HAMMERTIME: Lewis Hamilton leads home Mercedes one-two at Styrian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton claimed his first race victory of the season, leading from pole to the chequered flag at the Styrian Grand Prix.

The defending world champion came into the race weekend on the back of a disappointing fourth-place finish in the Austrian Grand Prix, but Hamilton made amends with a well-managed victory from start to finish.

There was drama in the opening lap when Charles Leclerc collided with teammate Sebastian Vettel, causing severe damage on the two Ferraris that ultimately saw both cars retire from the race.

A duel between Max Verstappen and Hamilton never materialised, with Valtteri Bottas passing the Red Bull a few laps from the end to complete a Mercedes one-two.

Meanwhile, Lando Norris provided some more final lap drama, passing the two Racing Point cars of Lance Stroll and Sergio Perez to claim fifth place. Bottas’ second place finish keeps him top of the drivers’ championship after two races, with Hamilton now off the mark with his first race win of 2020.

DRIVER OF THE DAY

Sergio Perez (Racing Point): A number of drivers enjoyed exceptional races at the Red Bull Ring, with Norris claiming P5 after starting ninth on the grid, while Hamilton’s race management at the head of the pack was remarkable and the mark of how accomplished he is. But Perez deserves recognition for fighting through the pack from P17 on the grid to finish sixth, even if he gave up a place on the last lap.

WHERE THE RACE WAS WON

Lap 1/71 – Safety car on the opening lap! Vettel has a broken wing after Leclerc dived down the inside of the German on Turn 3 and Ferrari are getting ready for an early pit stop! Both are coming in for repairs.

Lap 2/71 – Vettel is wheeled into the garage! The former world champion’s race is over. His rear wing is in a right mess and Ferrari have made the decision just to retire him. What a disaster for Vettel who hasn’t exactly enjoyed a great start to the season.

Lap 5/71 – Leclerc forced to retire too! Ferrari kept Leclerc out for a few laps to assess the damage, but the decision has now been taken to retire him as well. What a disastrous weekend for the Scuderia. Both cars retired after impacting with each other on the opening lap.

This picture taken on July 12, 2020 in Spielberg, Austria shows a collision between Ferrari’s German driver Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari’s Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc at the start of the Formula One Styrian Grand Prix race.

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Image credit: Getty Images

Lap 28/71 – Ocon retires! It looked like Renault were getting ready for a pit stop, but Ocon has been wheeled into the garage. Reliability issues for Renault once again! What a disappointment for Ocon after what was an impressive Saturday qualifying.

Lap 30/71 – Box, box! Hamilton comes into the pits for a change of tyres. He follows Verstappen’s lead and moves on to the medium compounds. The Red Bulls weren’t able to make the most of the few laps they had on the new tyres over the race leader.

Lap 66/71 – Wheel-to-wheel! What drama! Bottas looked to have passed Verstappen, but the Red Bull came back at the Silver Arrow and reclaims the place! The Mercedes might have the pace, but the Dutch driver was smarter with his track position there. That was great racing!

Lap 67/71 – Mercedes one-two! Bottas had to work for that pass, but in the end the Red Bull of Verstappen just couldn’t keep the Mercedes behind him and it looks like it’s going to be a one-two finish for the Silver Arrows!

Chequered flag! Hamilton wins! – Hamilton gets his first race victory of the season and he managed that very well. He started on pole and led all the way to the chequered flag. Bottas finishes second with Verstappen third to complete the podium.

Lewis Hamilton celebrates

PIT WALL EXCHANGE OF THE DAY

“Did you like that one, man? Did you like that?” Perez asked his race engineer over the Racing Point team radio after a beauty of a move on Carlos Sainz to keep the McLaren behind him. “Yes, good,” the engineer replied, perhaps not with the enthusiasm of his driver.

BEST OVERTAKE

It might not have been the best executed overtake of the day, but Norris’ passing of Stroll and Perez within three corners on the final lap warrants recognition. The young Brit has earned himself a reputation for bringing the drama towards the end! Don’t miss his final lap.