2020 Austrian GP Thursday
shares
comments
By: Jake Boxall-Legge
Summary
Status: Stopped
It's almost 5pm, have I really been doing this all day?! Thanks for tuning in folks, we'll be back with you tomorrow - just a shade before FP1 begins. We hope you're as excited as we are - which is to say, rather so. Keep safe, mask up and wash those hands!
Tomorrow, the first on-track action will come at 8:35 BST in the form of F3 free practice, before F1 takes to the circuit at 10am. Then there's F2 practice, F3 qualifying, F1's second free practice session, F2 qualifying and then the day ends with Supercup practice. To be honest, you're best off reserving the sofa all day.
Lewis Hamilton talks about continuing the fight for equality and greater representation of minority figures in Formula 1: "I won’t stop pushing until we really see change. Seeing one person of colour added to the paddock is not diversity, and so we’ve really got to dig deep, we’ve really got to pull together and I think it really starts at education."
We've had a few questions about the 2020 season answered today, but with things frequently changing there's certainly a lot more. GP Racing editor Ben Anderson explains: 
More on Ferrari never offering Vettel a new deal: 
Sebastian Vettel has confirmed that Ferrari never made him an offer to continue past 2020.
"There was no sticking point," Vettel said. "Yeah, so, I think I was, you know, it was obviously a surprise to me when I got the call by Mattia, when he told me that there was no further intention from the team to continue. We never got into any discussions, there was never an offer on the table and therefore, there was no sticking point."
"There was no sticking point," Vettel said. "Yeah, so, I think I was, you know, it was obviously a surprise to me when I got the call by Mattia, when he told me that there was no further intention from the team to continue. We never got into any discussions, there was never an offer on the table and therefore, there was no sticking point."
Meanwhile, Sergio Perez believes that Racing Point - or Aston Martin as it will be known next year - will be in the hunt among the top teams once the cost cap is in place: 
With rumours linking Fernando Alonso to Renault, Esteban Ocon says he would be open to having him as a team-mate in 2021: 
In weather news (sorry, we're British and that's basically all we talk about), the forecast for this week is rain on Friday, but clement weather for the rest of the week.
The distinctly Mercedes-inspired Racing Point RP20 noses, which took many by surprise in testing! Peep the We Race As One motif placed atop the RP logo...
Behind the scenes of the F1 press conferences - plenty of distance between media, drivers and FIA delegate Tom Wood.
More from the press conferences, as Romain Grosjean admits he's "concerned" about a lack of upgrades on his Haas Formula 1 car for Austria, but concedes its tricky 2019 proved constant development can also be a hindrance: 
Outside of the press room, it's been raining. Like, quite a lot of rain. It's more like Spill-berg than Spielberg out there.
We're here all week(end).
We're here all week(end).
Elsewhere in lockdown time-passing, Daniil Kvyat spent some time learning the guitar. Rumour has it that he traded guitar lessons with Biffy Clyro frontman Simon Neil, who in return accepted a few Golden Rules from Kvyat for his Virtual Grand Prix appearance...
The Alfa Romeo drivers also took to the presser, with Kimi Raikkonen having spent the break racing his son Robin - and the 2007 world champion appears to have met his match.
"As long as he enjoys it, that’s the main thing, said Raikkonen. "He’s been getting a bit faster. With me in a rental kart, I cannot keep up any more. I need a bit more horsepower."
"As long as he enjoys it, that’s the main thing, said Raikkonen. "He’s been getting a bit faster. With me in a rental kart, I cannot keep up any more. I need a bit more horsepower."
Haas was one of the teams which struggled last year, as its black-and-gold machine had issues both on and off the track. But now, back in Haas' normal corporate colours, Grosjean is "very confident" that the team has ironed out last year's problems.
"I think everyone has had a very good look at everything," he continued. "I believe now we’ve got a better way of understanding issues and getting in line with the drivers’ comments, because at the end of the day, we’re the ones driving the car and very early on we felt like something was off"
"I think everyone has had a very good look at everything," he continued. "I believe now we’ve got a better way of understanding issues and getting in line with the drivers’ comments, because at the end of the day, we’re the ones driving the car and very early on we felt like something was off"
Back to the press conferences, and the Haas drivers Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen have been in the socially-distanced chairs, staying 2m apart. Team boss Guenther Steiner will be hoping that his drivers keep doing that on the track too....
Okay, you've had 10 minutes or so - let's go through the differences...
1) The upper wing flap on the top wing has a larger chord length on the outside compared to the bottom wing. This is the higher-downforce option, which the team will run if the drivers aren't comfortable with the lower option.
2) The endplate's footplate (the part in yellow) is squarer and flatter on the bottom. This is to shape and release a vortex (kinda like a mini-tornado, for non-aero fans) which helps push air around the front tyre earlier. However, the bottom version controls it for less time than the top version.
3) The small fin on the back of the footplate on the bottom wing (below the T of Renault) also helps to push that air outwards to reduce the drag that the front tyre creates.
4) The square cut-out in the bottom wing means the air passing the front wing elements can also help achieve that outwards airflow, known in the trade as outwash.
1) The upper wing flap on the top wing has a larger chord length on the outside compared to the bottom wing. This is the higher-downforce option, which the team will run if the drivers aren't comfortable with the lower option.
2) The endplate's footplate (the part in yellow) is squarer and flatter on the bottom. This is to shape and release a vortex (kinda like a mini-tornado, for non-aero fans) which helps push air around the front tyre earlier. However, the bottom version controls it for less time than the top version.
3) The small fin on the back of the footplate on the bottom wing (below the T of Renault) also helps to push that air outwards to reduce the drag that the front tyre creates.
4) The square cut-out in the bottom wing means the air passing the front wing elements can also help achieve that outwards airflow, known in the trade as outwash.
Here's two front wings prepared for Renault's Esteban Ocon. Can you spot the differences? There are three...or four. Definitely four.
We've finally got a few images through of car bodywork, so we're going to play Spot the Difference! Are you ready?
The first batch of (socially-distanced) press conferences are under way! The Williams drivers were up first, sat two metres away from each other - as this upcoming tweet from our own Luke Smith will show...
Elsewhere in the world of racing - and one for the two-wheeled fans out there - is that MotoGP hotshot Fabio Quartararo is set for a hearing on allegedly breaking private testing rules: 
Remember the kerbs at Turns 9 and 10, notorious for tearing off bits of front wing if a driver got too aggressive? They're now gone and have been replaced with a sensor to ease the strain on spare parts: 
In this week's returning Autosport magazine, you can indulge in this week's cover feature in print - which is also available here to Plus subscribers here - written by our Grand Prix Editor Alex Kalinauckas: 
Now, I don't want to be overly particular, but the tall gentleman's shirt being the reverse of everyone else's is really bugging me. That's a fashion Renault-no...
More news from the front, as Mercedes has made a few fixes to its power unit ahead of the delayed season for reliability purposes: 
In the news, Lewis Hamilton says he was not targeting his fellow Formula 1 drivers in his criticism of people "staying silent" over racial injustice, but speaking about motorsport as a whole: 
Here's something you can print out and stick to your wall - here's this weekend's session times (in BST).
Friday
FP1: 10am-11:30am
FP2: 2pm-3:30pm
Saturday
FP3: 11am-12pm
Quali: 2pm-3pm
Sunday
Race: 2:10pm-4:10pm
Friday
FP1: 10am-11:30am
FP2: 2pm-3:30pm
Saturday
FP3: 11am-12pm
Quali: 2pm-3pm
Sunday
Race: 2:10pm-4:10pm
Newcomer Nicholas Latifi conducts his track-walk with his Williams engineers. This must have been one of F1's longest waits for a debut, surely?
For fans of the junior series, Formula 2 and Formula 3 will ALSO race in Austria - so there's a smorgasbord of racing on. For those of who have remained sated by NASCAR so far, you'll now get to see lots of cars turn in more than one direction...
Let's be honest, the Sebastian Vettel Leaving Ferrari news was just enough to tide us all over during the break, although the four-time champion's impending departure might make 2020 a little awkward. But this year will, for his sake, be a defining one. LUKE SMITH investigates (PLUS): 
Trending
Latest news
Erik Jones sidelined with compression fracture after Talladega crash
Talladega
Erik Jones sidelined with compression fracture after Talladega crash
Alpine confident for 'good news' in Habsburg injury recovery
Imola
Alpine confident for 'good news' in Habsburg injury recovery
Ferrari "made too many mistakes" for podium fight at F1 Chinese GP
Chinese GP
Ferrari "made too many mistakes" for podium fight at F1 Chinese GP
Top Comments