Chaos reigns as Bottas triumphs
F1: HAMILTON PENALISED IN DRAMA-FILLED AUSTRIAN RACE
Valtteri Bottas stayed calm in a stormy race yesterday to claim a measured victory for Mercedes as Formula One returned with a bang in a belated, dramatic and incident-strewn 2020 season-opening Austrian Grand Prix.
Seven months after the final race of 2019, the Finn, who had started from the 12th pole position of his career, led from start to finish to come home ahead on the road of team-mate and sixtime champion Lewis Hamilton.
The Briton, however, had been given a five-second penalty during the race and was demoted to fourth behind Charles Leclerc, who brought his Ferrari home second and Briton Lando Norris who claimed his maiden podium for McLaren.
Hamilton, hit with a late prerace grid penalty that dropped him from second to fifth, had clashed with Red Bull’s Alex Albon in the final laps, forcing him into a spin off track.”
“There was definitely quite a bit of pressure on me there,” said Bottas, speaking through a face mask afterwards.
“One Safety Car was ok, but I was like ‘another one? And come on?’ Lewis was quick, but I was able to control it.”
Leclerc admitted the result was a surprise after Ferrari’s dismal form in practice and qualifying.
“I did not expect this – it’s a huge surprise, but a good one. We did everything perfectly to finish second.”
Norris said: “I’m speechless – there were a few points where I thought I had fudged it. I am so proud of the team for coming back from where we were a couple of years ago.”
In a race of three Safety Car interventions behind closed doors at the Red Bull Ring, Ferrari-bound Carlos Sainz finished fifth in the second McLaren ahead of Sergio Perez of Racing Point. Pierre Gasly was seventh for Alpha Tauri and Esteban Ocon eighth in his Renault.