Bottas wins seasonopening GP in Austria

Finland’s Valtteri Bottas drove his Mercedes to victory in the coronavirus-delayed seasonopening Formula One Grand Prix in Austria on Sunday.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was second in an action-packed race, which started after 14 of the 20 drivers took a knee on the grid in an antiracism statement.

Lando Norris, in a McLaren, secured a first-ever podium finish in third, ahead of world champion and fellow Briton Lewis Hamilton in the second Mercedes.

Hamilton received a threeplace grid penalty at the start and then a five-second penalty in the race.

“Lewis was really quick today but I managed to keep it together.

“No better way to start the season,” Bottas said of a race held behind closed doors.

Leclerc, one of six drivers who opted not to take a knee on the grid, had started in seventh place.

“It’s a huge surprise, but a good one. I think we did everything perfect today — we had a bit of luck, but it’s part of the race too.

“That was the goal, to take every opportunity,” he said.

Norris was overjoyed at his finish, coming on the back of a fourth best time in qualifying.

“I’m speechless. There were a few points where I thought I’d fudged it up a bit but I managed to get past Perez and end up on the podium!

“I’m so happy and so proud of the team.”

Hamilton was handed a three-place grid penalty less than an hour before the start of the race.

The penalty was announced after a review, requested when Red Bull made a second official protest of the weekend involving the Mercedes team, by the race stewards of a decision taken on Saturday when Hamilton was accused of ignoring yellow flags in qualifying.

The six-time champion fell from second on the grid, alongside pole-sitting teammate Bottas, to fifth, while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was promoted to the front row. —