Hamilton cleared of ignoring yellow flags, to start second
Mercedes lock out front row with Bottas taking pole in season-opening race of pandemic hit season
SPIELBERG (AUSTRIA):Lewis Hamilton was cleared of ignoring yellow flags during qualifying at the Austrian Grand Prix on Saturday and will start Sunday’s race from second on the grid alongside his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas.
The six-time world champion was called to see the stewards to face two charges—that he did not slow for the flags and that he ran off-track on his first lap in Q3.
The stewards said Hamilton was shown “conflicting signals” after Bottas had skidded off into a gravel trap in Q3.
“The driver mentioned that he passed a green light panel in turn five,” said the stewards. “The video footage confirmed that there have been yellow flags and green light panels at the same time and therefore conflicting signals were shown to the driver. Taking this into account, the stewards decide to take no further action.”
Hamilton was also investigated for leaving the track during his first lap in Q3. The stewards ruled he did run wide at turn 10 and so deleted the lap time set. As this was not his fastest lap, it did not affect his qualifying position.
Finland’s Bottas will start the Formula One season on pole position after denying Hamilton the top slot in Austria on Saturday.
The front row lockout by Mercedes equalled Ferrari’s record of 65, and the “Black Arrows”— their new livery a statement against racism—were in a private duel at the scenic Red Bull Ring.
Hamilton had started as favourite after dominating all three practice sessions but Bottas shifted up a gear just when it mattered.
“It feels really good, I’ve missed this feeling,” said the Finn of a third career Austrian GP pole after 2017 and 2018, and one secured despite tracking across gravel and grass on his final flying lap. “Our team have done an amazing job, we seem to be in our own league.”
Hamilton was a mere 0.012 slower than the Finn’s time of one minute 02.939 seconds, set on his first run, after lapping fastest on Friday and Saturday’s final practice. “The car was great, I just didn’t manage to put the greatest laps together,” said the Briton.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, winner of the past two races at his team’s home circuit, qualified third—half a second slower than Hamilton—but as the sole driver in the top 10 on the medium tyres.
McLaren’s Lando Norris, at 20 the youngest man in the race, will line up an impressive fourth.
FERRARI’S NIGHTMARE
Ferrari, championship runners-up last season, had a nightmare afternoon.
Four times champion Sebastian Vettel failed to reach the top 10 shootout, starting 11th, while Charles Leclerc qualified seventh after taking pole last year.
“Of course, it’s a surprise, we thought we had a little bit more in hand but it seems the others were probably running a little bit more fuel or were more conservative in practice,” Vettel said. “I wasn’t so happy with the car, more oversteer in entry than I would like. But we will see, tomorrow is a different picture.”
Red Bull’s Alexander Albon qualified fifth with Mexican Sergio Perez sixth for Racing Point, whose pink-liveried car is a lookalike of the title-winning 2019 Mercedes.
Spaniard Carlos Sainz, who is taking Vettel’s place at Ferrari next year, qualified eighth for McLaren with Racing Point’s Lance Stroll ninth and Australian Daniel Ricciardo 10th for Renault. There was cheer for Williams, last in 2019, with George Russell qualifying 17th and ahead of both Ferrari-powered Alfa Romeos.