Austrian Grand Prix RECAP: Verstappen WINS after Ricciardo, Hamilton and Bottas retire
AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX LIVE - Max Verstappen won what was a thrilling race with drama up and down the grid.
The Austrian Grand Prix was full of drama from the very start of the race. Valtteri Bottas, Daniel Ricciardo and Lewis Hamilton were all forced to retire with engine issues.
It was looking good for Mercedes in the opening laps with both Hamilton and Bottas holding a commanding lead but disaster struck for the latter after his was forced to pull over.
Red Bull and Ferrari immediately took advantage of the Virtual Safety Car by pitting both their drivers but Mercedes opted not to bring Hamilton in, a move which would prove incredibly costly.
The Briton eventually pitted and ended up re-entering the race in fourth, sparking an angry exchange from Hamilton on the team radio and he was eventually told by Mercedes to pull over due to an engine issue to bring an end to a frustrating afternoon for the 33-year-old.
Ricciardo's race was also frustratign after pushing up to second but blistering on the tyres caused him to make a second stop before he too had his race endd abruptly.
Among the madness, Verstappen was able to keep a cool head and with some fortune on his side managed to hold the lead to win the fourth Grand Prix of his young career.
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Top ten:
1. Verstappen, 2. Raikkonen, 3. Vettel. 4. Grosjean, 5. Magnussen, 6. Perez, 7. Ocon, 8. Alonso, 9. Leclerc, 10. Ericsson
MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS!!!
Amid all the drama, that's a sensational drive from Verstappen. Raikkonen second with Vettel finishing third.
Lap 65
Now Hamilton retires!!! What's happening to the reliable cars today?? A double DNF for Mercedes. Oh to be a fly-on-the-wall in that Mercedes garage after Hamilton goes back there.
Lap 55
Ricciardo retires! Not the birthday celebration weekend Ricciardo was hoping for. He pulls up with a gearbox failure.
Lap 50
Hamilton stuggling to catch Vettel and the Mercedes garage look like they're going to bring him in to pit again. Going from bad to worse for the four-time world champion.
Lap 40
Verstappen running away with the victory now as he holds a commanding lead. And Vettel has passed Hamilton! Brilliant move by the German and more bad news for Hamilton. Can he battle back?
Lap 35
Hamilton has moved up one place but that's due to Ricciardo pitting. The conversation is ongoing between Hamilton and the Mercedes team radio with James Vowles admitting he is at fault for throwing "away the win today".
Lap 30
Hamilton is fuming inside that Mercedes car and it’s hard to argue against him.
The Briton was staring at the possibility of opening a huge lead at the top of the championship standings with Vettel starting sixth.
But that missed opportunity to pit under the VSC has meant Hamilton will have to go on the offensive.
Lap 25
It certainly has proven costly! Hamilton brought into the pits and wasn't able to stretch a big enough gap over his rivals and just about comes out between the two Ferraris in fourth.
All top five drivers now aiming to go until the end of the Grand Prix. Could be a fascinating end to the race. Verstappen currently leads ahead of Ricciardo.
Lap 20
Bottas' retirement immediately sparked a flurry of pit-stops among the frontrunners with both Red Bulls and Ferraris coming in but Mercedes opted to leave Hamilton out there. Could that prove costly?
Lap 15
Valtteri Bottas is out! He seemed to slow down and just drifted off the track.
“My gearbox is gone” he says down the team radio. What a shame. Mercedes have just Lewis Hamilton to focus on now. He leads as his rivals pit.
Lap 13
Nico Hulkenberg's grand prix is over! Huge plumes of smoke bursting out the back of his car and he has to pull over with fire marshalls quickly to the scene.
Further down the grid, Vandoorne has already been in the pits for a new front wing after colliding with a Toro Rosso.
Raikkonen has also been on the radio to complain about being touched by Verstappen in the earlier laps. Replays showed a slight wheel-to-wheel touch from the Dutchman but nothing too serious.
Lap 8
After an excellent start from Raikkonen, he is now under incredible pressure from Ricciardo for fourth. This could be a battle between Red Bull and Ferrari for the final podium spot.
Lap 5
The Mercedes duo settling in to their expected places at the front of the pack and have already opened up a four second gap to Verstappen in third.
Top six: Hamilton, Bottas, Verstappen, Raikkonen, Ricciardo, Vettel
Lap 1
All sorts of action in the opening few corners as Bottas endures a terrible start and immediately drops back to third with Raikkonen getting off to a flyer.
Hamilton took advantage to hold the lead and did well to yield pressure from Raikkonen before Bottas jumped back up to second.
LIGHTS OUT AND GO GO GO!
2:05pm: The drivers are now out in their cars ready for the start of the race. There was big drama on the opening lap of the France Grand Prix last time out when Vettel collided with Bottas. Will we see a similar explosive start to the Austria Grand Prix?
2pm: Hello and welcome to Express Sport's LIVE blog for the Austrian Grand Prix. Valtteri Bottas pipped Lewis Hamilton to pole in qualifying yesterday but little over one-thousandth of a second while Sebastian Vettel was slapped with a three-place grid penalty after being found guilty of impeding Carlos Sainz during Q2, meaning he starts in sixth.
Top 10 grid: Bottas, Hamilton, Raikkonen, Verstappen, Vettel, Grosjean, Ricciardo, Magnussen, Sainz, Hulkenberg