F1: Mercedes gives Rosberg and Hamilton wings

The Austrian Grand Prix was just over! The drama started in qualifying, where a mistake by Hamilton compromised both his and Rosberg’s laps. This gave the Mercedes-powered Williams the chance to lock out the front row, the first time they have done it in 11 years. At the start, both Rosberg and Hamilton had flying starts- Hamilton overtook 2 cars off the line, and Rosberg momentarily passed Bottas, who took the position back with a better line through T2. A phenomenal first lap saw Hamilton, who started P9, make his way up the field and to the back of Rosberg’s gearbox. The leading four, made up of Massa, Bottas, Rosberg and Hamilton, slowly pulled away from the field, showing the dominance of the Mercedes powerplant. Vettel was lapped early on after a mechanical issue, which was later traced to the overtake button. Ricciardo was told not to use it just in case his car failed as well. Rosberg was the first of the lead pack to pit. He came out 6th, behind the Mclaren of Button, who started on the primes. Hamilton peeled into the garage 3 laps later for his stop. The Williams crew didn’t react to the pitting Mercs, and only brought the cars in almost 5 laps after Rosberg’s stop. This lost the Williams a lot of time. Still, a phenomial pitstop meant Bottas was right on Hamilton’s tail when he left the pits. The likes of Alonso, Perez, and Button looked like genuine contenders for decent points, when at the ¾ point of the race, they were in the upper 6. Force India wanted Perez to be on the faster Option rubber at the end of the race, which saw Checo have amazing pace as he stomped back up to 6th. Button’s late pitstop left him in P11 and Alonso’s stop also left him down on the leading pack in P5. In front though, the Mercs had to manage the brakes and their fuel in order to safely guarantee a 1-2. They did manage, despite the fast charging Hamilton closing up on Rosberg. Rosberg won the race, with Hamilton 2nd and Bottas in P3. The works Mercedes are still miles faster than all other teams, with the exception of Williams, who were only 7 or so seconds slower than the Mercs over race distance. With the victory, Rosberg now leads the championship by 29 points over teammate Lewis Hamilton. Daniel Ricciardo, 3rd placed man in the championship, only finished 8th, but at least he finished; 3 of 4 Red Bull sponsored cars failed to make the flag, the Kyvat suffered a suspension failure, Vergne a brake failure, and Vettel’s early technical issues meant that there was no point in carrying on.Pictures used for illustration purposes only.