Scuderia Ferrari's 2020 season is off to a rocky start, to say the least. After a lucky and frankly unexpected podium in the Austrian GP, Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel settle for a disappointing double retirement in the Styrian GP. Lewis Hamilton clinches his first win of the season.
Taking the blame
After a dissatisfactory qualifying, Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc lined up on the grid in P10 and P14 respectively. Their race, however, was very short-lived: in a hurry to get back in the points, Leclerc miscalculated the pace to plunge in and destroyed his teammate's rear wing, ending the remuntada for both. The Monegasque immediately accepted the blame for the incident and personally apologised to his teammate and to his team.
Disappointment hits two of the best performers in qualifying as well: Esteban Ocon retires with a pitlane issue on his front axis, while George Russell has to give up any hope for a points finish after an early trip to the gravel.
Playing the safe game
Compared to the Austrian GP, this Styrian reiteration has proved to be quite uneventful, with the top three in a league of their own. Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll once again prove Racing Point's prowess with a mighty comeback from outside the points zone. Up on the podium, it was a final stage duel between Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas for P2, with the Finn eventually snatching the position. A late plunge for Lando Norris gives him a surprising, yet textbook-like, P5.
The Hungarian GP is up next on this peculiar 2020 Formula 1 calendar, with more technical updates coming for Ferrari: we'll see if Maranello will finally be up to par.
Written by Aurora Dell'Agli
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