Australia: Prediction and Presentation
The 2020 season is set to kick off tomorrow in Australia if the Grand Prix is not canceled due to Coronavirus. Albert Park has been hosting the inaugural round of the Formula 1 World Championship since 1996, with the exception of Bahrain in 2010. After three months of patience and two weeks of uncertainty following pre-season testing, it's time to unleash the horses and let the competition finally resume. An atypical circuit indeed, the Australian GP often comes with surprises. Let's revisit the 2019 edition and attempt, for the very first time this year, a game of predictions before tomorrow's free practice.
2019, in the continuity of 2018
The 2019 season unfolded as a continuation of 2018, with few changes to the cars, but some off-season transfers among the top teams. Notably, Charles Leclerc came to replace Kimi Räikkönen at Ferrari, with the latter taking the Monegasque’s seat at Alfa Romeo. Daniel Ricciardo, having decided to join Renault for a challenge worthy of his talent, was replaced at Red Bull by Pierre Gasly.
A departure under high tension
Valtteri Bottas is eager for revenge, Charles Leclerc has everything to prove, and Max Verstappen is testing his new Honda engine. Unsurprisingly, the front spots on the starting grid are shared between the two Mercedes, the two Ferraris, and one Red Bull. Only one because Pierre Gasly did not manage to get to grips with his car for these qualifications (17th). Hamilton starts on pole for a high-tension start.
Despite some jostling and attempts at intimidation, the first laps are rather clean and the start does not generate any incidents. Except for Daniel Ricciardo, who breaks his front wing after going off onto the grass from the starting line. Later in the race, he will be forced to throw in the towel for his home race. A complicated start with the Renault.
The surprise from the north
The surprise comes from Mercedes, and more specifically from Valtteri Bottas. He had the perfect start and led at the first corner. Despite repeated attacks from his five-time world champion teammate, it’s the Finn who will win the first Grand Prix of the 2019 season. And in style, as he will also score the fastest lap in the race. Confident, he expressed himself like this during his cooldown lap: « To whom it may concern, f*** you! ». The tone is set.
A hierarchy taking shape
Behind, Max Verstappen delivers a powerful race and snatches the last spot on the podium from Sebastian Vettel, who doesn’t understand why his Ferrari’s pace is so slow. So much so that his teammate catches up to his exhaust, and team orders are put in place to avoid creating a diplomatic incident at the very start of the season.
In the midfield, the drivers remained relatively calm, and a hierarchy is emerging. It seems to favor Haas, Alfa Romeo, and Renault. But the only thing that is certain is that Williams will have a hard time catching up with such a performance deficit.
Thus, the foundations of the 2019 scenario have been laid, and for 2020 the prospects are similar. We should not take the results on Sunday evening at face value, but we will already have a good overview of each one’s performance.
Editorial Predictions
Following the Spanish trials, a certain trend is emerging within the editorial team. And we are unanimous regarding the leading teams with Mercedes at the forefront, followed by Red Bull and then Ferrari.
Thus, for this Australian Grand Prix, we see Hamilton in pole position. Then during the race, Hamilton should, without much trouble, turn his pole into a victory, followed by Max Verstappen. The unknown being the last step of the podium, it sometimes goes to Valtteri Bottas, sometimes to Charles Leclerc, or even to Daniel Ricciardo.
The word to our readers
It’s up to you to tell us what you think; express yourself through this survey by predicting the first winner of the season:
