Mercedes AMG’s Valtteri Bottas on Sunday took his second Formula One victory after crossing the finish line of the 2017 Austrian Grand Prix first, albeit just 0.6 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.
Bottas started the race on pole and was joined on the front row by Vettel. Bottas got a superb start which the stewards later okayed after some initial discussion over whether the Finn got a jump start. He would then control the race, though towards the end would have to use all his skill to hold off Vettel.
Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo was third after fending off Mercedes’ other driver, Lewis Hamilton, in the closing stages. Ricciardo and Hamilton crossed the finish line 6.012 and 7.430 seconds behind the winner, respectively. Hamilton had to battle his way up from eight on the grid after being demoted five places due to a gearbox penalty.
The rest of the field provided plenty of drama to enjoy. Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen ran off the track near the start in a battle with Ricciardo. Meanwhile, Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat braked late into Turn 1 and ran into McLaren’s Fernando Alonso. Alonso then crashed into Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, ending the race prematurely for both. Kvyat continued albeit with a drive-through penalty.
2017 Formula One Austrian Grand Prix
Räikkönen would go on to claim fifth place, with Haas’ Romain Grosjean taking home sixth. In seventh and eighth spots, respectively, were Force India drivers Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon. And in ninth and tenth spots, respectively, were Williams drivers Felipe Massa and Lance Stroll. It was an impressive run for the Williams pair as they had started the race at the back of the grid.
Thanks to his strong performance, Vettel’s lead in the 2017 Drivers’ Championship extends to 20 points, with the German now sitting on 171 in total. Hamilton is second with 151 points and Bottas, now also in contention of the title, is third with 136 points. In the Constructors’ Championship, Mercedes leads with 287 points. Ferrari is second with 254 points and Red Bull is third with 152 points.
The next race on the calendar is the British Grand Prix this weekend.
Hit the next page for the full results of the 2017 Formula One Austrian Grand Prix.
2017 Formula One Austrian Grand Prix
Below are the full results of the 2017 Formula One Austrian Grand Prix:
1) Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes AMG
2) Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari +0.658 seconds
3) Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing +6.012 seconds
4) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG +7.430 seconds
5) Kimi Räikkönen, Ferrari +20.370 seconds
6) Romain Grosjean, Haas +73.160 seconds
7) Sergio Perez, Force India +1 lap
8) Esteban Ocon, Force India +1 lap
9) Felipe Massa, Williams +1 lap
10) Lance Stroll, Williams +1 lap
11) Jolyon Palmer, Renault +1 lap
12) Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren +1 lap
13) Nico Hulkenberg, Renault +1 lap
14) Pascal Wehrlein, Sauber +1 lap
15) Marcus Ericsson, Sauber +2 laps
16) Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso +3 laps
Ret) Carlos Sainz, Toro Rosso
Ret) Kevin Magnussen, Haas
Ret) Fernando Alonso, McLaren
Ret) Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
