FÓRMULA-1

Bottas wins dramatic F1 opener in Austria

Valtteri Bottas won a dramatic season-opening Austrian Grand Prix in which only 11 drivers made it to the checkered flag after three safety car interventions.
Bottas led from lights to flag, but his impression of a serene grand prix victory belied the difficulty Mercedes had keeping both its cars in working order and the chaos that unfolded behind Bottas and teammate Lewis Hamilton, as the midfield attempted to capitalize on their machines. But the Finn perfectly judged all three restarts and faultlessly absorbed his teammate’s pressure to start his fourth Mercedes season with 25 points.
“One safety car was OK, but the last safety car, I was like, ‘Come on, again?’,” Bottas said. “There were so many chances for Lewis to get the lead if I made even a small mistake — he was really quick today — but I managed to keep it together and really could control the race from my side.”
While Bottas was always in the box seat to claim victory, the battle to decide his podium companions ran to the final lap.
His closest challenger should have been Max Verstappen, but the Dutchman’s race lasted only 11 laps before it was halted by an electronics issue. The 2019 Austrian Grand Prix winner limped back to the pits, and when a steering wheel switch failed to cure the problem, Red Bull Racing was forced to retire the car.
It was a convenient development for Hamilton, who was recovering from fifth on the grid after a three-place penalty for ignoring yellow flags during qualifying. The reigning champion had made short work of Lando Norris for fourth place and had little trouble passing Alex Albon with DRS into Turn 4 for third place by Lap 9. Verstappen’s retirement pushed Hamilton to second, and the Briton immediately began reeling in his leading teammate.
Further down the field Sebastian Vettel was bottled up behind Lance Stroll, whose Mercedes-equipped Racing Point was struggling for power. Their reduced pace brought Daniel Ricciardo into the fight, and the Australian began pressuring the German to surrender ninth place.

By Michael Lamonato