Valtteri Bottas wins chaotic Austrian Grand Prix as brilliant Lando Norris takes maiden podium for McLaren

 Mercedes' Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas celebrates with champagne on the podium after the Austrian Formula One Grand Prix race on July 5, 2020 in Spielberg, Austria
Valtteri Bottas won the Austrian Grand Prix for the second time in his career Credit: MARK THOMPSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Post-race analysisWhy Mercedes should be relieved at Austrian GP victory, despite being in a class of their own

Lewis Hamilton’s first race of his championship defence was tinged with controversy on and off the track as Formula One marked its return with an incident-packed Austrian Grand Prix.

In the end it was Valterri Bottas who won the first race of racing's new era, crossing the line 0.6 seconds clear of his Mercedes team-mate, but Hamilton was demoted to fourth following a five-second penalty after he was involved in a crash with Red Bull driver Alexander Albon in the closing stages.

The incident denied London-born Albon the most unlikely of maiden victories with the Red Bull driver's boss Christian Horner going even further by saying that Hamilton should issue an apology to his young charge for their dramatic late crash.

Before the pulsating race - the first global sporting event of the Covid-19 era - six drivers, including Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc stood in the back row of a divided grid as Hamilton and 13 of his contemporaries knelt in the fight for racial equality. The divided action came after Hamilton had on Saturday implied that drivers who failed to take a knee before Formula One’s season opener were "complicit" in racism.

Hamilton had shortly before received the news that he would start three places back from his qualifying position of second - penalised by the stewards for a yellow-flag infringement. It was that kind of weekend for Britain’s usually flawless six-time world champion.

Hamilton eventually fought back to runner-up - finishing just half-a-second behind the impressive Bottas in the sister Mercedes car - but he was then slung back to fourth after the stewards found him guilty of punting Albon into the sand trap with 10 laps to run.

The five-second penalty promoted Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to second and McLaren’s Lando Norris to third - the mightily impressive 20-year-old eclipsing Hamilton as Britain’s youngest F1 podium finisher.

It was Albon, another of the sport’s young Britons, who had suddenly found himself in contention for a remarkable victory after Red Bull took advantage of the second of three safety cars to pit their man for fresh tyres.

Six drivers opted not to "take a knee" before the race Credit:  Dan Istitene

Albon, 22, sensed that Hamilton, on old rubber, was vulnerable and he swiftly launched a move round the outside of the Briton’s black machine. But on the exit of the corner, Hamilton’s front-left tyre hit Albon’s right rear - his race over.

“I am a bit fresh right now so I have to be careful what I say," said Albon. “I really feel like we could have won that race.

“I felt like I did the move already and I was focused on catching Bottas. The contact was so late. There’s always a risk of overtaking on the outside, but I knew that as long as I gave him [Hamilton] all the space that I could then it’s up to him if he wants to crash or not.”

Red Bull team principal Horner said: “Alex didn’t deserve that. A five-second penalty doesn’t do anything for him. It was just a misjudgement for Lewis, and it’d be good if he apologised for it.”

Hamilton has raced to six world titles with the reputation as one of the sport’s cleanest drivers ever, but the crash here was his second in three races with Albon. Hamilton was penalised back in Brazil for taking Albon out of first podium finish with a penultimate-lap collision.  

"It's not been a great weekend for me," Hamilton concluded. `It was a really unfortunate scenario with Alex. It really felt like a racing incident but I'll take whatever penalty they feel I deserve and move forward.''

Hamilton will be provided with a chance of redemption in just six days’ time at the same venue. Sunday’s race may have been the first grand prix to ever take place behind closed doors, but the millions watching on their televisions around the globe were treated to a thrilling spectacle.

Just 11 of the 20 cars made it to the finish as a series of mechanical failures, likely owing to the seven-month break between races here and in Abu Dhabi on December 1, helped to spice up the show.

Bottas kept his cool to lead every lap and claim an opening win of this new era.

"The dream of winning the title is very much alive this year," said the Finn. "There is no doubt about that. I have to get the best out of myself each week. I want to enjoy this but I have to perform at the next race and be ready for whatever comes."

Right, that's it from me today

I'm off for a short lie down. What a race. We get to do it all again in a week for the Styrian Grand Prix at the same track. That'll take some beating, though. I'll have my post-race analysis up tomorrow morning but later today we will have Phil Duncan's full race report. So keep your eyes peeled for that. 

Back on Friday next week. Thanks for joining me. 

Hamilton speaks to Sky Sports F1 on his race

I don't feel particularly any way right now. The race is done and I feel like moving forwards. Yesterday was entirely my fault. I had great pace to catch up with Valtteri and a really unfortunate scenario with Alex. It really felt like a racing incident. But either way, I'll take whatever penalty they think I deserve and move forwards. 

I don't know whether they will be able to fix it [the gearbox sensor issue] in four days. I wouldn't put it past my team. We wait and see. 

Alex Albon speaks to Sky Sports F1

I am a bit fresh right now so I've got to be careful what I say. I really felt like we could have won that race. The guys did a great job with strategy. As soon as it all played out, it looked really strong for us. The first five laps was when I was going to do the overtakes. I feel like this one — I won't say it hurts more but I felt like Brazil was 50/50. I was kind of already focused on Bottas in front. 

There's always a risk of overtaking on the outside, but I gave it as much space as I could. It's up to him if he wants to crash or not. 

He says he'll cool off before speaking to Hamilton, if he does. 

That Hamilton/Albon incident towards the end

Was remarkably similar to the one they had in Brazil last year. You have to feel for Albon, he had driven a decent race up to that point. Could he have waited a bit longer? Doesn't really matter, the stewards say it was Hamilton's fault and he ended up with a penalty for it. 

Here's what the socially distanced podium celebrations look like

Credit: Mark Thompson/Pool via AP

After a duff weekend, the first thing a driver usually wants to do is get on the first flight out of here

That's not an option for Max Verstappen or Alexander Albon. 

Credit: Peter Fox/Getty Images


ZERO points for Red Bull at the Red Bull Ring

Absolute disaster for them, really. A double DNF. 

Driver standings after R1

Pretty sure Norris should have 16 points, though, a bonus for his fastest lap.  

Love this photo

The Mercedes looks great in black. And the McLaren looks good in third. 

Credit: Formula 1 via Getty Images


It's going to be a strange podium ceremony

Being done on the track grid, instead of on the actual podium. Masks on, as well. 

Hats off to Lando Norris

He set a 1.07.475 on the final lap (getting past Perez on the previous lap) to get within five seconds of Lewis Hamilton, who dropped two places due to his five-second penalty. 

Mercedes were really worried about a double DNF there

Their drivers were ordered to stay off all the kerbs... due to a gearbox sensor issue. Bottas held it strong but Hamilton had a bit of a problematic weekend. Charles Leclerc must be pretty happy with P2 after Ferrari's weekend so far. 

We race again here in a week's time. Why can't we do it tomorrow?!

I feel for Albon, there

I think he was a bit impatient...I think he could have been in with a shot of the win there. A very big chance. Oh well..

Credit: Getty Images

Top 10

  1. BOT
  2. LEC
  3. NOR
  4. HAM
  5. SAI
  6. PER
  7. GAS
  8. OCO
  9. GIO
  10. VET

How did that happen? That is... I have no words at the moment. Only 11 finishers in the end. That felt like a good, old-fashioned season opener. 



Hamilton finishes second but where will the five second penalty put him?! Leclerc finishes third but moves up to second...




This is mad...

Lap 70 of 71 - Now Kvyat has a huge shunt!

He pulls straight into a service road. Not sure what happened there...a puncture it seems. Looked a bit dramatic for a puncture, though. 

I can't keep track of what's going on here. Are Mercedes going to let Hamilton get past Bottas here to help him?

Lap 68 of 71 - Now Perez gets a five second penalty!

For speeding in the pit lane! Chaos. That helps Hamilton...and McLaren.  Now Albon pulls up the side of the track! And out!

Norris gets past Perez with a bit of a touch on the way into turn three. Rubbing is racing. Will there be a safety car for Albon's Red Bull? A safety car would RUIN Hamilton and Perez's Norris going to get a podium here? He's in with a very good shout here! Perez left the door open there...

Lap 67 of 71 - Bottas looks comfortable here

Hamilton sets the fastest lap of the race, he's in danger of slipping off the podium here. On second look, Hamilton did squeeze Albon on the exit there. 

Lap 66 of 71 - Top 10

  1. BOT
  2. HAM
  3. LEC
  4. PER
  5. NOR
  6. SAI
  7. GAS
  8. OCO
  9. GIO
  10. KVY

Lap 65 of 71 - Hamilton gets a five second penalty!

And Charles Leclerc gets up into P3! Is this race over yet? Did I speak too soon? That puts Leclerc up into a net second place but he still needs the pace to get past both Mercedes on track if he is going to win...

Lap 64 of 71 - Leclerc gets Norris

Nice move. Bottas leading Hamilton by 2.4, Hamilton just 1.1s ahead of Perez. Not sure how this is going to pan out but Alex Albon's impatience has destroyed hope of a thrilling finale. There could still be some decent action, though...

Will those Mercedes cars get to the end, though?

Lap 63 of 71 - Bottas leads Hamilton...

Albon was on fresh soft tyres. He not only had a good chance of taking his first podium, he was in with a GREAT chance of winning the race...

Perez closing in on Hamilton, Norris closing in on Perez...

Lap 62 of 71 - Doesn't look like there is any damage to Hamilton's car

Albon was ahead, just about, there but I don't think that's Hamilton's fault...

Lap 61 of 71 - Albon and Hamilton collide!

Albon tries to go around the outside of Hamilton at turn three...he has a superb exit and tries a move into the exit of turn four/five...Hamilton does not give up and they touch! Albon is sent spinning into the gravel! Oh nooooooo. That was rash. That was not the time to do that, Alex. 

Lap 60 of 71 - Here they go!

Bottas leads Hamilton and Albon...

Lap 59 of 71 - Perez told they're checking positions

Albon has overtaken Perez under the SC, clearly under the orders of his team. Christian Horner says they have been given permission from Race Control to do so. There could be a protest with that was tight as to whether Albon got the move done before the SC was called. 

Anyway, SC period ending at the end of this lap...

Lap 57 of 71 - Running order

  1. BOT
  2. HAM
  3. PER
  4. ALB
  5. NOR
  6. LEC
  7. GAS
  8. SAI
  9. OCO
  10. KVY
  11. VET
  12. LAT
  13. GIO


A high rate of attrition here. It's definitely the first race of the season. 

Lap 56 of 71 - That is a strange and worrying incident for Raikkonen

Right, seeing a replay, the wheel wasn't on correctly. He had just pitted the previous lap...

It looked like Albon had the move done before the SC was called, but then Perez got back ahead. Fortunately the stricken Alfa Romeo is right at the pit entry so should be simple enough to get cleared up. 

This is very good news for Mercedes, though. A few more laps closer to the end without risking retirement. Would be interesting to know if their issues are the same ones that caused Stroll and Russell's retirements. I suspect so. 

Lap 55 of 71 - RACING RESUMES

Hamilton is much closer to Bottas this time but Bottas has a good run into the final turn. There are yellow flags for a track hazard and I'm not sure why. Albon had just overtaken Perez...

Oh, Raikkonen has binned it on the main straight and had a pretty big crash...that will take a bit longer to clear up. He had a front wheel failure, his wheel detached going into the final turn and narrowly missed Vettel...



That gives us 17 laps of racing...

Does Albon have the pace to challenge Mercedes here? He has to get past Perez, first... what are Mercedes going to tell their drivers to do re: gearbox sensor issues. 

Lap 53 of 71 - Top 10

  1. BOT
  2. HAM
  3. PER
  4. ALB
  5. NOR
  6. LEC
  7. GAS
  8. OCO
  9. SAI
  10. GIO

Shame for Russell, he was running quite well in 13th. 

Lap 52 of 71 - SAFETY CAR

Top three of Bottas, Hamilton and Perez all stay out again. Albon onto the softs. Norris onto fresh mediums, likewise Leclerc. This is going to be incredibly stressful for Mercedes. Will they risk it here? They've turned their power units down and have been told that their sensor issue is critical, ordered not to go onto the kerbs. 

LAP 51 of 71 - Who is coming in?

Albon, Norris and Leclerc all do. Bottas, Hamilton and Perez all stay out. Oooh, this could be a brilliant final 18 or 19 laps. Mercedes not allowed to go on the kerbs and now those directly behind them on fresh tyres...

Lap 50 of 71 - Romain Grosjean has a huge detour

Is that the same brake issue that did for Magnussen? He's going to be pulling into the pits this time around it seems...

Now there's a Williams, George Russell, going slowly...he pulls to the side of the ride in a position that will not be easy to be recovered.

Will this be another safety car? I think it will be...That'll make it interesting! 


Lap 49 of 71 - Hamilton not exactly complying with the "no kerb" orders

I wonder if he knows that Bottas is in worse shape. Albon is a further nine seconds down the road from Hamilton. Is he a consideration here? He's still lapping slower than the Mercedes cars...

Lap 48 of 71 - Even staying off the kerbs

Mercedes still have the pace to win this by a mile. 

Lap 47 of 71 - Well that seems to be it

Bottas told he is in worse shape than Hamilton. Both cars told to stay off all the kerbs. Not just the jagged, rough ones. Both cars told the issue is critical. 

Lap 46 of 71 - The picture of the day...

Credit: Mercedes' Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas steers his car in front of Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton during the Austrian Formula One Grand Prix race on July 5, 2020 in Spielberg, Austria

Lap 45 of 71 - Mercedes pretty worried here, I think

They do not want to a throw away a 1-2 here. But can they really expect their drivers to avoid the kerbs? It's how your race on this track. Hamilton now 1.2s behind. Would be a shame if they just held station here. But that may be what happens...

Lap 44 of 71 - Top 10

  1. BOT
  2. HAM
  3. ALB
  4. PER
  5. NOR
  6. LEC
  7. SAI
  8. GAS
  9. KVY
  10. OCO

Russell right on the back of Raikkonen for P12. Raikkonen recently got past him, though. 

Lap 43 of 71 - Hamilton told about sensor issues

He's told to stay off the kerbs. I can't see this lasting another 28 laps...

"He's staying on the kerbs much more than me," Hamilton says.

Lap 42 of 71 - Mercedes tell Bottas both cars have had sensor issues

In other words, keep off the kerbs as much as possible. That is possibly what did for Lance Stroll. I mean, it's a risk of retirement but these cars are racing for the lead! They are not going to just back off...

This is close now...

Lap 41 of 71 - Bottas told some impenetrable code

"Chassis default". These kerbs here are pretty rough. Wonder if they are concerned about damage...

Lap 40 of 71 - Hamilton on the attack

He's within DRS range now. Bottas will have to drive a very wide Mercedes now...they are trading quickest sectors...

Lap 39 of 71 - Hamilton biding his time?

I wonder...

Albon looks to have the pace to hold third at the moment, a smidgen ahead of Perez on lap times last time around. 

Lap 38 of 71 - Bottas puts half a tenth on Hamilton

Norris is finding a bit of pace here, he'll hope to take advantage of Perez's more worn tyres by the end of the race. Hamilton now only just under a second behind of Bottas. 

Lap 37 of 71 - Williams update

Russell is in P12 and holding his own. That's good news. An outside chance of points here? He started in P16 but had a poor first lap. 

Lap 36 of 71 - Hamilton sets the fastest lap...

This could get tasty very shortly. And we are just over half-race distance. 

Lap 35 of 71 - Top 10 and gaps

  1. BOT
  2. HAM +0.7
  3. ALB +4.8
  4. PER +6.6
  5. NOR +8.9
  6. LEC +9.9
  7. SAI +10.9
  8. GAS +13.9
  9. KVY +16.2
  10. OCO +17.1

Lap 34 of 71 - Hamilton's turn to set the fastest lap

And he's within DRS range of Bottas. Hamilton wants to be able to crank his engine up. He's told that Mercedes will be telling both of their cars to turn the power down shortly. I think Hamilton sees his chance in the next couple of laps here...

Lap 33 of 71 - Bottas extends his lead to 1.2s

He's got these hard tyres working nicely, setting the fastest lap. Perez breezes past Norris on the back straight and goes into P4. Softer tyres for the Mexican but will he be able to go until the end? 

Lap 32 of 71 - Bottas gets a superb restart

No messing there. Sainz and Leclerc are fighting into turn three... Vettel tries to go up the inside of  the McLaren, who  came round from wide and he spins behind him.

Vettel thought about going up the inside, ended up committing but put it into a half-spin before tapping the McLaren. Another error from Vettel...


And we will resume racing. Bottas was being caught rapidly by Hamilton before then, that SC came at the right time for him. 

Lap 30 of 71 - So, this is exactly when Mercedes SHOULD be using Dual Axis Steering

Are they? Can't see that they have at the moment...

Wonder if this race will be a tale of reliability. 

Lap 29 of 71 - Full classification

  1. BOT
  2. HAM
  3. ALB
  4. NOR
  5. PER
  6. LEC
  7. SAI
  8. VET
  9. GAS
  10. KVY
  11. OCO
  12. GIO
  13. RUS
  14. RAI
  15. GRO
  16. LAT


Lap 28 of 71 - SAFETY CAR

Everyone goes onto the hard tyres at their stops, meaning they won't have to stop again. Everyone apart from Perez, that is. Interesting. 

Lap 27 of 71 - Ooh, Perez and Norris nearly have an accident in the pit lane

That was close. Borderline unsafe release from Racing Point. Will they be punished for that? They were desperate to get out ahead of the McLaren of Norris but Perez kept well to the right of him so he should be okay. 

Lap 26 of 71 - SAFETY CAR

Mercedes double stack and it all goes well. I think everyone will be taking advantage of this so it might not make any great difference to the order and strategy here. 

Lap 25 of 71 - Hamilton gets the gap down to three seconds

Bottas's lead is evaporating here...and quickly. 

Magnussen spins after duelling with Ocon! Time for a Safety Car! That makes it interesting. Magnussen outbraked himself and spun at turn three. Think it's a brake issue. 

Lap 24 of 71 - Top 10

  1. BOT
  2. HAM
  3. ALB
  4. NOR
  5. PER
  6. LEC
  7. SAI
  8. VET
  9. GAS
  10. KVY

Lap 23 of 71 - Hamilton told to look after his car

That's a Mercedes engine in the back of the Racing Point, by the way. I wonder if Mercedes are concerned now? They don't have the best reliability record at this track. Anyway, Bottas not able to keep pace as Hamilton gets the gap down to 4.5s... he needs to get his finger out now. 

Lap 22 of 71 - Albon dropping further and further back

But not quite into the grasp of Norris in P4. There's an outside chance for a McLaren podium here. 

Lap 21 of 71 - Lance Stroll indeed does come in to retire

Shame for him. Hamilton FLYING now. Bottas's lead is down to 5.5s from 6.1 a couple of laps earlier. Hammer time? It seems like it. 

Lap 20 of 71 

Hamilton sets a new fastest lap with a 1.09 flat. He's closing in, but not at a great rate of knots. Grosjean goes off and into the gravel, dropping down to last on the road. 

Lap 19 of 71 - Stroll definitely has a big issue

Vettel got past him in the middle of the second straight, miles and miles before the braking zone. Wonder if he'll be able to go until the end? I don't think he will, he's now lost a place in a similar fashion to Gasly...and now Kvyat. He'll be coming in before long. 

Credit: Getty Images


Lap 18 of 71 - Top 10

  1. BOT
  2. HAM
  3. ALB
  4. BNOR
  5. PER
  6. LEC
  7. SAI
  8. VET
  9. STR
  10. GAS

Gasly into the points now. 

Lap 17 of 71 - Vettel gets Stroll on the back straight

And he's now up into P8. Hamilton sets a new fastest lap to close in on Bottas even further. Looks like a straight fight between the Mercedes, in case there was any doubt. 

Lap 16 of 71 - Norris's pace has picked up a bit

Lapping around two tenths off Albon and a little quicker than Perez ahead of him. Now it's Daniel Ricciardo's time to have issues - he's trundling around in third gear and heads into the pits. Think the power unit has gone now...yep. 

Lap 15 of 71 - Stroll has an engine problem

He's told that his team are trying to manage it. He's down in P8 at the moment. He's holding position ahead of Vettel and Ricciardo at the moment but he has clearly lost something.

Hamilton closing in on Bottas, seven seconds away now. 

Lap 14 of 71 - Albon sitting pretty for a first podium here

He won't be able to challenge the Mercedes, but he will surely be too quick for anyone behind him. Mistakes permitting. 

Lap 13 of 71 - Verstappen spends a LONG time in his car

As Red Bull try and sort it out but he's eventually out of his car and his race is officially over. Shame. Can anyone stop a Mercedes 1-2 now? No. 

Lap 12 of 71 - Top 10

  1. BOT
  2. HAM
  3. ALB
  4. NOR
  5. PER
  6. LEC
  7. SAI
  8. STE
  9. VET
  10. RIC

Lap 11 of 71 - Verstappen pulls into the pits

Can they get it going properly again? I'm not sure. But that is his race over, really. He's in dead last now and is dropping back and back. 


He's lost power! Along the pit straight.  Well he's keeping it going...just about but at a very slow pace.  Oh dear oh dear. 

Winners and loses so far

Lap 9 of 71 - Hamilton passes Albon

Hamilton gets DRS into turn four and gets ahead of Albon and into P3 before even the braking zone. Have to say I don't think that bodes well for the competitiveness of this Red Bull. Mind you, it was DRS-assisted. 

Lap 8 of 71 - Bottas putting his foot down

Taking four tenths out of Verstappen the last time around and extending his lead to 3.3s. Norris holding position in P5 now, stabilising a little. 

Lap 7 of 71 - Hamilton closing in on Albon

But not quite close enough to try anything here. He was lucky not to lose his front wing on the back of the Red Bull in the opening stages and had to back out of it. 

Lap 6 of 71 - Bottas leads Verstappen by 2.6s

Top 10:

  1. BOT
  2. VER
  3. ALB
  4. HAM
  5. NOR
  6. PER
  7. LEC
  8. SAI
  9. STR
  10. VET

Lap 5 of 71 - Bottas with the fastest lap of the race now

Extending his lead a little. Unfortunately the Williams are now back down to 19th and 20th... already. Oh well. 

Lap 4 of 71 - Hamilton into P4

Norris easy pickings. McLaren struggling with race pace here. Hamilton sets the fastest lap of the race, he';s now six seconds behind Bottas, who leads Verstappen by 2.3s. Hamilton closing up to the back of Albon now for the final podium spot. Hamilton on a charge...

Lap 3 of 71 - Albon up into P3

Breezing past Lando Norris. The pace of the McLaren doesn't look too quick at the moment, that was way too easy for Albon and Hamilton will be lining Norris up next. 

Lap 2 of 71 - Bottas leads Verstappen

Top 10:

  1. BOT
  2. VER
  3. NOR
  4. ALB
  5. HAM
  6. PER
  7. LEC
  8. SAI
  9. STR
  10. VET

Bottas told to look after his car. Temperature troubles?


Bottas leads into turn one. Norris tries to go around the outside of Verstappen and briefly takes P2 but loses it straight away. Norris holds P3 and pushes Verstappen . Hamilton and albon nearly touch going into turn five! They may have touched...that is hard racing.

Leclerc duelling with Perez towards the end of the lap. Bottas is miles ahead at the end of the lap...

The formation lap is go!

The talking is about to stop. And the action about to start. Everyone away cleanly here. I do kind of miss the days where at least someone would be left on the grid, especially at the start of the season. 

 Wonder if Mercedes will be using DAS on the formation lap? Everyone from P10-P20 on the mediums. Verstappen on the mediums, everyone else in the top 10 on softs. 

It's nearly time to get going...

And I cannot wait. Thankfully I don't have to. Not much longer anyway. But first, the formalities of the formation lap. Nice to have that shake-up for Mercedes-not-running-and-hiding-from-the-rest reasons. 

Here's the moment 14 drivers took a knee

I believe that Raikkonen, Leclerc, Kvyat, Sainz, Verstappen and Giovinazzi did not take a knee

All of them, however, wearing END RACISM t-shirts, apart from Hamilton who had a Black Lives Matter one on. Plenty of mechanics and pit crew, engineers taking the knee on the grid behind them, too. 

So, strategically

Unless he drops down the field and gets stuck in traffic, Verstappen will be running long on the mediums. That was crucial to his victory here last year, catching Leclerc on fresh tyres. Could be the crucial part of today's race. But we'll soon find out. 

Pretty toasty out there


Just under 30 minutes to go until lights out. 

Credit: FIA.COM

Plenty of controversy this weekend

And plenty of protests from Red Bull about Mercedes. This one has worked (and rightly so) but their move to get the FIA to outlaw Mercedes' use of their Dual Axis Steering system failed earlier on in the weekend. It's a neat concept that is a mark of the team's innovative greatness. I had an in-depth look about how it might be deployed and how much of an advantage it might be, you can read that here

It seems the stewards did not have access to Hamilton's on board footage yesterday

Astonishing. Two penalty points for Hamilton as well, taking him up to five for the rolling 12-month period. 

Here's the FIA's judgment in full:

Following a petition to review decision 33 taken after Qualifying, the Stewards acknowledged that the on-board footage of car 44 represents a significant new element (see decision 41) that had not been available to the Stewards in the hearing on Saturday and therefore reviewed the case.

The Stewards heard from the driver of Car 44 (Lewis Hamilton) and the team representative and have reviewed the new video evidence and telemetry evidences. The new video footage clearly shows that a yellow light panel was flashing on the left side of the track in turn 5.

A green light panel was flashing at the end of marshalling sector 9. Taking into account these facts, the Stewards determine that decision 33 will be reversed and the above mentioned penalty is being imposed.

Think this is where the drivers will be taking a knee (or not) in about 25 minutes

Credit: Joe Klamar/Pool via REUTERS

 Confirmation of Hamilton's three-place grid drop. He will start fifth. 

Hamilton's grid penalty not confirmed

But it is all but confirmed. It'll be three places. Could make things interesting. Or more interesting at least. Mercedes have had problem in traffic here in the past couple of years and the track temperature is a fair bit higher than it was yesterday. 

Here are the raw pace rankings from qualifying yesterday

As well as last year's time in brackets. These are in relative terms, rather than absolute. So 100.000% represents the quickest time in qualifying. So a lower score in 2020 is preferable. 

  1. MERC    100.000% (100.411%)
  2. RBR    100.855% (100.692%)
  3. MCLAREN    101.092% (101.740%)
  4. RACING POINT    101.463% (102.835%)
  5. FER    101.563%    (100.000%)
  6. RENAULT   101.722%   (102.401%) 
  7. ALPHATAURI    102.170%   (102.638%)
  8.  HAAS    102.784% (101.697%)
  9. WILLIAMS    103.540%  (104.605%)
  10. ALFA ROMEO    103.553% (101.671%)

Amazing to think how far Ferrari have fallen back.  

Verstappen not taking a knee at the start

I don't think him and Leclerc will be the only ones. 

Here are the final times after qualifying, by the way

  1. Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Mercedes GP 1min 02.939secs
  2. Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:02.951
  3. Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 1:03.477
  4. Lando Norris (Gbr) McLaren 1:03.626
  5. Alexander Albon (Tha) Red Bull 1:03.868
  6. Sergio Perez (Mex) Racing Point 1:03.868
  7. Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari 1:03.923
  8. Carlos Sainz (Spa) McLaren 1:03.971
  9. Lance Stroll (Can) Racing Point 1:04.029
  10. Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) Renault 1:04.239
  11. Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Ferrari Ferrari 1:04.206
  12. Pierre Gasly (Fra) Scuderia Alpha Tauri 1:04.305
  13. Daniil Kyvat (Rus) Scuderia Alpha Tauri 1:04.431
  14. Esteban Ocon (Fra) Renault 1:04.643
  15. Romain Grosjean (Fra) Haas F1 1:04.691
  16. Kevin Magnussen (Den) Haas F1 1:05.164
  17. George Russell (Gbr) Williams 1:05.167
  18. Antonio Giovinazzi (Ita) Alfa Romeo Racing 1:05.175
  19. Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Alfa Romeo Racing 1:05.224
  20. Nicholas Latifi (Can) Williams 1:05.757

Strong "Hamilton starting in fifth" vibes here...

Actually, Hamilton could lose his second Q3 time

Here is the video of the incident. On looking at it you'd say that it's pretty cut and dry if the telemetry does not show Hamilton lifting off. He doesn't appear to lift off in the video. 

Sky Sports F1's Jenson Button and Martin Brundle think that's a penalty for Hamilton

Christian Horner would agree. Will be interesting to see what happens. Absolute maximum would be a three-place grid drop but it would ensure the season kicks off with a bit of spice. 

Leclerc confirms he will NOT take a knee before the race

Drama! Hamilton summoned to the stewards 

Red bull lodged a protest quite late on here...

 We thought this issue was resolved yesterday but Red Bull think not. 

Good afternoon F1 fans

And welcome to our coverage for the Austrian Grand Prix. 

It is only a matter of just over an hour before the lights go out for the 2020 F1 season, after 200-odd days and seven months. And, also it has been nearly four months since the Australian Grand Prix was abandoned, a few hours before first practice was due to start. Anyway, F1 has done a fantastic job to get the action back underway in July, whatever their mistakes earlier on, so well done to them. 

Has the excitement for the new season been dampened a little by what looks like more crushing Mercedes dominance? It is difficult to say that it has not, from my perspective at least. The Silver (now black) Arrows were in a league of their own in qualifying yesterday, with Valtteri Bottas pipping Lewis Hamilton to pole position by just 0.012s. The best placed non-Mercedes car was Max Verstappen's Red Bull, who was over half a second off. 

Credit: Mark Thompson/Pool via REUTERS

Perhaps the upside to yesterday's action was that the midfield is very close indeed — and that Ferrari have found their way into that, somehow, qualifying in seventh and 11th, with Sebastian Vettel not even making it into Q3. Lando Norris's McLaren in fourth split the Red Bulls of Verstappen and Alexander Albon (who again was miles away from his team-mate), whilst the Racing Points showed good pace in placing sixth and ninth. 

The hope will be that there will be a close fight between the Mercedes and that Verstappen can somehow find enough pace to challenge for the win. The upside is that Verstappen will start on the medium compound tyres, whereas the Mercedes start on the soft tyres, which means a differential strategy. Fingers crossed that makes the race interesting. 

On yesterday's running, we have one team clearly at the front, Mercedes, six teams in the middle (Red Bull, McLaren, Racing Point, Renault and Ferrari) and then three teams at the back, Haas, Alfa Romeo and Williams. There was some encouragement for Williams, though, as George Russell narrowly missed out on Williams' first Q2 appearance since 2018, which is a great jump forwards from where they were in 2019. Is there an outside chance of points today? Maybe. 

As ever, I'll be here for the next few hours for all the build-up, live updates and reaction and analysis from the Austrian Grand Prix.