F1 Austrian Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton drops to fifth on the grid – live!

Jenson Button says anyone seeking to beat Hamilton over the course of a season needs to get involved early. He thinks Bottas is understanding Hamilton better now that they’re team-mates, and that Hamilton is the “complete package”, which he wasn’t when they were team-mates.

Valtteri Bottas thinks he has a great chance of winning, and that Hamilton is his principal challenger. He has the advantage of pole, and aims to keep the advantage at the start, then control the race.

“It is what it is,” say Mercedes about Hamilton’s penalty. More news as I get it.

We see some, but not all drivers, taking a knee; Hamilton wears a Black Lives Matter t-shirt, while others wear End Racism t-shirts. I’m not sure why, because this is a very specific moment about a very specific movement.

As it goes, Hamilton hasn’t won in Austria since 2016; since then, Bottas has won one and Verstappen has won the last two.

On Sky, we hear that the cars behind Mercedes are pretty close in terms of lap time. My guess is that Hamilton will increase that gap, although fewer races give the rest a better chance to do something – especially given that three-place penalty.

He also says that drivers are still discussing the best way to fight racism, but I’m not sure why they aren’t just asking Hamilton what to do, then doing what he says.

Max Verstappen tells Sky that he enjoyed having time to work on his fitness, which is something we’ve seen in other football too. Mason Greenwood, for example, returned from lockdown ready to wrestle crocodiles, and the difference in his performance is clear.

This is the first F1 season to start in Europe since 1966. This was the race.

Of course, there’s pre-exiting beef between Mercedes and Red Bull after Red Bull complained about Mercedes’ new DAS system, only to be told tae git tae.

“I can’t even,” as people considerably younger than me are wont to say.

The stewards had a quiet one with Hamilton last night, but he was cleared; it seems that Red Bull appealed and, as a consequence, he’s been dropped three places. Does that constitute grassing?

Hamilton was just interviewed on Sky, talking about his experience as a one of few black children at school, and now as one of few black faces in the paddock. He also mentions friends in sport and in music who’ve said nothing, and how a more tolerant, inclusive world is part of his legacy. It’s beautiful and depressing in equal measure.

However will we cope? This from Reuters:

“The top three finishers in Sunday’s season-opening Austrian Formula One Grand Prix will have towels and water delivered to them by remote-controlled trolley before they can get their hands on any champagne. They must also wear facemasks before stepping up onto socially-distanced individual rostrums placed in front of their cars on the start-finish line due to strict anti-pandemic measures.

Formula One race director Michael Masi outlined details of the new post-race procedures in a note to teams ahead of the sport’s first championship grand prix to be held entirely without spectators. The leading three will have to park up next to boards marking the first, second and third positions on the start/finish straight. They will then step out to be weighed on portable scales positioned next to their cars and conduct the official interviews.

‘Once the interviews have been completed a remote-control trolley with water and towel will be delivered to each driver,’ the note continued. ‘No other drinks are permitted in the parc ferme area.’

The rostrum and dais will be placed in front of the cars, instead of the more familiar podium positioned above a crowded pit lane or track crammed with cheering team members and flag-waving fans.

The drivers will then move to their individual podium steps before the national anthems are played and virtual flags displayed. No dignitaries will be involved in the presentation of trophies. ‘The champagne celebrations will then take place,’ the note said.

Sunday’s race is the first major global sporting event being held since countries emerged from the COVID-19 lockdown.

The Red Bull Ring is operating under strict health and safety requirements, with drivers and teams subjected to regular testing for COVID-19 and operating in ‘bubbles within bubbles’ to limit any risk of an outbreak of the virus.”

We got here in the end. Nearly three months after we were supposed to get here, after seven cancelled races, nine postponed races, horrendous upheaval and devastating tragedy, we got here.

So, now that we are, what’s going to happen? Well, Lewis Hamilton has won five of the last six seasons, and there’s no particular reason to think he won’t now equal Michael Schumacher’s record of seven titles total. He’s the best driver in the best car; what else is to say?

Well, quite a lot actually. Hamilton has played an absolute blinder in recent weeks, speaking candidly and powerfully about what needs to change, both in Formula 1 and the world, then helping to make it happen. That he has had to is awful, but we are lucky to have him.

Start: 2pm BST, 3pm local time