Kimi Raikkonen (Retired, Lap 53): 5.5/10
A less than stellar start to the 2020 season for Kimi Raikkonen, who seemed to be struggling to shake off the cobwebs of the long break from racing. Maybe he should have tried some Esports competition to keep his hand in after all? Consistently trailing his young team mate across all three practice sessions, Raikkonen ended up in the painful position of starting the race from the back row of the grid alongside a Williams rookie. Fortunately things picked up for the Finn in the race which saw him pick up two spots straight away, and by the time the safety car came out and the pit stops cycled through he was up to 13th. However, spending his afternoon wrestling for position with George Russell was not the sort of outing the former world champion would have had in mind heading into Austria. He was finally put out of his misery when an incorrectly fitted front right wheel decided to make a break for freedom and go its own way at a subsequent restart on lap 53.
Alexander Albon (P13, DNF): 8/10
Just like Brazil last year, this was so nearly a triumphant day for Alexander Albon - only for it all to go awry in the final laps. A solid but unspectacular time in the three practice sessions saw him pick off where he'd left off last season, several tenths slower than his team leader Max Verstappen - although that was perhaps partly due to the Dutchman having the newest iteration of front wing on the RB16. Even so, Albon always looked quick enough to make it into the final round of qualifying where he finished fifth fastest. Lewis Hamilton's grid penalty promoted him to fourth and he quickly found a way past Lando Norris, before being demoted by Hamilton on a comeback drive. He spent almost the whole of the rest of the race running in third, then dropping to fourth behind Sergio Perez in order to make a late pit stop for fresher tyres. That saw him much faster than the cars ahead, and he quickly dispatched Perez before lining up Hamilton in his crosshairs: only for contact to spin him out of the race when a podium (if not a real shot at outright victory) seemed assured. Hamilton got the blame (and the penalty) but Albon's youthful exuberance and impatience also played a part.
