The Styrian Grand Prix provided no rꦬespite for Formula 1’s most storied team as Ferrari endured another dismal day in Austria that it will want and need to forget straight away.

Ferrari’s dire start to the delayed 2020 season continued at the second round of the campaign, after witnessing both its scarlet-red cars retire early in the race after colliding with each other on the first ജlap. 

Despite successfully managing to bring forward an upgraded aerodynamic package - originally intended for the Hungarian Grand Prix - in the short turnaround ꧙betwe𝔉en consecutive races in Austria, Ferrari was once again woefully uncompetitive at the Red Bull Ring. 

A dismal showing at the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix last week was 𓆏followed up with more struggles. At no point duri𒉰ng the weekend did Ferrari finish a session with either of its cars inside the top eight positions. 

Heavy rain in qualify﷽ing fai🍨led to help Ferrari turnaround its fortunes as its one-lap struggles continued amid torrential conditions, with Sebastian Vettel restricted to 10th place on the grid. 

Things were no better for Charles Leclerc, who qualified one position behind his four-time world champion teammate after being eliminated in Q2. He was then slapped with a three-place grid penalty for impending another driver that ultimately subjected him to a 14th-place starting berthꩲ.  

A fast start enabled Leclerc to catch up to the pack that included Vettel on the run up the hill to Turn 3, but an over-ambitious late-braking move failed to pay off and ended with the two Ferrari cars hitting one an♔other. 

Vettel’s rear-wing was left hanging by a thread after Leclerc mounted the rear of his SF1000, while the Monegasque suffered floor damage that forඣced both drivers into retirement after just two laps. 

It marked the second time in four races that the Ferrari duo have crashed into each other, following onꦜ from their collision during the 2019 Brazilian𝔍 Grand Prix. 

Leclerc apologised for his part in the clash and co🙈nceded he had 🔯“let the team down” with the reckless manoeuvre. 

“I apolog🔯ised,” Le🐼clerc said. "Excuses are not enough in a time like this. 

“I did a very bad job today, I let the team down. I🧔 can only be sorry even though I let the team down.

“The team don’t need that and I put all the hopes of the team in the biꦆn. I’m very sorry, but it’s not eno🌠ugh, again.”

Ferrari F1 team boss Mattia Binotto reacted by saying there were “no excuse꧂s” for the incident but stressed his side must remain united in its bid to progress. 

“It’s not only a shame but I woul𒁏d say it’s a pain to see the 🤪two cars retire after only two laps,” Binotto said. 

“I think when you are starting in the midfield it may happen, but there are no excuses and I don’t think we need to tell whᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚo is responsible or not. I tꦺhink it’s quite obvious but that’s not the point. 

“It's been a disappointing weekend, and that’s the worst conclusion for a bad weekend for us.&ꦰnbsp;

“It’s no time to find who's at fault ⛎- it’s time to react. We need to make sure that as a team we are working united and progressing as soon as possible.” 

It rounded out another awful weekend for 𓃲the Scuderia which had started with both its drivers getting warned for diso🐼beying F1’s strict COVID protocols. 

Leclerc received a letter from the FIA after he was pictured 𝄹on social media in𒁏 Monaco with friends in the days between the two races at the Red Bull Ring.

Meanwhile, Vettel was cau💫tioned for breaking the team ‘bubble’ restrictions by talking to Red Bull bosses Helmut Marko and Christian Horner without wearing face masks du🧸ring the Austrian Grand Prix. 

After its woeful qualifying performance, both drivers were forced to tak🌼e an early⛄ bath on Sunday after their latest coming together. 

While hopes of securing a strong result from its lowly star🦹ting positions always seemed unlikely, the bigger disappointment for Ferrari will have been the missed opportun🏅ity to evaluate its updated package over the course of a full race distance, which could have provided the team with some much-needed valuable data. 

“It is a shame because we got to come back to the same ❀track and also similar conditions, but we would not get that 👍answer,” Vettel summarised. 

"The car felt a lot better on Frꦓiday and back to where it was last week, but it is a shame because with the update we wanted to get the rac🍨e on the line and get some laps.”

Hamilton bounces back at ‘weaker’ circuit 

While Ferrari’s season continues to spiral downwards, reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton bounced back♔ in emphatic style by delivering a masterclass performance to grab his first victory of the year. 

Hamilton did much of the hard work in Saturday’s downpour as he claimed a dominant pole position for the 𒈔ages, before going on to convert his 85th career grand prix win with a controlled drive in the race. 

The Briton’s victory has clawed back some of the deficit to Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas and narrowed the Finn’s early championship lead down to six poin🧔ts after❀ the latter drew first blood by winning the first race in Austria. 

Hamilton labelled his penalty-strewn Austrian Grand Prix weekend 𒊎as a “psychological challenge”, but he delivered the perfect response just days later to claim what is just his second-ever victory at the Red Bull Ring. 

“Honestly this is a track which is one of my we✅aker circuits, so to get a performance like this, I’m over the moon,” Hamilton told Sky Sports.

“I’m so happ🐠y, but 🔥I do also know that there’s a long way to go.”

Hamilton’s recovery from a difficult weekend will serve as a r𒅌eminder of the scale of the challenge Bottas faces this year if he is to secure his maiden F1 title.&💖nbsp;

Thrilling midfield battle gets spicier 

Lando Norris may not have been able to repeat his podium heroics from the Austrian Grand Prix but he is fast earning himself a reputation as ‘Last Lap Lando’ having saved his best right until the end once again.  🙈;

In ꦗa late race rise, Norris overtook the squabbling Daniel Ricciardo and Lance Stroll, before snatching fifth place away from the lead Racing Point of Sergio Perez - running with a broken front wing - at the penultimate corner. 

Perez hung on in a drag race to the line to pip Stroll in a photo finish that crowned a phenomenal recovery drive by the Mexican from 17th on the grid. His charge through the field was only slight🔥ly blemished by light contact with Red Bull’s Alex Albon while fighting over fourth place which led to his front-wing damage. 

After its struggles in the wet on Saturday, the𒉰 Racing Point’s both flew in dry conditions in the race in what marked another impressive performance that highlighted i꧅ts rivals worries about the Silverstone-based outfit’s pace this season. 

The midfield scrap heated 🎶up as Stroll engaged in a tussle over seventh on the final tour with Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo, who was left unhappy that the Canadian avoided punishment for pushing him wide at Turn 3. 

And after the race, there was another twist with the news that Renault had decided to protest both Racing Point cars over doubts regarding the legality of its dubbed ‘Pink Mercedes’. This is one particular debate which looks set to ruꦰmble on…