Formula 1 is stated to be the pinnacle of motorsport by most of the motorheads around there, including myself. And as the 2020 season is just around the corner, the formula one fans are gearing up to witness something spectacular, no we aren’t talking about DAS… pun intended!
Corona virus effects
We are talking about the man behind car number 44, the six times World champion Lewis Hamilton. Lewis might be on his way to clinch his 7th world Title and equal the record of most championships currently held by none other than Formula One legend, Michael Schumacher.
But wait, the ongoing Corona Virus might affect this new season as there are rumours going around of possible cancellation of the upcoming Australian Grand Prix. Both Scuderia Ferrari and newly renamed Alpha Tauri have been gearing up to keep their factories in Maranello safe from the Virus after the confirmation of Positive cases detected in the nearby region of Lombardy.
The Chinese Grand Prix has already been postponed to a later date.
So, If Hamilton was planning to go ahead with his smooth sail to clinch the 7th world Title, well it won’t be that easy as even if we ignore the deadly Corona Virus.
Enter Max Verstappen
This young racer has been making rounds in the news as he’s gearing up to showcase himself as the new rival to Hamilton. Max has been famous for being aggressive on the track, and he might be taking some pages of Schumacher’s book of getting into the mind space of an opponent which can result in sealing a victory before crossing the chequered flag. Although, the man on the other side is Lewis and he known to not crack under any circumstance. Most fans and F1 pundits believe that the consistency of this man is exactly the difference between a racer and champion.
Anyway, this Max vs. Lewis fight means we might get to witness a new rivalry being bought to fruition as RedBull are feeling much more confident this year with the all-new RB 16. In fact, RedBull boss man Christian Horner recently stated in an Interview that their partnership with Honda has Grown strong and that Honda was the missing ingredient for them to challenge for the title.
Schumacher – Hamilton record
Coming back to Hamilton and Schumacher stat check, Hamilton can break the previously held record of most number of podiums by Schumacher which is at 155 podiums, and hamilton is just three podiums short of equalling that.
Hamilton can also surpass Schumacher’s record of winning at least one race in 15 consecutive seasons if Hamilton decides to extend his Contract beyond 2020. Plus Hamilton has currently won 83 Grand Prix, and Schumacher holds the record at 91, this record is also something which Lewis can equal this season. Although, Coronavirus appears to be more of a rival to him in this than rival racers.
Scuderia Ferrari and controversy
If talk about Schumacher and forget Scuderia Ferrari well, then it would be a blasphemy. Following the last year’s trend, the rumours of Ferrari’s sandbagging has made a round up this year as well. Toto Wolff claimed that, Ferrari has not showcased their actual race pace during the testing and that Mattio Binotto’s claim of Ferrari being slower than Mercedes and RedBull was false.
Ferrari has been known for hiding their true race Pace before the season… among other things. Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto recently stated that Ferrari couldn’t win at the Melbourne GP as the SF1000 will require extensive development before it can bid for the title. Only time will tell if this is a part of their strategy or actual truth.
Another exciting entrant for the Grid this year would be newly reformed Alpha Tauri, the team feels confident and is gearing up for its debut season (kind of).
The Merc Clone (Pink Arrow) in the Midfield?
Another News that had been making a round up was about Team Racing Point. Other Mid Field teams have claimed that Racing Point’s new car was a clone of Mercedes’ last WC winning car. While that might sound true at first, an in-depth analysis of both the cars reveals that they only have a few similarities. Under the skin, they are still quite different as there are some components like side fins that can be seen on the RP car which weren’t there on the last seasons Silver Arrow.
The car is still within the rules of FIA and is perfectly legal. The changes on the car are much extensive as it had reached its development limits last season.
2020 season will also mark a return for ex-Racing Point driver, Esteban Ocon, who will now race for Renault Team. He was excited and was pumped for his return back to the sport.
This season is going to be exciting for both teams and fans alike, and we can’t wait for our favourite sport to make a return after a long, dull and dreadful winter break.
