Lewis Hamilton has pulled within 11 points of Nico Rosberg in the Drivers’ Championship after winning the Austrian Grand Prix from the Red Bull Ring on Sunday. Hamilton, who started in pole position for the race, found himself trailing his teammate with just three laps to go after the two separated on tire strategy, closed in on his teammate going into turn two on the final lap.
Lewis Hamilton wins 2016 Austrian Grand Prix
A crash with teammate Nico Rosberg on the final lap almost cost Lewis Hamilton at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Mark Thompson/Getty Images
Hamilton appeared to have the overtake and Rosberg, defending, crashed into him. It was nearly disastrous for both drivers, but Hamilton managed to still finish the race in first place. Rosberg’s front win took considerable damage in the crash and he was eventually passed by both Max Verstappen of Red Bull and Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari before finishing the race in fourth place.
Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari was doing quite well throughout the race but he stretched his supersoft tires to the limit, taking them on a stint that ultimately lasted 29 laps, including three laps from qualifying. Vettel’s right rear tire ended up going out and he crashed out the race, forcing the safety car onto the track.
Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull made a late push with a shift to the ultrasoft tires, finishing the race in fifth place. Romain Grosjean of the American-owned Haas F1 Team, got back into the points with a finish in seventh place after extending his final stint on the soft tire. Sergio Perez of Force India was set to finish high but crashed on the final lap, allowing Carlos Sainz to finish in eighth and Valeterri Bottas in ninth.
Finally, Pascal Wehrlein finished in 10th place to give Manor their first points since Jules Bianchi scored in Monaco in 2014.
Hamilton was adamant that he was on the outside of the turn that saw him collide with his Mercedes teammate, and that it was not his fault because of this. For Verstappen, it’s the second podium for the young driver that has only been on Red Bull for a handful of races. Jenson Button of McLaren finished in sixth place, which some might say is disappointing after starting in third but it’s actually a great result for the team.
Below are the top 10 finishers from the Austrian Grand Prix:
1. Lewis Hamilton
2. Max Verstappen
3. Kimi Raikkonen
4. Nico Rosberg
5. Daniel Ricciardo
6. Jenson Button
7. Romain Grosjean
8. Carlos Sainz
9. Valtteri Bottas
10. Pascal Wehrlein
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