Autosport Podcast: F1 season preview

More than three months have passed since the paddock last reconvened in Melbourne, but a huge amount has changed in the world - and the same is true for F1.

A new set of wide-ranging new protocols forced by the COVID-19 pandemic are now in place to ensure the races can go ahead in a safe manner, with Austria kicking off a much different-looking early calendar that is set to be added to in the coming weeks.

Some big plans have also been agreed on to safeguard F1's future in the break, including a carry-over of the 2020 cars into next year, a delay in the new technical regulations to 2022, and a reduced budget cap of $145 million per season.

The driver market has also been heavily shaken-up, starting with confirmation of Sebastian Vettel's exit from Ferrari at the end of the year.

The four-time world champion will be replaced by McLaren's Carlos Sainz Jr., whose own seat has been snapped up by Daniel Ricciardo.

As much as F1 may have looked to the future during this break, there are still plenty of past scores to settle. Controversies from pre-season over Ferrari's engine settlement with the FIA, Mercedes' innovative DAS system and Racing Point's 'pink Mercedes' might have been put on the back burner, but they're sure to re-ignite this weekend.

In the latest edition of the Autosport Podcast, Alex Kalinauckas, Jonathan Noble, Luke Smith and Jessica McFadyen run through all of the current F1 talking points ahead of this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix.

You can listen and downloading the podcast from all good audio platforms including Spotify and Apple Podcasts.