Bottas all the way in Austria
VALTTERI Bottas admitted he had to “dodge some bullets” and ride his luck as he claimed a convincing victory in the belated 2020 season-opening Austrian Grand Prix.
The 30-year-old Finn, who started from his career 12th pole position and third at the Red Bull Ring, led from start to finish to deliver his eighth victory and repeat his first day triumph from last year.
“Winning a Formula One Grand Prix is never easy, but today didn’t definitively come easy at all,” he said as he overshadowed Mercedes teammate and six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who was fourth.
“In the first stint, Lewis lost a bit of time getting through the Red Bulls, so there was quite a bit of margin.
“So, the first stint was not that bad because I had a decent gap, I could control and make sure we’d make it to the target stop lap.
“I tried to do the right thing with the tyres and maintaining the car.
“There were so many variables, but I managed to dodge so many bullets today and get the win.”
Meanwhile, Hamilton insists his fight against racism was “about equality and not politics or promotion” after six drivers refused to join him in taking a knee before the season-opening event.
Hamilton, the only black driver in the sport, wore a Black Lives Matter T-shirt, while other drivers, who all lined up with him at the front of the grid, sported black tops saying “End racism”.
However, six of the 20 drivers remained standing during the protest before the Austrian national anthem.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen had confirmed a split among drivers when they said they would not take a knee.
It’s understood that Hamilton had irritated some of his rivals by suggesting they “lacked understanding” of the issues.