The World Formula 1 car championship season begins in Austria next week, four months after the planned start due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as the competitions will be held in a completely different atmosphere from what was witnessed in the past.
Six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, equal to Ferrari legend Michael Schumacher, is aiming for his seventh title, while the Mercedes team is looking to achieve a record by combining the drivers and constructors titles for the seventh time in a row.
Harnessing his popularity to campaign for more diversity in sport and to combat racism, Hamilton is looking to compete aggressively but realizes that there are many new and unexpected challenges.
Hamilton said in a video: "We are preparing as well as possible for what will become the toughest season in Formula 1 that we all are witnessing."
After canceling the traditional opening race in Australia in March, Formula 1 agreed to make changes to help teams severely affected by the effects of the emerging coronavirus.
The teams announced driver changes and transfers in 2021, including the departure of Sebastian Vettel, Hamilton's old rivals, from Ferrari at the end of 2020.
For promising driver Nicholas Latifi, who is the only one to appear in the tournament for the first time, his Williams team may be under new ownership before completing the current season.
Some doubts remain about the total number of Grand Prix races this season, with seven races confirmed to be canceled and a possibility of an increase.
Formula 1 has announced that only eight races will be held initially, all in Europe, but it still hopes that the season will consist of between 15 and 18 races even if this causes one circuit to host two races.
Sunday will see the start of the season in Austria for the first time at the Spielberg circuit owned by Red Bull, and the following week will see an event for the first time when the same circuit hosts two Formula 1 races in the same season.
This could be a positive boost for Max Verstappen, who has led Red Bull to a home win in the past two years.
The race will not witness any presence of fans, sponsors, hosting units or places designated for VIPs, and it will also not allow rapprochement between teams, as social distancing will be applied to prevent the spread of the Corona virus.
It is unclear how the teams will be ranked either. Drivers have not appeared since the pre-season trials in February, while the last official race was held in December last year.
Hamilton, who needs seven more wins to equal Schumacher's record of 91, is supposed to have a car faster than it would have been if the season began in Australia on March 15th, while four-time world champion Vettel faces an uncertain future and will try to end his career. With Ferrari in the strongest form possible.
McLaren driver Carlos Sainz will take the German driver's seat alongside Charles Leclerc in 2021, while Australian Daniel Ricciardo will move from Renault to replace the Spanish driver.
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