Bottas blasts past blocks in chaotic GP

Spielberg (Austria), July 5: Valtteri Bottas won a chaotic season-opening Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday while Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton finished fourth after getting a late time penalty.

The race was interrupted three times by a safety car and nine of 20 drivers abandoned, including both Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Alexander Albon — who tried to overtake Hamilton on the outside with 10 laps left, touched wheels and flew off track.

Hamilton was given a five-second time penalty for causing the collision, having earlier been hit with a three-place grid penalty after an incident in Saturday’s qualifying was reviewed by stewards.

Although Bottas started from pole position and Hamilton from fifth, it looked like a straight fight between the two Mercedes drivers as has been the

case so often in recent years. But late drama in Spielberg ensured otherwise and Hamilton’s time penalty meant Charles Leclerc took second place for Ferrari and Lando Norris sent McLaren’s garage into raptures —

and threw all social distancing rules out of the window amid the euphoria — with third place.

It was the 20-year-old British driver’s first career podium and his superb final lap was the fastest of an exciting

opening race.

Earlier, Lewis Hamilton led a majority of the 20 Formula One drivers in taking a knee in a gesture of anti-racism solidarity on the grid before the start of the race.

Hamilton 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”.

Six of the 20 drivers remained standing.

Left: Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton (centre) kneels ahead the Austrian Formula One Grand Prix race in Spielberg, Austria, on Sunday in solidarity with the “Black Lives Matter” movement. Right: Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas of Finland poses with his trophy and a bottle of champagne after winning the Austrian GP. — AFP, AP