SUTTON

Formula 1 comes back

with a bang – and makes a stand

Formula 1 finally kicked off, seven months after the previous grand prix, in Austria last weekend and what a dramatic race it was. Close racing, contact and – almost unheard of in the modern era – unreliability made for an unpredictable event. It was probably a bit too messy to be called a great race, but few would have predicted a Mercedes-FerrariMcLaren top three before the weekend, or even after qualifying.

The pace of the striking-looking Mercedes W11 was not a surprise, but Lewis Hamilton’s rather fraught race was (see page 16). The five-second penalty for the unfortunate contact with Alex Albon (surely the definition of a ‘racing incident’) was harsh, but did mean that Lando Norris scored a well-deserved first F1 podium. More important than that was that the drivers joined Hamilton’s anti-racism stance, even if not all of them took a knee (p4). Some people have argued that sport should be kept separate from politics, but that is plainly ridiculous.

Firstly, sport has been used for many political aims over the years, such as gaining national prestige or to bring ‘credibility’ to dubious regimes. Secondly, nothing exists in a vacuum. Sport is a form of escapism, but it is still part of society. And finally, why shouldn’t a key figure, such as Hamilton, use his platform to try to bring positive change concerning something he has personal experience of?

Kevin Turner Editor kevin.turner@autosport.com

NEXT WEEK

16 JULY Styrian Grand Prix Can anyone stop Mercedes? Will Hamilton

bounce back?

COVER IMAGES Motorsport Images/Coates; Tee

PIT & PADDOCK 4 F1 drivers support anti-racism calls 6 New 18-inch wheels make F2 race debut 9 Plato out of 2020 Vauxhall BTCC line-up 10 Farfus joins Aston WEC programme 11 Styrian GP preview 13 Opinion: Alex Kalinauckas 15 Feedback: your letters

RACE CENTRE 16 Austrian GP report and analysis 32 Dixon on top again at Indy 36 World of Sport: Formula 2; F3; NASCAR Cup; Porsche Supercup; IMSA

INSIGHT 44 State of the Formula E nation 48 Why Priaulx isn’t really retiring

CLUB AUTOSPORT 62 Spectators allowed at MSV events again 64 British F4 keeps cars for 2021 67 Scottish FF1600 cancelled for 2020 69 Opinion: Marcus Pye 70 National reports: Castle Combe; Cadwell Park; Snetterton 74 Hoggard’s fight for momentum

FINISHING STRAIGHT 78 What’s on this week 80 From the archive: 1980 Canadian GP 82 Autosport 70: A champion in the making

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9 JULY 2020 AUTOSPORT.COM 3