‘Three groups’ in 2020 hierarchy – Grosjean

Leclerc – "we are even worse than we expected"

(GMM) The field of 2020 is split into three distinct groups in terms of pace, according to Haas driver Romain Grosjean.

On Friday, a full seven months after the last grand prix, a Formula 1 race weekend finally kicked off in Austria.

As expected, Mercedes has a clear lead and according to Charles Leclerc, Ferrari's deficit is "probably even worse than we expected".

Frenchman Grosjean gave an initial snapshot of what he thinks is the overall pecking order.

"There are three groups," he said.

"Mercedes is at the front with Red Bull and Racing Point. Then there's Ferrari, Renault and McLaren. And we are in the last group with Alpha Tauri, Alfa Romeo and Williams," Grosjean added.

"It's all pretty tight. Two tenths up or down can make a big difference."

Binotto has turned Ferrari into a 2nd tier team