Summary Austrian GP: Bottas wins very chaotic race in Spielberg

With the Austrian Grand Prix the new Formula 1 season has finally started. Can Mercedes continue its dominance again or will the team get competition this season? This is all that happened in the first race of the season.

A smooth start

At the start it was not as chaotic as in 2019. At the front, everyone got away well, but Max Verstappen clearly had trouble with the drivers on soft tyres around him. Lando Norris tried to take over the second position immediately, but the Dutchman kept the young Briton away from him. Valtteri Bottas took advantage of this and immediately distanced himself from his pursuers.

In the first phase of the race, the status quo in Formula 1 became a bit more clear. Within a few laps, Norris lost his place to Alexander Albon and not much later Lewis Hamilton as well, who was not allowed to start from the first row of the grid due to a grid penalty. Not much later the world champion cwould also take the position from Albon and started to chase Verstappen.

Fate strikes

The Brit didn't have to try very hard because in round number 12 fate struck for the Dutchman. The RB16 fell almost completely silent on the Red Bull Ring. Verstappen managed to reach the pit lane after a very slow lap, but it's clear that the end of the story is for the driver. It was then up to Albon to get a podium place for Red Bull Racing, while the two Mercedes cars disappeared on the horizon.

Not much later it was also bad news for Daniel Ricciardo. The Australian came across almost the same as Verstappen. His Renault came to a complete standstill and half a lap later his race was over in the pit lane. The period of drop-outs wasn't finished yet, as Stroll drove straight into the garage a few minutes later due to technical problems. On lap 26 Magnussen also spun out of turn 3 due to a brake problem and had to get out of the car as well. On top of that, his car was in a tricky spot, causing a Safety Car to enter the track.

Action after restart

Of course, for most drivers this means going straight to the pit lane for a new set of tyres, especially as many were almost at the point of performing a pit stop. At the restart Mercedes drivers were awake and got away from Albon without any problems.

Something behind it doesn't go quite flawlessly. Carlos Sainz tried to overtake Charles Leclerc's car in turn three. He didn't manage to catch his future teammate and Sebastian Vettel sees the chance to overtake Sainz. This results in a touché between the two, causing the German to end up in a spin and lose a lot of places. According to the stewards, there was no penalty and it is purely a racing incident.

Although the two 'black arrows' of Mercedes rode comfortably in front of Albon, it was not a race without headaches for the team. Both drivers drive quite fast over the kerbs of the Red Bull Ring in their fight for victory, which according to the team affects the gearbox. This should be a warning to Hamilton, who also had problems last year due to the notorious kerbs on the track in Austria.

Chaotic final stage of the race

Then, in the final phase of the race, the race goes on. It is not the Mercedes of Hamilton or Bottas that came to a standstill, but the Williams of George Russell. In the meantime, Romain Grosjean had to come in at the same time because he has gone through the gravel trap again. With that, it is also the end of the race for the Frenchman. Because of Russell's failure, the Safety Car is allowed back on the track, so the Williams can be taken away safely. Red Bull Racing takes grateful advantage of this to put Albon on the softs.

During the restart, the Thai can immediately attack Perez, but not much later the Safety Car can return to the track. One of Kimi Raikkonen's wheels flies away and the Finn's race ends at the start-finish.

The restart that follows is also chaotic. Albon almost immediately opened the attack on Hamilton in turn four. The British Thai wanted to go outside, but his rear tyre is tapped by Hamilton and the driver of Red Bull Racing spins through the gravel pit, with the whole grid in front of him as a result. For Hamilton, it's a five-second time penalty. A little later Leclerc also strikes to take the direction of the podium, cleverly overtaking Lando Norris for fourth position. The Monegasque leaves no stone unturned and takes Sergio Perez in lap 66.

Just before the end Albon and Daniil Kvyat also fail, leaving only eleven drivers. In any case, the Mercedes can't be distracted anymore. Valtteri Bottas can declare himself the winner of the Austrian Grand Prix, followed by Charles Leclerc and surprisingly Lando Norris.