red Bull. Sebastian Vettel will start down in 11th in Austria, with his Prancing Horse team-mate Charles Leclerc seventh on the grid.
Max Verstappen completes the top three in Spielberg and this year goes in search of a third win on the bounce at the Red Bull Ring following his victories in 2018 and 2019. The Dutchman’s Red Bull team-mate Alex Albon will start fifth, just behind surprise package Lando Norris, of McLaren.
The action gets underway at 2.10pm (BST) but we’ll be here to bring you the all-important build-up.
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