Dry conditions are expected as the 2020 F1 season begins with an unprecedented double-header at the Red Bull Ring.
But while Formula 1 will see gradually warmer conditions throughout its first of two race weekends in Austria, the first race on Sunday should see significantly lower temperatures than last yearLight rain on Friday morning is expected to clear before the first practice session begins at 11am local time. Air temperatures will rise during the course of the day to around 21C.
Warmer conditions are forecast over the following two days. This presented a challenge for some teams last year, notably Mercedes, who struggled with cooling on their car and had to resort to extreme lift-and-coasting to manage the temperature of their power units.
Cooling problems at this circuit are exacerbated by the comparatively high altitude. Though nowhere near as high as Mexico City, which the championship should visit later this year, it remains one of the higher circuits on the track, meaning the air is less dense.
Sunday should be the warmest of the three days. Temperatures will hit 22C on Saturday, but could rise as high as 26C on race day. However this is well down on last year’s grand prix, which saw a peak of 35C, and track temperatures in the 49-52C range.
For more updates on the track conditions during each session keep an eye on RaceFans Live and the RaceFans Twitter account.
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Homerlovesbeer (@homerlovesbeer)
2nd July 2020, 15:18
Is there an updated calendar for the human Malware affected 2020 F1 season?
ColdFly (@)
2nd July 2020, 15:20
https://www.racefans.net/2020-f1-season/2020-f1-calendar/
@homerlovesbeer
Chaitanya
2nd July 2020, 16:02
Yesterday McLaren had shared a video of thunderstorm hitting the track and predictions of same conditions throughout the weekend. Also Spain is going to be of worry for teams this year as the race is happening in middle of summer instead of usual late spring.
Jere (@jerejj)
3rd July 2020, 9:20
@Chaitanya Only today has a chance of rain currently forecasted.
As for Spain: I wouldn’t worry about the Spanish GP being on August 16 instead of May 10 for this year. Last year around the equivalent time of August, the ambient daytime temps were in the high-20s, while in May, it’s generally ranged from low to mid-20s for the GP-weekend, so not a massive increase. The rise in track temps is going to be more considerable than the rise in air temps compared to May.