Sainz shines at Silverstone in maiden F1 win

CARLOS SAINZ Jr kept his cool to achieve a maiden Grand Prix victory at the 150th attempt after a crazy race at a packed Silverstone.

The Spanish pole-sitter had fallen behind Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc ahead of a restart with only nine laps left following a late interruption by the Safety Car.

But, following a brief tussle, Sainz - on fresher soft tyres - used his big advantage with Leclerc left like a sitting duck on the hard compound.

That was far from the most incredible racing after the second restart, though.

Instead, the best of the action came from Leclerc, Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton as the British seven-time world champion moved from fourth place to second then was forced back down to fourth in the space of just five corners.

Hamilton eventually passed the struggling Leclerc but will rue a slow pit-stop by his Mercedes team which prevented him from making more of a run at a ninth win at his home circuit.

Nevertheless, the 37-year-old did set the fastest lap and made it onto the F1 podium at Silverstone for a 13th time, a record for any driver at a single track.

Now, the top three in this race does not tell half the story after the drama on the first lap and especially the first corner.

Immediately at lights out, Max Verstappen stormed past Sainz - but the real mayhem erupted behind the front-runners as contact between George Russell and Pierre Gasly diverted Russell's Mercedes towards Zhou Guanyu, resulting in a massive shunt.

In a terrifying moment, the Alfa Romeo of Chinese driver Zhou was flipped over on impact, skidded upside down through a gravel trap and over a tyre wall, only coming to a halt in a catch fencing right in front of grandstand of spectators.

The cockpit halo was a controversial addition to these open-seater cars when made mandatory by the FIA in 2018 - but it had undoubtedly made yet another remarkable intervention.

In fact, Zhou's accident came just a few hours after the halo had prevented Roy Nissany from being decapitated by Dennis Hauger's car in the F2 feature race.

Following a worrying delay, Zhou was confirmed to be conscious and on his way to the medical centre, where Alex Albon was also sent for a check-up.

Several other cars also sustained damage as a domino effect took hold through the midfield - and, after a delay of almost an hour, it came as something of a surprise that 17 of the 20 drivers were still in the race.

Along with Zhou and Albon, Russell was the only other driver to retire despite not actually being stricken.

Mercedes man Russell had dashed out of his cockpit from a safe position at the side of the track towards Zhou - but received outside assistance, albeit unwanted help, from a tow truck which took his car back to the pits.

Regardless, the 24-year-old deserves huge commendation for his response - but, from a regulatory perspective, it was frustratingly impossible to argue against.

Russell should console himself with the fact that he will have many more chances to make a big impression at Silverstone - and, most importantly, that he had still done the right thing.

Back to the racing and a standing restart was taken in grid order because the accident had come so early.

Ferrari fared better second time around as Verstappen and Leclerc went wheel-to-wheel behind Sainz, and Perez sustained damage to his front wing.

However, Verstappen kept second place and closed in on Sainz to put himself in the perfect position to seize on a mistake by the Spaniard on lap 10.

The lead did not last long, though. On lap 12, the Dutchman picked up some debris along the Wellington Straight and damaged the floor of his car, leaving him with performance issues for the rest of the afternoon.

At the same time, though, the 24-year-old will be satisfied enough with a seventh-placed finish after another difficult day at the Northamptonshire circuit, a venue at which he has never won.

After all, the Dutchman still leads the World Drivers Championship on 181 points, ahead of team-mate Perez (147), with Leclerc in third place on 138.

It is a rather different picture to the early part of the season when reliability issues for Red Bull allowed Leclerc to build a lead of 46 points over Verstappen.

Since then, though, Leclerc has suffered two engine failures while leading in Spain and Azerbaijan - before a strategic error in Monaco turned a likely home win into fourth place.

In Canada, the number of engine replacements forced the Monegasque to start from the back of the grid in Canada - and, to complete the set, a mistake by Leclerc himself in Imola dropped him down from third to sixth.

So, instead, it is Leclerc who has much to ponder as this campaign speeds towards its four-week summer recess in August.

Perhaps, the race at Silverstone will signal a shift against Verstappen like it did last year - and it would be fair to say that Leclerc is due something of a change in fortune.

Unlike the seemingly favourable situation for Verstappen at Red Bull, though, Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto is resistant to the imposition of team orders on his drivers.

That cost Leclerc on Sunday when, despite leading and showing quicker pace than Sainz in the first part of the race, he was left to finish the race on the rapidly degrading hard compound while the Spaniard was able to pit for soft tyres.

Such are the stated terms of engagement at Ferrari that it seems distinctly possible that the same approach could happen and cost Leclerc again later this year.

More critically, though, Verstappen's title win in December has given him supreme confidence with the extremely controversial circumstances leaving him with no doubt or regrets.

The Dutchman has won his six races in 2022 already - in Saudi Arabia, Imola, Miami, Barcelona, Baku, and Montreal - with no other driver winning more than two.

🏁

◾️ 2022 GRAND PRIX RACE CALENDAR ◾️

	Date			Winner | Venue
(1)	20-March		BAHRAIN	Charles Leclerc
(2)	27-March		SAUDI ARABIA	Max Verstappen
(3)	10-April		AUSTRALIA	Charles Leclerc
(4)	24-April		EMILIA ROMAGNA	Max Verstappen
(5)	08-May		MIAMI	Max Verstappen
(6)	22-May		SPAIN	Max Verstappen
(7)	29-May		MONACO	Sergio Pérez
(8)	12-June		AZERBAIJAN	Max Verstappen
(9)	19-June		CANADA	Max Verstappen
(10)	03-July		GREAT BRITAIN	Carlos Sainz Jr
(11)	10-July		AUSTRIA	Red Bull Ring, Spielberg
(12)	24-July		FRANCE	Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet
(13)	31-July		HUNGARY	Hungaroring, Mogyoród
(14)	28-August		BELGIUM	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot
(15)	04-September		NETHERLANDS	Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort
(16)	11-September		ITALY	Monza Circuit, Monza
(17)	02-October		SINGAPORE	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore
(18)	09-October		JAPAN	Suzuka International Course, Suzuka
(19)	23-October		UNITED STATES	Circuit of the Americas, Austin, TX
(20)	30-October		MEXICO	Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City
(21)	13-November		BRAZIL	Interlagos Circuit, São Paulo
(22)	20-November		ABU DHABI	Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi

🏁

FIA F1 DRIVERS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2022

			Points
1	Max Verstappen (NED)	Red Bull	181	(6 wins)
2	Sergio Pérez (MEX)	Red Bull	147	(1 win)
3	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	138	(2 wins)
4	Carlos Sainz Jr (ESP)	Ferrari	127	(1 win)
5	George Russell (GBR)	Mercedes	111
6	Lewis Hamilton (GBR)	Mercedes	93
7	Lando Norris (GBR)	McLaren-Mercedes	58
8	Valtteri Bottas (FIN)	Alfa Romeo-Ferrari	46
9	Esteban Ocon (FRA)	Alpine-Renault	39
10	Fernando Alonso (ESP)	Alpine-Renault	28
11	Pierre Gasly (FRA)	AlphaTauri-Red Bull PT	16
12	Kevin Magnussen (DEN)	Haas-Ferrari	16
13	Sebastian Vettel (GER)	Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes	15
14	Daniel Ricciardo (AUS)	McLaren-Mercedes	15
15	Yuki Tsunoda (JPN)	AlphaTauri-Red Bull PT	11
16	Guanyu Zhou (CHN)	Alfa Romeo-Ferrari	5
17	Mick Schumacher (GER)	Haas-Ferrari	4
18	Alexander Albon (THA)	Williams-Mercedes	3
19	Lance Stroll (CAN)	Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes	3
20	Nicholas Latifi (CAN)	Williams-Mercedes	0
21	Nico Hulkenberg (GER)	Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes	0

FIA F1 CONSTRUCTORS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2022

			Points
1	Red Bull (AUT)	Verstappen | Pérez	328	(7 wins)
2	Ferrari (ITA)	Leclerc | Sainz Jr	265	(3 wins)
3	Mercedes (GER)	Russell | Hamilton	204
4	McLaren-Mercedes (GBR)	Norris | Ricciardo	73
5	Alpine-Renault (FRA)	Alonso | Ocon	67
6	Alfa Romeo-Ferrari (SUI)	Bottas | Zhou	51
7	AlphaTauri-RedBullPT (ITA)	Gasly | Tsunoda	27
8	Haas-Ferrari (USA)	Magnussen | Schumacher	20
9	Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes (GBR)	Vettel | Stroll | Hulkenberg	18
10	Williams-Mercedes (GBR)	Albon | Latifi	3

Verstappen closes in on record-chasing Hamilton

 
• ALFA ROMEO-FERRARI
• [7] Kimi Räikkönen (FIN) | Entries 332 (329 starts) Poles 18 Wins 21 🏆
• [99] Antonio Giovinazzi (ITA) | Entries 40 (40 starts) Poles 0 Wins 0

◾️ Continuity is the word at ALFA ROMEO where the 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi have retained their places for a third season in a row in a team which has finished eighth in the Constructors' Championship for the last two years (or three years, if you count the final iteration of its predecessor Sauber with a different driver line-up). To be honest, Alfa Romeo could perhaps have done with a bit of a shake-up and it is difficult to see any better offering from the Swiss-based operation this time around, especially if Raikkonen winds down slowly towards his retirement. After all, Giovinazzi has only had a handful of points finishes from his 40 starts, although he did at least evenly split the eight points which the team earned last year.

• ALPHA TAURI-HONDA
• [10] Pierre Gasly (FRA) | Entries 64 (64 starts) Poles 0 Wins 1
• [22] Yuki Tsunoda (JPN) | Rookie

◾️ ALPHA TAURI provides one of the most fascinating line-ups of the season as rookie Yuki Tsunoda takes a seat alongside race winner Pierre Gasly who delighted his Italian team with a completely unexpected home victory at Monza after a crazy Italian Grand Prix in September. Gasly may have been the beneficiary of a well-timed pit-stop on that day - but the 25-year-old from Rouen in France also appears to have natural talent in abundance. Meanwhile, Tsunoda is a complete enigma for now - although it was plain to see that the first Japanese driver in a Formula One car since Kamui Kobayashi in 2014 was lightning quick in testing. Just how much raw pace Tsunoda has when the real stuff begins will determine the long-term prospects of the Honda-backed man.

• ALPINE-RENAULT
• [14] Fernando Alonso (ESP) | Entries 314 (311 starts) Poles 22 Wins 32 🏆🏆
• [31] Esteban Ocon (FRA) | Entries 67 (67 starts) Poles 0 Wins 0

◾️ Renault has rebranded its Formula One team as ALPINE to promote its sports car brand - but, while the name on the grid is new, it is an old flame in Fernando Alonso which the French outfit welcomes back. The veteran Spaniard won back-to-back titles with the team in 2005 and 2006, and after more recently winning consecutive Le Mans 24 races in 2018 and 2019 - and racing in the Indy500 three times - he returns to the format which first put him in the spotlight. Alongside Alonso, Frenchman Esteban Ocon retains his seat hoping to build on his second place at the crazy 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix in what will be his fourth Formula One campaign. But any hopes are tempered by the feeling that the whole set-up of Alpine continues to give off the appearance of an archetypal mid-table team. 

• ASTON MARTIN-MERCEDES
• [5] Sebastian Vettel (GER) | Entries 258 (257 starts) Poles 57 Wins 53 🏆🏆🏆🏆
• [18] Lance Stroll (CAN) | Entries 79 (78 starts) Poles 1 Wins 0

◾️ ASTON MARTIN makes a long-awaited return to Formula One in 2021 with the marque appearing for the first time as a works team since 1960. The Silverstone-based outfit will retain its British Racing Green livery from 61 years ago and, like its immediate predecessor Racing Point, will be powered by a Mercedes engine. Four-time champion Sebastian Vettel arrives following a difficult time at Ferrari - but, now seven years on from his last title, it remains to be seen if this will be anything more than a three-year farewell tour for the German. Lance Stroll retains the other seat to the surprise of nobody at all, considering his own father is a part-owner of the team - and, amid infuriating inconsistency, the Canadian has struggled to shrug off the daddy's boy reputation. Simply put, Stroll needs to produce more regularly the performance-level which has brought him some occasional bright moments, most notably when he stepped on the podium in Monza and at the Sakhir Grand Prix.

• FERRARI
• [16] Charles Leclerc (MON) | Entries 59 (59 starts) Poles 7 Wins 2
• [55] Carlos Sainz Jr (ESP) | Entries 119 (118 starts) Poles 0 Wins 0

◾️ FERRARI begins the 2021 campaign with the simple aim of restoring respectability to its name after a horrendous and, at times, utterly humiliating 2020 season. The Prancing Horse looked more like a donkey, ambling around tracks all over the world without a threat and eventually finishing sixth in the Constructors' Championship for its worst result in 40 years. Nevertheless, a new year brings fresh hope with Monégasque youngster Charles Leclerc looking to reproduce the consistently excellent drives which brought him back-to-back Grand Prix wins in Spa and Monza in 2019 and several other podium visits. Although without a race win yet, team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr is certainly no stranger to the post-race ceremonials, only just missing out on the top step of the podium in Monza last year. Sainz also finished last season with McLaren on a strong run of seven successive points finishes - and so taking Ferrari back towards the big time looks well within the capabilities of this pair of Charlies.

• HAAS-FERRARI
• [9] Nikita Mazepin (RUS) | Rookie
• [47] Mick Schumacher (GER) | Rookie

◾️ All change at HAAS where a pair of rookies - Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher - replace the departing Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen. Schumacher - the son of seven-time champion Michael - views this opportunity as the first step towards him emulating his legendary father. But, if anything, the announcement of Mazepin has caused more of a stir. The Russian, who is racing under a neutral flag in line with conditions set by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, was previously revealed to have uploaded a video to social media in which he filmed himself awkwardly groping a female passenger’s breast in a car. The hashtag #WeSayNoToMazepin has trended on several occasions in the close season - and it is fortunate for him that he seems to have joined a team with low expectations on and off the track.

• MCLAREN-MERCEDES
• [44] Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) | Entries 188 (188 starts) Poles 3 Wins 7
• [77] Lando Norris (GBR) | Entries 38 (38 starts) Poles 0 Wins 0

◾️ MCLAREN heads into 2021 at its most positive in years following its rather surprising third place in the Constructors' Championship last season. Although the impressive Carlos Sainz Jr has now moved to Ferrari, much of the positivity has stayed in the team and is down to prodigious British talent Lando Norris. The 21-year-old Bristolian marked his second season last year with two fastest laps, consistent points finishes, and a podium at the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix - but the likeable lad is far from the finished article. McLaren has therefore made an eminently sensible move to bring in Daniel Ricciardo from Red Bull - the Aussie already has three pole positions and seven Grand Prix wins to his name so will keep Norris honest. As such, despite the loss of Sainz, McLaren remains in decent shape to take the fight to the current top two.

• MERCEDES
• [44] Sir Lewis Hamilton (GBR) | Entries 266 (266 starts) Poles 98 Wins 95 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
• [77] Valtteri Bottas (FIN) | Entries 157 (156 starts) Poles 16 Wins 9

◾️ Dominant MERCEDES racked up a seventh consecutive Constructors' Championship in 2020 as Lewis Hamilton exhausted all of the superlatives by drawing level on seven World Drivers' Championships with Michael Schumacher. It was a truly special year for Hamilton as he went beyond the iconic German in regard to number of Grand Prix victories - chalking up a record 92nd race win at the Portuguese Grand Prix in October. In all, Hamilton won 11 of the 17 races contested in 2020, even taking the chequered flag with bald tyres at the Turkish Grand Prix. At times, Hamilton was simply untouchable with even team-mate Valtteri Bottas regularly blitzed by the Stevenage-born racer. The Finn did have his moments with victories in Austria and Russia - but generally he was just as caught up in Hamilton's tidal wave of success as anyone else. More record-breaking looked set to follow this year with the announcement that major regulation changes had been delayed until 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic - but, in something of a twist to the expected narrative, Red Bull has looked strong enough in the run-up to the new campaign for Mercedes to wheel out the mind-games ahead of lights out.

• RED BULL-HONDA
• [11] Sergio Pérez (MEX) | Entries 195 (191 starts) Poles 0 Wins 1
• [33] Max Verstappen (NED) | Entries 119 (119 starts) Poles 3 Wins 10

◾️ RED BULL finished its 2020 campaign on a high as Max Verstappen's victory in the season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ensured the team maintained its record of achieving at least one race win in every season since 2016. That single, almost apologetically belated, success will have buoyed the Red Bull garage after a year in which the team will have yet again felt distinctly second-best behind Mercedes. Nevertheless, 2021 surely will be closer - race-winner Sergio Perez moves in to take a well-deserved seat alongside Verstappen having finally broken his duck at the Sakhir Grand Prix on his 190th start. Certainly, the Mexican should be of more assistance to Verstappen at the front of the grid than the underperforming Alex Albon - but, with Checo now on the wrong side of 30, Red Bull will be pinning its main hopes on its fiercely-determined young Dutchman.

• WILLIAMS-MERCEDES
• [6] Nicholas Latifi (CAN) | Entries 17 (17 starts) Poles 0 Wins 0
• [63] George Russell (GBR) | Entries 38 (38 starts) Poles 0 Wins 0

◾️ George Russell got a taste of the high life when, as a Mercedes test driver, he stood in for Lewis Hamilton at the Sakhir Grand Prix, led most of the race, set a fastest lap, and won his first points in Formula One. In fairness to Russell, he should have scored those maiden points earlier in the season for WILLIAMS at the Imola Grand Prix. However, the promising Norfolk-born driver made a critical error when warming his tyres behind the safety car while sitting in 10th - and so Williams was condemned to a first pointless season in its history. A blue-and-white livery for 2021 harks back to the team's halcyon days in the 1980s and 1990s - but even just a single point this year from Russell or his Canadian companion Nicholas Latifi will be considered progress and a cause for celebration at the team's base in Grove.

🏁

◾️ 2021 GRAND PRIX RACE CALENDAR ◾️

(1)	28-March	4pm	BAHRAIN	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir
(2)	18-April	2pm	EMILIA ROMAGNA	Imola Circuit, Imola
(3)	02-May	3pm	PORTUGAL	Algarve International Circuit, Portimão
(4)	09-May	2pm	SPAIN	Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Montmeló
(5)	23-May	2pm	MONACO	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo
(6)	06-June	1pm	AZERBAIJAN	Baku City Circuit, Baku
(7)	13-June	7pm	CANADA	Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montréal
(8)	27-June	2pm	FRANCE	Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet
(9)	04-July	2pm	AUSTRIA	Red Bull Ring, Spielberg
(10)	18-July	3pm	GREAT BRITAIN	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone
(11)	01-August	2pm	HUNGARY	Hungaroring, Mogyoród
(12)	29-August	2pm	BELGIUM	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot
(13)	05-September	2pm	NETHERLANDS	Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort
(14)	12-September	2pm	ITALY	Monza Circuit, Monza
(15)	26-September	1pm	RUSSIA	Sochi Autodrom, Sochi
(16)	03-October	1pm	SINGAPORE	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore
(17)	10-October	6am	JAPAN	Suzuka International Course, Suzuka
(18)	24-October	8pm	UNITED STATES	Circuit of the Americas, Austin, TX
(19)	31-October	7pm	MEXICO	Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City
(20)	07-November	5pm	BRAZIL	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo
(21)	21-November	6am	AUSTRALIA	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne
(22)	05-December	4pm	SAUDI ARABIA	Jeddah Street Circuit, Saudi Arabia
(23)	12-December	1pm	ABU DHABI	Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi

🏁

Champion Hamilton chases down Schumacher record

F1 2020 TEAM LINE-UP		www.formula1.com	Age	GPs	Pole	Wins	Titles
Alfa Romeo Racing- Ferrari	(7) (99)	Kimi Räikkönen (FIN) Antonio Giovinazzi (ITA)	40 26	312 23	18 -	21 -	1 -
AlphaTauri-Honda	(10) (26)	Pierre Gasly (FRA) Daniil Kvyat (RUS)	24 26	47 93	- -	- -	- -
Ferrari	(5) (16)	Sebastian Vettel (GER) Charles Leclerc (MON)	33 22	240 42	57 7	53 2	4 -
Haas-Ferrari	(8) (20)	Romain Grosjean (FRA) Kevin Magnussen (DEN)	34 27	164 102	- -	- -	- -
McLaren-Renault	(4) (55)	Lando Norris (GBR) Carlos Sainz Jr (ESP)	20 25	21 102	- -	- -	- -
Mercedes	(44) (77)	Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Valtteri Bottas (FIN)	35 30	250 139	88 11	84 7	6 -
Racing Point-BWT Mercedes	(11) (18)	Sergio Pérez (MEX) Lance Stroll (CAN)	30 21	176 62	- -	- -	- -
Red Bull Racing-Honda	(23) (33)	Alexander Albon (THA) Max Verstappen (NED)	24 22	21 102	- 2	- 8	- -
Renault	(3) (31)	Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) Esteban Ocon (FRA)	31 23	171 50	3 -	7 -	- -
Williams-Mercedes	(6) (63)	Nicholas Latifi (CAN) George Russell (GBR)	25 22	0 21	- -	- -	- -

SIX-TIME champion Lewis Hamilton had to settle for second place in qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix as the 2020 Formula One season finally got under way.

Hamilton was surprisingly beaten by Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas - but will nevertheless be pleased by his team's dominance over closest rivals Red Bull this afternoon.

Max Verstappen has won the Austrian Grand Prix in both of the last two years - so was no doubt hopeful of a quick start to the Championship with both of the opening races being held in Spielberg. 

However, Dutchman Verstappen could only qualify third - and was split from his team-mate Alexander Albon, though they at least start on the clean start of the track. 

Instead, McLaren youngster Lando Norris took a career-best fourth place on the grid with a phenomenal lap in a session which will have provided much hope to the Woking-based outfit.

By contrast, Ferrari suffered from a tiresomely familiar early-season story of failure. 

It is now 12 years since the proud Prancing Horse team were Constructors champions and 13 years since the Drivers' title made its way to Maranello.

And things do not look like improving any time soon.

Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel struggled badly with his set-up and could not even make it into the final round of qualifying. 

Meanwhile, Vettel's young Monégasque team-mate Charles Leclerc recovered from scraping 10th place in the second session to a grid placing of seventh.

That outcome carried on a trend from last season when, despite starting the year as Ferrari's designated number one, Vettel was beaten on every measure by the 22-year-old.

It would be fair to say that Vettel's well-publicised difficulties at Ferrari have already been badly exposed on this opening weekend.

Indeed, at this stage, it is difficult to envisage the 33-year-old German staying until the end of the season with a non-competitive Ferrari team, having been told his services will not be required for 2021.

The shake-up in next year's driver line-up sees Carlos Sainz Jr move to Ferrari with Australian Daniel Ricciardo heading from Renault to the vacant McLaren seat.

Mercedes have Hamilton of course, while Red Bull have retained Verstappen - and surely neither team would take on the troublesome Vettel as a second driver.

The German, therefore, appears to have nowhere to go in 2021 - and the early signs from this season are that he will depart F1 with a whimper rather than a bang.

Instead, it is Hamilton who - having won the Drivers' Championship for five of the last six years - remains the undisputed king of the race-track.

Indeed, there is an air of inevitability that the 35-year-old from Stevenage will win a record-equalling seventh Drivers' title this year and climb to the summit alongside Michael Schumacher. 

But, even if Hamilton blows all of his rivals out of the water as usual, there is still plenty for F1 fans to get their teeth into. 

The midfield battle - behind the big three of Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari - has been given an extra element of intrigue by the so-called Pink Mercedes of Racing Point.

Having based the design of the RP20 around that of last year’s title winner, strong pre-season testing and practice runs have raised hopes of Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll challenging for podium finishes.

But, while Perez and Stroll qualified in highly respectable positions of sixth and ninth, it was undoubtedly Norris who deserved the early plaudits for steering his McLaren onto the second row.

Elsewhere, the back-markers look set to be Haas, Alfa Romeo and - somewhat depressingly - Williams, with the cars from those three teams filling each of the bottom six places in qualifying in Austria.

Certainly, it seems a long time ago since Williams' halcyon days of the 1980s and 1990s when they dominated the sport with seven Drivers' championships and nine Constructors' championships in an 18-year period. 

By contrast, recent times have been pretty grim for the Grove-based team, with last-placed finishes in both of the last two years matched by off-track financial worries. 

In May, Williams announced they were seeking buyers for a portion of the team and that they had terminated the contract of title sponsor ROKiT.

But the coronavirus pandemic makes this an even more difficult time than usual to look for investment - and so a future for Williams beyond 2020 remains troublingly uncertain.

CALENDAR
July
 5 Austrian GP ▪️ Red Bull Ring, Spielberg
12 Styrian GP ▪️ Red Bull Ring, Spielberg
19 Hungarian GP ▪️ Hungaroring, Mogyoród
August
2 British GP ▪️ Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone
9 70th Anniversary GP ▪️ Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone
16 Spanish GP ▪️ Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona
30 Belgian GP ▪️ Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
September 
6 Italian GP ▪️ Autodromo Nazionale di Monza