Number 303: The 2020 Preview Issue

The Coronavirus situation, and the world’s ongoing response to it, continues to change by the minute. But as I write this, we do know that the 2020 Formula 1 World Championship won’t be kicking off until at least the first weekend in May, and possibly later.

Bigger picture, F1’s delayed start is just a minor footnote as so many countries around the world seek to understand and contain COVID-19. Compared with people’s health and wellbeing, F1 doesn’t really matter all that much, but it does serve as something of a microcosm of how whole populations and the global economy are being affected by the virus’s spread. Our thoughts are with anyone affected.

When the 2020 F1 season does get off to any sort of a start, and our thoughts return to the smaller picture, it will be fascinating to see how the jumble of hints and half-clues from six days of pre-season testing translates into real form. On paper, Mercedes remains the slight favorite to deliver Lewis Hamilton a seventh drivers’ championship, albeit with the caveat – or should that be a clutched straw? – that its power-unit reliability was less than stellar in Barcelona.

Our F1 season preview makes the case for Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen and Ferrari sophomore Charles Leclerc providing genuine, title-challenging opposition to Lewis and the Silver Arrows. It’s the three-way fight F1 fans have long hoped for, but for it to happen, all the stars need to align. Said alignment was far from obvious under the Spanish late-winter sun…

Similar to F1, the NTT IndyCar Series has postponed its March and April races, and we can only hope that the effectiveness of a concerted response to Coronavirus ensures a return to some form of normality for the Month of May and the 104th Indianapolis 500. In contrast to F1’s “Can anyone beat Lewis?” storyline, it’s fair to say that you can make a compelling case for 8, 9, 10 drivers having a genuine shot at the title. Reel off the usual suspects, starting with reigning champ Josef Newgarden, but add in second year talents such as Colton Herta and Felix Rosenqvist, too, and this one should be wide open.

Flip the issue and check out our 52-page NTT IndyCar Series preview.