Share

Bottas holds off Vettel to win in Austria

Cape Town - Valtteri Bottas raced from lights-to-flag to win the Austrian Grand Prix while a runner-up result for Sebastian Vettel saw him extend his lead in the Drivers' standings.

An incredible start, so good that Vettel questioned whether it was a jumped start, set up Bottas for the Austrian victory, only the second of his F1 career.

The Finn flew off the line and controlled the race, pulling clear of Vettel and the Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo.

As the pit stops came and went, Ferrari left Kimi Raikkonen out long in order to back Bottas up into Vettel.

The play, though, didn't work as Bottas caught and passed his fellow Finn without even a moment's trouble.

Bottas raced to the victory, the second of his Formula 1 career, as he survived late pressure from Vettel.

The Ferrari driver was runner-up on the day as, despite getting within half a second of Bottas in the closing laps, he was able to make a move for the win. His P2, though, extends his lead in the Drivers' Championship to 20 points.

They were joined on the podium by Ricciardo, who achieved his fifth successive top-three result.

Lewis Hamilton recovered from a grid penalty to finish fourth ahead of Kimi Raikkonen, Romain Grosjean and Sergio Perez.

The final points went to Esteban Ocon, Felipe Massa and Lance Stroll.

Max Verstappen recorded his fifth retirement in seven races when his RB13's driveshaft was broken in lap 1 contact. 

Daniil Kvyat hit Fernando Alonso who in turn hit Verstappen. Alonso and Verstappen both retired while Kvyat, who had to pit for repairs, was handed a drive-through penalty.

Stoffel Vandoorne also had a drive-through penalty, his for ignoring blue flags. He finished P12.

Result
1 Bottas Mercedes 1:21.48.527
2 Vettel Ferrari +0.6
3 Ricciardo Red Bull 6.0
4 Hamilton Mercedes 7.4
5 Raikkonen Ferrari 20.3
6 Grosjean Haas 73.1
7 Perez Force India 1 lap
8 Ocon Force India 1 lap
9 Massa Williams 1 lap
10 Stroll Williams 1 lap
11 Palmer Renault 1 lap
12 Vandoorne McLaren 1 lap
13 Hulkenberg Renault 1 lap
14 Wehrlein Sauber 1 lap
15 Ericsson Sauber 1 lap
16 Kvyat Toro Rosso 3 laps

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1470 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2246 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE