Lewis Hamilton wins Austrian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton won Grand Prix in Spielberg after passing Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg for the lead on the very first lap. The pair made contact in the move, leaving Rosberg to trail home fourth, as Red Bull Max Verstappen and Ferrari Kimi Raikkonen completed the podium.

Behind Hamilton, Verstappen drove another superb race to take second 5.7s behind and only three tenths of a second ahead of a charging Raikkonen. The Finn’s partner Sebastian Vettel had looked comfortable in front after early leader Hamilton had stopped to switch his ultrasoft Pirelli tyres for softs, but the Ferrari suffered a violent right rear soft puncture on the 27^th lap and crashed into the pit wall. Pirelli attributed the failure to debris on the track.

Hamilton has led the start as McLaren’s Jenson Button kept fast starting Raikkonen at bay until the eighth lap. Rosberg was the first pit stopper, on lap 10, but Hamilton made his ultrasofts last until the 21^st lap. A delay with his left rear tyre enabled Rosberg, who had started sixth, to get ahead, however which set up their epic fight. Hamilton stop dropped him to fourth as Raikkonen led for a lap before his own stop, and that put Vettel ahead from Rosberg and Hamilton, as Raikkonen dropped behind the Red Bulls of Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo.

With Rosberg hobbled, Hamilton sped on to his 46^th career victory, as Verstappen just kept Raikkonen at bay and the second Mercedes limped home for fourth. He still holds the championship lead on 153 points, but Hamilton is now only 11 points behind on 142. Vettel and Raikkonen each have 96 with Ricciardo on 88 and Verstappen on 72.