Valtteri Bottas has won the first Grand Prix of the 2020 Formula 1 season in dramatic fashion as Motorsport Australia ambassador Daniel Ricciardo had a day to forget at the Red Bull Ring.
Starting from pole position, Bottas led the field from start to finish but was faced with a number of challenges along the way, including two safety cars, a charging Lewis Hamilton and race-long mechanical issues.
However the Fin defied the odds during the chaotic race, eventually producing a memorable victory over a surprise looking podium made up of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and McLaren’s Lando Norris – the latter also posting the race’s fastest lap.
As for Ricciardo, the West Australian was one of nine drivers not to see the chequered flag after his Renault had a cooling problem and the engine overheated forcing him to the pits on the 18th lap.
It was a heartbreaking end to the race for Ricciardo, who had been performing well all weekend but once again fell victim to an unreliable car.
“Today was a reminder of what Formula 1 can be like and, sometimes, it’s unkind,” Ricciardo said.
“It’s a shame to retire early, but we had a cooling issue and we had to retire the car as a precaution before we did any further damage. I think there are a lot of positives from the weekend.”
While there was despair for Ricciardo and Renault, it was pure elation for Bottas and Mercedes who claimed a remarkable victory in the historic Grand Prix.
“There was definitely quite a bit of pressure through the race,” Bottas said.
“One Safety Car was OK but by the last Safety Car I was like, 'come on, again?”
“There were so many opportunities for Lewis to take the lead if I made a small mistake and he was really quick today, but I managed to keep it together, could really control the race from my side, and there’s obviously no better way to start the season.”
“We had to manage the car quite a lot, so I couldn’t really use all the kerbs.
“At some stage I was slightly worried if it was going to be OK, but I’m glad we managed to finish with both cars, we’re leading the team’s standings and that’s a very good start.”
Bottas’ teammate Hamilton was on for a string result before he was handed a penalty after another coming together with Red Bull’s Alex Albon. The Briton was demoted from the podium for his role in the pair’s tangle.
The FIA Formula 1 World Championship will once again be in Austria next week for the revised 2020 season calendar’s second round.