Lewis Hamilton won the second round of the 2020 Formula 1 season, leading the Styrian Grand Prix from lights to flag, while Australians enjoyed mixed results across the various categories on show over the weekend.
Motorsport Australia ambassador Daniel Ricciardo had a mixed day at the office, finishing where he begun in eighth, even finding himself as high as fifth during the race after enjoying a battle with Racing Point’s Lance Stroll.
Ricciardo and Stroll nearly came together on the final lap, with Stroll forcing Ricciardo off the circuit to avoid contact – a move which the stewards deemed as fair following a post-race investigation.
At the front, it was a clinical performance from the six time champion, who comfortably crossed the line 13 seconds ahead of Mercedes teammate and current championship leader Valtteri Bottas.
Rounding out the podium was Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen, while the Dutchman's former teammate in Ricciardo ended the Austrian race in eighth place.
(Photo: Renault F1 Media)
Ricciardo had mixed views of the day post-race.
“We certainly hoped for more today,” Ricciardo said.
“I had a good start and made some decent progress up the order. The mediums felt good on our first stint, but when we put the soft on it wasn’t as quick as we’d hoped, and it didn’t really give us as much as we’d thought.
"The end of the race was frustrating, and I was struggling to hold on to the position on the last couple of laps. The overriding feeling is frustration, but we’re up and running for the season now.”
While Ricciardo had an impressive day out, the same can’t be said for Ferrari who had a horrible event with both drivers out of the race by the third lap after colliding with each other on the opening lap.
Piastri maintains Formula 3 Championship lead
Four Australians were also in action at the Red Bull Ring, with Oscar Piastri leading the charge in the FIA Formula 3 Championship, finishing fifth in the category’s reverse grid race.
After finishing fourth yesterday, Piastri extended his lead at the top of the championship standings after claiming a top five finish as well as bonus points after recording the fastest lap.
It was another tough outing for the remaining three Australians with Alex Peroni finishing eleventh in both races, while Jack Doohan and Calan Williams each had top 25 finishes in both races.
(Photo: Dutch Photo Agency)
Love on song in Porsche
In the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup, Australian Jordan Love grabbed his another solid result in during his debut season with 13th. - eight places behind 2018 Porsche PAYCE Carrera Cup winner, Jaxon Evans.
Evans, a New Zealander, has impressed in the opening two rounds and is currently second in the one-make series standings - seven points behind Dylan Pereira.
Next up
F1, F2, F3 and the Porshe Mobil1 Supercup will yet again race in just under a week’s time, with Budapest the next stop for the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring on 17-19 July.