If Formula 1 enthusiasts had experienced a very high level of adrenaline weekend in Baku, where Hamilton and Vettel battled even with incorrect strokes, the Austrian GP marked a return to boredom.
Victory went to Valtteri Bottas, the Finn from Mercedes hired to support defending champion Lewis Hamilton, but who is now just fifteen points behind the Englishman in the world standings. The race was pretty flat, except for the start.
Bottas takes off like a rocket and confirms the first position, Vettel follows him and Ricciardo manages to overtake Raikkonen from the rear to finish in third position. Immediately at the first corner, the most awaited driver of the weekend comes out, the young Verstappen followed by thousands of Dutch who have arrived at the Red Bull home track. The seventeen year old was involved in an accident with Alonso and Kvyat and was immediately excluded from the race together with the Spanish veteran.
Hamilton, who started from the fourth row due to the penalty due to the gearbox replacement, immediately began his run-up to Ferrari's German rival. In the lead, Bottas sets the pace, Vettel follows him but never gets close. Ricciardo manages to maintain third position despite the frantic attacks of Hamilton, who arrives less than a second behind the Australian and conquers fourth position.
Now Vettel leads the world standings with 20 points over the Englishman, Bottas third at 35 points.
