Mercedes AMG driver and current points leader in the 2015 Formula One World Championship Lewis Hamilton started yesterday’s Austrian Grand Prix at pole position, but a better start by teammate Nico Rosberg sitting next to him on the front row meant the German was already in the lead going into Turn 1. From there Hamilton was never able to recover on the Austrian race’s tight Red Bull Ring, meaning Rosberg cruised on to secure his third win of the 2015 season and the 11th of his F1 career.
Hamilton crossed the line 3.8 seconds back to make it another one-two finish for the Mercedes team, though his official time gap is 8.8 seconds due to a 5.0 second penalty for crossing the white line during his pit exit. Williams’ Felipe Massa, also using Mercedes power, crossed the line third, just over 17 seconds behind the leader.
Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel finished fourth, less than a second behind Massa, though at one point it looked as though he would make the podium. The German suffered a problem with the left rear wheel nut at his pit stop, with delays causing him to lose his third position. From then on the four-time world champion chased down Massa but couldn’t overcome the Brazilian.
Ferrari’s other driver Kimi Räikkönen, after starting at the back of the grid due to a shocking qualifying result, was involved in a major accident with McLaren’s Fernando Alonso on the opening lap, luckily with neither driver sustaining any injury. Räikkönen’s rear wheels lost traction exiting Turn 2, with his car then coming into contact with Alonso’s McLaren. Both hit a wall, with the McLaren then driving on top of the Ferrari, missing Räikkönen’s head by just inches. The crash means Alonso has now failed to finish his fourth race in a row.
Alonso’s teammate Jenson Button also retired, with his Honda power unit losing power during the race. The loss in power came after the first of two pit stops, one to serve a 10 second stop-and-go penalty for using more than the allotted number of power units this season, and the other to try and fix the problem with the car.
Fifth place went to Williams’ other driver Valtteri Bottas, who had to overtake Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg for the spot. Hulkenberg eventually crossed the line sixth, about 10 seconds after Bottas. Seventh place went to Lotus’ Pastor Maldonado, a lap behind the leader. He was then followed by Toro Rosso’s Max Verstappen, Force India’s Sergio Perez and Infiniti Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo in eighth, ninth and tenth spots, respectively.
Following the results of the race, Hamilton still leads the 2015 Drivers’ Championship with 169 points, though Rosberg is now only 10 points back. Vettel is third with 120 points. In the Constructors’ Championship, Mercedes has 328 points to Ferrari’s 192 and Williams’ 129. The next scheduled race is the British Grand Prix in a fortnight.
Below are the full results of the 2015 Formula One Austrian Grand Prix:
1) Nico Rosberg, Mercedes AMG
2) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG
3) Felipe Massa, Williams
4) Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari
5) Valtteri Bottas, Williams
6) Nico Hulkenberg, Force India
7) Pastor Maldonado, Lotus
8) Max Verstappen, Toro Rosso
9) Sergio Perez, Force India
10) Daniel Ricciardo, Infiniti Red Bull Racing
11) Felipe Nasr, Sauber
12) Daniil Kvyat, Infiniti Red Bull Racing
13) Marcus Ericsson, Sauber
14) Roberto Merhi, Marussia
Ret) Romain Grosjean, Lotus
Ret) Carlos Sainz, Toro Rosso
Ret) Jenson Button, McLaren
Ret) Will Stevens, Marussia
Ret) Kimi Räikkönen, Ferrari
Ret) Fernando Alonso, McLaren
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