AUSTRIAN GP - RACE - RE-CAP & RESULTS
Between kerb controversy and a possibility of storms, the Austrian Grand Prix got underway, following the GP3 and Formula 2 rounds that took place just hours before.
It was a clean and quick start for Valtteri Bottas, who practically fled away from the rest of the field and caused a commotion among some other drivers. Both Vettel and Ricciardo came over their radio systems to suggest that Bottas may have jumped the start. The Mercedes driver was investigated but he was found not to have done so and no further action was warranted.
While everyone hoped to get through the opening laps without any accidents or too-harsh wheel-banging, it was an unfortunate end for Max Verstappen, who was hit by Alonso, due to his McLaren being tagged by Daniil Kvyat.
The crowd was instantly upset, as it was Red Bull's home race and before it could hardly begin, one of their drivers was out. Verstappen retired due to clutch issues and damage from the collision. Alonso also retired with damage to his car as well.
Daniil Kvyat was given a Drive-Through-Penalty for causing a collision and got handed two penalty points to his license as well. Kvyat was not the only one to receive penalty points. Lone McLaren driver, Vandoorne, was handed the same punishments as well for ignoring blue flags.
Kevin Magnussen was the next to retire due to a hydraulics issue and before he could be censored, his radio message was played loud and clear. A very audible and drawn out "F*** this." was heard from the Danish driver as he was forced to pit and abandon the race. Magnussen had been looking towards a points finish, but it was Grosjean who managed to keep his Haas together to bring it home in 6th for 8 points.
Carlos Sainz was the final retirement due to an engine problem. This was not the first issue that Sainz had had during the weekend either. Mechanical gremlins had hampered him from getting in any lap times during the first half of Free Practice 3. His team-mate, Kvyat, didn't have a much better race as he brought his Toro Rosso across the finish line in 16th.
It was a solid performance for Force India, following their Baku clash that sent tensions rising. This time it was a smooth and clean race for both Perez and Ocon, with Perez finishing in 7th to grab 6 points and Ocon just behind in 8th to take 4 points. Perez has now moved up to 6th in the Drivers Championship standings and Force India remains 4th in the Constructors Standings.
Lance Stroll kept his points-scoring finishes alive by bringing home the last championship point as he finished in 10th and denied Palmer his first point of the season. Massa finished 9th, adding a couple more points to Williams' tally.
Valtteri Bottas kept his focus and was able to grab his second win for Mercedes and his second win in F1 altogether. Vettel had come close to catching him in the final laps but Bottas remained calm and collected and was able to keep the Ferrari driver at bay.
Lewis Hamilton, who started 8th following his 5-Place-Grid-Penalty for an unscheduled gearbox change, had no issues charging through the pack of cars to try and fight for a chance at the podium. Unfortunately in the end, Hamilton missed out as Ricciardo was able to hold him back for third, giving the crowd the Red Bull podium finish that they had been hoping for.
RESULTS:
1. Valtteri Bottas / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland / + 25 Points
2. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / + 18 Points
3. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia / + 15 Points
4. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 12 Points
5. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / + 10 Points
6. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France / + 8 Points
7. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / + 6 Points
8. Esteban Ocon / Force India-Mercedes / France / + 4 Points
9. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil / + 2 Points
10. Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada / + 1 Point
11. Jolyon Palmer / Renault-Renault / Great Britain
12. Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Honda / Belgium
13. Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany
14. Pascal Wehrlein / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany
15. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
16. Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia
RETIRED - Carlos Sainz / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain / Engine
RETIRED - Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark / Hydraulics
RETIRED - Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain / Collision Damage
RETIRED - Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands / Clutch + Collision Damage
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Article Written By: Amy Hawk
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