Hamilton snatches last-lap victory from Rosberg in Austria
Lewis Hamilton snatched victory from under the nose of Nico Rosberg after the Mercedes pair came together on the final lap of a thrilling Austrian Grand Prix.
Hamilton had the momentum heading into the last lap and, as the Briton looked to overtake his team-mate around the outside of turn two, the championship leader defended his position aggressively.
Contact between the pair damaged Rosberg’s front wing and tyre, allowing Hamilton an easy pass, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Kimi Raikkonen in the Ferrari also getting through before the chequered flag.
Rosberg had overtaken Hamilton during the first round of Mercedes pit stops, with the eventual race winner suffering from a particularly slow tyre change.
The German looked to be winning the strategic battle as the race wore on, but after switching to supersofts on lap 56, Hamilton began to loom large in his mirrors.
Hamilton had changed to a new set of softs a lap before Rosberg’s stop and reaped the benefits to claim an important victory – the latest chapter in Mercedes’ long-running intra-team rivalry.
Stewards subsequently announced that they would investigate Rosberg over the collision and his failure to stop with a damaged car.
In a race dominated by strategic decisions, Ferrari’s call to keep Sebastian Vettel out for 27 laps without a stop backfired as his rear-right tyre exploded on the start-finish straight.
“I WAS ON THE OUTSIDE… IT WASN’T ME THAT CRASHED”
Hamilton was quick to absolve himself of blame after the contact that decided the outcome of the race on the final lap.
In his defence, he had a very good point.
Rosberg’s supersofts did not look up to the task of seeing out the win and had Hamilton not overtaken his team-mate at turn two, he surely would have done so by the end of the lap.
The stewards’ decision to investigate Rosberg’s defence of the position backs up Hamilton’s version of events and his fourth-place finish could now be under threat.
UNHAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR VETTEL
On the occasion of his 29th birthday, Vettel should have been blowing out candles, but it was his right rear tyre that blew out after Ferrari appeared to misjudge the lifespan of his supersoft tyres.
The varying strategies between teams kept everyone guessing, with Vettel being kept out longest of the frontrunners.
Team-mate Kimi Raikkonen pitted shortly after Mercedes had called in both of their drivers, but Vettel’s tyres gave up the ghost on lap 27, forcing him to retire from P1.
Speaking after the incident, Vettel said the specific cause of the tyre failure was unclear.
NOT-SO-INCREDIBLE HULK
Nico Hulkenberg will have arrived at the Red Bull Ring hopeful of claiming a first podium finish in Formula One, at the 104th attempt.
The Force India driver started from second after impressing in a damp qualifying but found himself way off the pace from lights out.
Hulkenberg was easily picked off by those behind him, slipping out of the points positions before calling a halt to his race late on.
FROM PARKING MISHAP TO POINTS FINISH
Pascal Wehrlein’s day started badly but got considerably better as he registered Manor’s first F1 point in the team’s current guise.
After accidentally driving into Felipe Massa’s empty position on the grid – the Williams driver started from the pits – Wehrlein elected to reverse back into the correct position.
The German avoided any punishment for his self-correction and built on his starting position of 12th, finish 10th to pick up a solitary, but historic, point.
IN THE POINTS
1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +5.719secs
3. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) +6.024s
4. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) +16.710s
5. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) +30.981s
6. Jenson Button (McLaren) +37.706s
7. Romain Grosjean (Haas) +44.668s
8. Carlos Sainz Jr (Toro Rosso) +47.400s
9. Valtteri Bottas (Williams) +1 lap
10. Pascal Wehrlein (Manor) +1 lap
TITLE STANDINGS
1. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) 153
2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 142 (+11)
3. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) 96 (+57)
4. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 96 (+57)
5. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) 88 (+65)
1. Mercedes 295
2. Ferrari 192 (+103)
3. Red Bull 168 (+127)
4. Williams 92 (+203)
5. Force India 59 (+236)
NEXT UP
Lewis Hamilton will be hoping to carry his momentum into the next race – his home grand prix at Silverstone next weekend.
