Thanks all for your company – ta-ra and enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Here’s Giles Richards’ race report.
Driver standings
- Bottas 25
- Leclerc 18
- Norris 16
- Hamilton 12
- Sainz 10
- Perez 8
- Gasly 6
- Ocon 4
- Giovinazzi 2
- Vettel 1
McLaren didn’t think Norris had the pace to catch Hamilton, which illustrates what a lap he drove. 20 years old! Few strawpedoes for him tonight, I shouldn’t wonder.
I’m sorry? We do? In which case, join us again for the Styrian Grand Prix!
So there we go. What a fun race that was; if only we had another one, on the same track, next week!
And here comes the champagne.
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Bottas takes the trophy, then Leclerc and Norris enjoy their moments too. At 20-years-old, Norris is the third-youngest podium-sitter of all-time.
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And here come the anthems.
The drivers are podiumed, masks on.
Norris says he’s “speechless”, before going on to, er, speak. He’s very happy and very prooud of the team, especially given where thy were a few years ago.
Leclerc says coming second is “a huge surprise” and that his team did “everything perfect”. He says he didn’t have the pace to finish where he did and that his car isnt where his team would like it to be, but he got lucky with the Hamilton situation and took advantage of it.
Here’s our top 10:
1. Bottas
2. Leclerc
3. Norris
4. Hamilton
5. Sainz
6. Perez
7. Gasly
8. Ocon
9. Giovinazzi
10. Vettel
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Bottas says there was a lot of pressure and that Hamilton had a lot of chances, but he managed to keep things together and control the race.
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A word, too, for Charles Leclerc, who was extremely composed at the key moments. He worked hard to get into position, and when Hamilton was penalised, did really well to exploit the situation.
Phew! That was a belter of a race! Though Bottas led from start to finish, the hijinks behind him were outstanding, and isn’t Lando Norris delighted! Well done him – I’m sure it’s the first of many podiums for him.
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Valtteri Bottas wins the Austrian Grand Prix! Charles Leclerc is second and Lando Norris is third!
Norris sets the fastest lap of the race in the final lap of the race! It’s his first podium finish, and enough to knock Hamilton out of the top three! Gosh, what a finish!
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Lap 71/71 Kvyatt is out! Meanwhile, will Mercedes allow Hamilton past Bottas to give him clear road to get five seconds ahead of as many of those behind him as possible? Currently, Leclerc will take second but Norris isn’t close enough to Hamilton to get third.
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Lap 69/71 Norris whooshes past Perez, while Albon seems to have a mechanical issue.
Lap 69/71 Perez is given a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane!
Hamilton is back on the podium, as things stand!
Lap 68/71 Bottas is nearly there. Hamilton sets the fastest lap, and needs to if he wants to get onto the podium. Looking again, Albon was ahead of him out of the corner and he didn’t give him a car’s width.
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Lap 67/71 For the second time in three races, Hamilton is given a five-second penalty for his role in a collision with Albon!
That’s great news for Bottas, who looks sure to win, while Leclerc is now second and Perez third! The penalty will be applied when the race finishes, but that won’t help poor Alex Albon!
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Lap 65/71 Let’s have some standings:
1. Bottas
2. Hamilton
3. Perez
4. Leclerc
5. Norris
6. Sainz
7. Gasly
8. Ocon
9. Kvyat
10. Giovinazzi
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Lap 64/71 Leclerc, in fifth, attacks Norris in fourth ... and he passes him beautifully! Meanwhile, in sixth, Carlos Sainz has just set the fastest lap of the race.
Lap 63/71 Hamilton and Albon are under investigation; looking again, Albon was past him when Hamilton moved across. Bottas leads the former by 1.981s, which Perez is 3.079s behind. This is building!
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Lap 62/71 That’s experience for you! Albon, who’s never managed a podium finish, tried too hard to get by when he had plenty of time to plot a route. Perhaps Hamilton didn’t leave him enough space to stay on the track, but he’ll be furious with himself; he’s now last.
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Albon tries to force his overtake, his car touches Hamilton's and he spins out! He's now last!
Lap 61/71 Off we go again and Bottas streaks away. Albon has a slipstream on Hamilton but Hamilton shuts the door forcing him the long way around, then again, and WHAT!
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Lap 60/71 The safety car will be with us for one more lap.
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Lap 59/71 Albon has decided he was ahead of Perez when the safety car came out, so has moved ahead of him. Permission for the move was sought, and given.
Lap 58/71 I think it’ll be one more lap and then the safety car will be away. In the meantime, Verstappen tells Sky that he lost power and doesn’t know why yet, but it’s not how you want to start. He knew quite quickly that Bottas was quick, but thought he’d get an easy podium”.
Lap 57/71 The safety car is back, which I guess is good for Bottas and Hamilton, who want this race over save a quick joust for first place just before the end.
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Lap 56/71 Raikkonen is out of the car and stalking off the track. The question now is whether Albon was ahead of Perez when the safety car was summoned, or whether Perez got back at him in time. Either way, that’s seven retirements so far.
Lap 55/71 Bottas leads by just over a second as they accelerate, but Albon takes Perez out, then Perez regains third place and Raikkonen crashes! His tyre came off its wheel, bouncing across the track, and what’s going to happen next?
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Lap 54/71 The safety car goes, and off we go!
Lap 53/71 Christian Horner says his team “rolled the dice a bit”, bringing Albon in and losing a place, with the aim of getting it and others back presently.
Lap 52/71 By the looks of things – and of those leading – it’s only Albon with new tyres. He should be a proper threat when we get going again.
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Lap 52/71 Albon gets into the pits for a set of tyres, while Grosjean is still there. I think his day might be done.
Lap 51/71 Out comes the safety car! Terrible news for Mercedes!
George Russell has a mechanical issue and has to pull off the track onto the grass verge. He’s out of harm’s way, but this’ll be a safety car situation because you can’t just leave him sitting there. Perez, Albon, Norris and chums are suddenly in with a chance of winning!
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Lap 50/71 Romain Grosjean finds his way into the gravel track off the main track; I think that might be it for him, and in commentary they think he might’ve run out of brakes.
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Lap 49/71 The Mercedes can stay down the middle of the track and maintain their lead over third.
Lap 48/71 “We’re in worse shape than the other car,” Bottas tells his team. By the look and sound of things, Mercedes will have to try and hold on, with Hamilton sitting in second rather than attacking third. The things is, Albon in third is more than 10 seconds behind Hamilton.
Lap 47/71 “The gearbox issue is critical, please stay off the kerbs – that’s both cars”, Bottas and Hamilton are told. Gosh, might this be a chance for Alex Albon?
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Lap 46/71 At what point does Hamilton make his move?
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Lap 45/71 Bottas’ lead is now 0.697, and we learn that the problem facing both his and Hamilton’s car is in the gearbox.
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Lap 44/71 Hamilton is told to stay off the kerbs a second time, on account of sensor issues affecting both Mercedeseseses. “Look after the car,” he’s told; “He’s doing it more than me,” he says of Bottas.
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Lap 43/71 But how is Hamilton going to take Bottas out if he drives down the the middle of the track? I’d not be surprised to see him file that suggestion in the bin.
Lap 42/71 Hamilton is told to stay off the kerbs. Sage advice I can apply to my own driving.
Lap 41/71 Hamilton starts his attack, a bit of DRS and a bit of slipstream taking a couple of tenths out of Bottas and another fastest lap upping the pressure.
Lap 40/71 Hamilton is in DRS range, but staying out of Bottas’ slipstream - in commentary, they wonder if the air is too hot.
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Lap 39/71 A quiet lap.
Lap 38/71 The lead is now fluctuating between 0.5 and 0.8s. Hamilton has just set the fastest lap, but Bottas responds and extends the gap beyond one second.
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Lap 37/71 Bottas corrects after a couple of scrappy laps, taking the lead towards 0.7s.
Lap 36/71 Bottas leads Hamilton by 0.548s. “I think Mercedes have this well enuff,” tweets @claptonfan. “No real competition actually.”
No, once Verstappen went it was only a matter of who comes first and who comes second.
Lap 35/71 Here comes Hamilton! That lead is now well below a second!
Lap 34/71 Our standings:
1. Bottas
2. Hamilton
3. Albon
4. Perez
5. Norris
6. Leclerc
7. Sainz
8. Gasly
9. Kvyat
10. Ocon
11. Giovinazzi
12. Russell
13. Raikkonen
14. Grosjean
15. Vettel
16. Latifi
Lap 33/71 Perez sashays past Norris like it’s nothing! He now sits fourth, roughly two seconds behind Albon.
Lap 32/71 Bottas sets the fastest lap so far, and ratchets his lead up to over a second.
Lap 31/71 Vettel clatters into Sainz while Sainz and Leclerc duke it out, sending him spinning!
Well! Sainz will replace Vettel at Ferrari next season. Based on what we just saw, it looks a move.
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Lap 31/71 Bottas leads Hamilton by 0.869 - that’s actually a little more than was so when the safety car disappeared.
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Lap 31/71 The safety car is going .... gone .... and off they go again!
Lap 30/71 I wonder for how much longer the safety car will be be on the track. As you might imagine, there’s not a lot going on for the now.
Lap 29/71 Bottas has binned the soft tyres he wasn’t enjoying and has open road in front of him, but I can’t see either of those two advantages being enough to hold off Hamilton.
Lap 28/71 Last year, every single car finished the race – that’s only the ninth time thats happened in F1 history. Not so this term, which was only to be expected given this is the first race.
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Lap 28/71 Christian Horner says Verstappen’s mechanical issue is “hugely frustrating” but notes that Albon is still out there and has a chance of a podium finish.
Lap 27/71 Perez and Norris just about avoid each other on the way out of the pits, Perez zooming out as Norris goes by on the outside.
Lap 26/71 Out comes the safety car! Magnussen's brakes dropped out!
The pits are open for cheap stops, so Hamilton eases in behind Bottas, who must be fearing the worst now.
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Lap 26/71 Jousting with Ocon, Magnussen spins out! I think this is a safety car situation.
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Lap 25/71 It seems like Bottas drove a couple of scrappy laps there, so if he calms it down, he might still have too much for Hamilton. But his lead is now just 3.242s.
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Lap 24/71 Hamilton is motoring now. Bottas’ lead over him goes below five seconds for the first time, and if he can eat up one of those every five laps or so, that’s more than enough to get by. The battle when they get closer should be a jazzer.
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Lap 23/71 Grosjean makes an error and that’s the end of his race, while Stroll is in the pits; I think that’s a mechanical, rather than strategic situation.
Lap 22/71 Just a reminder that if you set the fastest lap and finish in the top 10, you get an extra point. I wondered if Bottas would be a shoo-in for that one, given the cast expanse of track in front of him, but Hamilton will brook no such thing.
Lap 21/71 Hamilton puts in the fastest lap of the race, and has been asking his team – their team – on which corners Bottas has him beat.
Lap 20/71 A holding lap.
Lap 19/71 Strategically, is there anything Hamilton can do to get him in front of Bottas? The gap is 6.703s.
Lap 18/71 There’s something wrong with Daniel Ricciardo’s Renualt, and that’ll be it for him.
Lap 17/71 This is how we stand:
1. Bottas
2. Hamilton
3. Albon
4. Norris
5. Perez
6. Leclerc
7. Sainz
8. Stroll
9. Vettel
10. Ricciardo
11. Gasly
12. Kvyatt
13. Magnussen
14. Ocon
15. Giovinazzi
Lap 16/71 Hamilton reduces the gap from 7.8s to 6.5s.
Lap 15/71 So how does Hamilton make up the gap on Bottas? Seven-odd seconds is a lot, given they’re in identical cars.
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Lap 14/71 Max Verstappen retires!
He gets out of the car and walks past everyone who might fancy a chinwag. He’s been waiting three months to compete, was seeking to win this race for the third year in a row, and here we are. He is considerably less than gruntled.
Lap 13/71 Verstappen neows into the pits and they change tyres and steering wheel, but it takes ages and he’s still there 30 seconds later! I think this might be the end!
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Lap 12/71 That is disastrous for Red Bull! Verstappen is now last – his car keeps going into anti-stall – while Mercedes are one and two. Bottas leads Hamilton by 7.832s.
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Lap 11/71 Verstappen loses power!
He desperately tries to force his car to rejuvenate, wriggling around in his seat, and shares some sentiments with his team, but he’s in absolutely all sorts and now lies 17th!
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Lap 10/71 Here’s your leaderboard:
1. Bottas
2. Verstappen
3. Hamilton
4. Albon
5. Norris
6. Perez
7. Leclerc
8. Sainz
9. Stroll
10. Vettel
11. Ricciardo
12. Gasly
Lap 9/71 Hamilton eases by Albon and now sits third.
Lap 8/71 Bottas stretches his lead over Verstappen to 3.237. Verstappen, who’s on medium tyres, is playing the long game, but it looks like the Mercedes is just quicker than all the other cars.
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Lap 7/71 It doesn’t quite feel like the race has settled. Hamilton is within half a second of Albon, as we’re told that Hamilton has points finishes in a row. One more today, and he overtakes Michael Schumacher to become the record-holder.
Lap 6/71 Hamilton closes on Albon, but Albon steps on it and puts in a quicker lap. He will not be dictated to.
Lap 5/71 Ricciardo has dropped down to 10th, overtaken by Vettel; Hamilton is 5.925 off the front, while in second, Verstappen trails Bottas by 2.309s.
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Lap 4/71 Hamilton eases past Norris! All is not right with the McLarens, because Sainz isn’t having a great time either.
Lap 3/71 Albon nails Norris and now sits third; in fifth, Hamilton is 5.4s off the front.
Lap 2/71 Bottas leads by 2.45s, which takes him out of DRS range.
Lap 1/71 Albon did really well to shut the door on Hamilton. He leads by a way already, with the top nine as was. In second, Verstappen is screeching away from Norris.
Lap 1/71 Great start for Bottas, who pulls away in first as the others fight behind him!
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Out go the lights!
Up they line!
We’ve got 71 laps today, by the way, which is plenty of time for things to change.
It looks absolutely lovely in Spielberg.
Nine of the top 10 are starting on soft tyres; Verstappen will be on medium.
Right then, eyes down.
It's the pointing at the shirt while not kneeling for me. https://t.co/b38GXCOwnK
— Tumaini Carayol (@tumcarayol) July 5, 2020
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Jenson Button says anyone seeking to beat Hamilton over the course of a season needs to get involved early. He thinks Bottas is understanding Hamilton better now that they’re team-mates, and that Hamilton is the “complete package”, which he wasn’t when they were team-mates.
Valtteri Bottas thinks he has a great chance of winning, and that Hamilton is his principal challenger. He has the advantage of pole, and aims to keep the advantage at the start, then control the race.
“It is what it is,” say Mercedes about Hamilton’s penalty. More news as I get it.
Anthem time...
We see some, but not all drivers, taking a knee; Sainz, Verstappen, Raikkonen, Kvyat and Giovinazzi do not. I do not know why not. I have not a clue why not. Hamilton wears a Black Lives Matter t-shirt, while others wear End Racism t-shirts. I’m not sure why, because this is a very specific moment about a very specific movement.
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As it goes, Hamilton hasn’t won in Austria since 2016; since then, Bottas has won one and Verstappen has won the last two.
On Sky, we hear that the cars behind Mercedes are pretty close in terms of lap time. My guess is that Hamilton will increase that gap, although fewer races give the rest a better chance to do something – especially given that three-place penalty.
He also says that drivers are still discussing the best way to fight racism, but I’m not sure why they aren’t just asking Hamilton what to do, then doing what he says.
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Max Verstappen tells Sky that he enjoyed having time to work on his fitness, which is something we’ve seen in other football too. Mason Greenwood, for example, returned from lockdown ready to wrestle crocodiles, and the difference in his performance is clear.
This is the first F1 season to start in Europe since 1966. This was the race.
Of course, there’s pre-exiting beef between Mercedes and Red Bull after Red Bull complained about Mercedes’ new DAS system, only to be told tae git tae.
“I can’t even,” as people considerably younger than me are wont to say.
What an incredible situation. The stewards really had no onboard video evidence yesterday? And @redbullracing were able use a Tweet from @F1 to get the decision overturned? You couldn't make it up...
— Adam Cooper (@adamcooperF1) July 5, 2020
The stewards had a quiet one with Hamilton last night, but he was cleared; it seems that Red Bull appealed and, as a consequence, he’s been dropped three places. Does that constitute grassing?
Confirmation of the HAM penalty: "Drop of 3 grid positions. (2 penalty points awarded, 5 points in total for the 12 month period)"
— Adam Cooper (@adamcooperF1) July 5, 2020
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And the fact that it's happened so late means that a lot of the strategy analysis that @MercedesAMGF1 did overnight and this morning is no longer relevant. If HAM gets by ALB and NOR he will behind VER, who is going long on the medium tyres...
— Adam Cooper (@adamcooperF1) July 5, 2020
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Not officially confirmed yet but what it all means is a three-place grid drop for @LewisHamilton after a successful and highly unusual challenge by @redbullracing to yesterday's no action verdict on yellow flag speeding
— Adam Cooper (@adamcooperF1) July 5, 2020
Amazing scenes on the grid as RBR have put Verstappen’s stuff in second and HAM is fifth: pic.twitter.com/hcBcmXhuoa
— Adam Cooper (@adamcooperF1) July 5, 2020
Lewis Hamilton receives a three-place grid penalty for not slowing for yellow flags in qualifying!
Always with the drama!
Hamilton was just interviewed on Sky, talking about his experience as a one of few black children at school, and now as one of few black faces in the paddock. He also mentions friends in sport and in music who’ve said nothing, and how a more tolerant, inclusive world is part of his legacy. It’s beautiful and depressing in equal measure.
However will we cope? This from Reuters:
“The top three finishers in Sunday’s season-opening Austrian Formula One Grand Prix will have towels and water delivered to them by remote-controlled trolley before they can get their hands on any champagne. They must also wear facemasks before stepping up onto socially-distanced individual rostrums placed in front of their cars on the start-finish line due to strict anti-pandemic measures.
Formula One race director Michael Masi outlined details of the new post-race procedures in a note to teams ahead of the sport’s first championship grand prix to be held entirely without spectators. The leading three will have to park up next to boards marking the first, second and third positions on the start/finish straight. They will then step out to be weighed on portable scales positioned next to their cars and conduct the official interviews.
‘Once the interviews have been completed a remote-control trolley with water and towel will be delivered to each driver,’ the note continued. ‘No other drinks are permitted in the parc ferme area.’
The rostrum and dais will be placed in front of the cars, instead of the more familiar podium positioned above a crowded pit lane or track crammed with cheering team members and flag-waving fans.
The drivers will then move to their individual podium steps before the national anthems are played and virtual flags displayed. No dignitaries will be involved in the presentation of trophies. ‘The champagne celebrations will then take place,’ the note said.
Sunday’s race is the first major global sporting event being held since countries emerged from the COVID-19 lockdown.
The Red Bull Ring is operating under strict health and safety requirements, with drivers and teams subjected to regular testing for COVID-19 and operating in ‘bubbles within bubbles’ to limit any risk of an outbreak of the virus.”
The grid
- Bottas (Mercedes)
- Hamilton (Mercedes)
- Verstappen (Red Bull)
- Norris (McLaren)
- Albon (Red Bull)
- Pérez (Racing Point)
- Leclerc (Ferrari)
- Sainz Jr (McLaren)
- Stroll (Racing Point)
- Ricciardo (Renault)
- Vettel (Ferrari)
- Gasly (AlphaTauri)
- Kvyat (AlphaTauri)
- Ocon (Renault)
- Grosjean (Haas)
- Magnussen (Haas)
- Russell (Williams)
- Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo)
- Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo)
- Latifi (Williams)
Preamble
We got here in the end. Nearly three months after we were supposed to get here, after seven cancelled races, nine postponed races, horrendous upheaval and devastating tragedy, we got here.
So, now that we are, what’s going to happen? Well, Lewis Hamilton has won five of the last six seasons, and there’s no particular reason to think he won’t now equal Michael Schumacher’s record of seven titles total. He’s the best driver in the best car; what else is to say?
Well, quite a lot actually. Hamilton has played an absolute blinder in recent weeks, speaking candidly and powerfully about what needs to change, both in Formula 1 and the world, then helping to make it happen. That he has had to is awful, but we are lucky to have him.
Start: 2pm BST, 3pm local time
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