It wasn’t the result anyone predicted for the 2018 Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix as both the Mercedes retired due to engine issues allowing Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen to take his first win of the season.
It was Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in the lead at the start of the race with pole-sitter Valtteri Bottas bogging down behind Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen in the opening few corners.
Both Raikkonen and Bottas fought back with the Mercedes driver retaking second but Verstappen holding on to third from Raikkonen and Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel though lost positions at the start.
Hamilton continued to lead Bottas as a Mercedes 1-2 seemed settled at that point while Verstappen was third as a battle for fourth ensued between Raikkonen and Ricciardo. An engine failure for Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg was followed by a disaster for Mercedes.
Bottas slowed down due an apparent gearbox failure bringing out the VSC. And immediately both the Red Bull and Ferrari drivers dived into the pits for a tyre change with Hamilton opting to stay out.
However, a radio call from Mercedes later on affirmed that it was the mistake from Mercedes’ pit wall to not pit him under the VSC which helped the Red Bull and Ferrari drivers in the end.
Meanwhile, Hamilton did continue to lead from Verstappen as Raikkonen had to fend off Ricciardo’s charge. But a mistake in the right-hander from Raikkonen allowed Ricciardo to sneak through for third.
Mercedes’ were forced to pit Hamilton on Lap 25 as he lost the lead to Verstappen with the Dutchman leading a Red Bull 1-2. Hamilton came out in fifth but crucially ahead of Vettel. Even then the problems for Mercedes didn’t end.
Blistering on Hamilton’s soft tyres meant he needed another stop like Ricciardo who had lost second to Raikkonen when he was forced to pit. Raikkonen moved to second with Vettel in third after the German cleared Hamilton early at Turn 1.
Both Hamilton and Ricciardo pitted but their troubles weren’t over as they both were forced to retire with engine related issues – what was already a disaster for Mercedes, it turned worst as they lost both the drivers’ and constructors’ lead to Ferrari.
At the front, Verstappen held on to win his first race of the season – his first since the 2017 Mexican Grand Prix and a first for Red Bull in his home grand prix. Interestingly, Ferrari opted not to swap its drivers with Raikkonen holding on to second.
The Finn was closing Verstappen but the Dutchman held his position. With Vettel finishing in third, he retook the championship lead by one point from Hamilton who had his first non-finish since the 2016 Malaysian Grand Prix.
It was also the first double non-finish for Mercedes since the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix. Meanwhile, behind all the issues and battles, it was Haas who overtook two teams at a go in the standings by registering their best-ever result in F1.
Romain Grosjean finally scored in the 2018 season and in style, finishing a fine fourth leading teammate Kevin Magnussen in fifth – the American team now with 49 points to Renault’s 62, which didn’t manage to score any this weekend.
After a low-key result all-through the weekend, Force India’s eked out double points – their first of the 2018 season with Esteban Ocon ahead of Sergio Perez in sixth. Ocon had given the position to Perez earlier in the race for him to chase Magnussen.
The Mexican closed in but couldn’t get close enough for a DRS move. He had nearly three seconds advantage over Ocon but the Mexican slowed down to give back the position to the Frenchman on the line in a fine gesture.
Despite the efforts, they still lost crucial points to Haas to be seven behind the American outfit. With McLaren’s Fernando Alonso finishing eighth, the Spaniard helped his team to be ahead of Force India albeit by just the two points.
Alonso had started from the pitlane after changes to his car and fought his way back into the points with battles involving Sauber’s Charles Leclerc and Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly to get himself into eighth.
It was delight for Sauber as well with both the drivers in points with Leclerc leading Marcus Ericsson. The Swede had moved ahead of Leclerc in the closing stages but in a Force India-like move, it seems he gave back the place to be 10th.
Missing points in all this mayhem were the two Toro Rosso drivers as Gasly’s tyres gave way by the end for him to be 11th ahead of Renault’s Carlos Sainz whose pit stop ruined any chance of points.
While everyone from Grosjean to Sainz were lapped once, it was the Williams drivers, Lance Stroll in 13th and Sergey Sirotkin in 14th who were lapped twice by the leader as they both had double stops.
Even though McLaren’s Stoffel Vandoorne was classified, the Belgian retired from the race joining Hamilton, Bottas, Ricciardo, Hulkenberg and Toro Rosso’s Brendo Hartley – the latter having a brand new set of Honda engine fitted to his car.
