Hamilton sees F1 lead cutposted in F121 | 06 | 2015
LEWIS HAMILTON SAW his lead in the race for the Formula One World Championship reduced to 10 points as Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg dominated the Austrian Grand Prix.
Starting alongside polesitter Hamilton, Rosberg led into the first corner after diving down the inside, and was never headed.
The German's biggest concern came late in the race when his car suffered tyre vibrations in the closing stages. It was Rosberg's third win of the year.
Hamilton held on to second, despite having a five-second penalty added to his overall time for crossing the white line at the pitlane exit after his sole pitstop. Williams driver Felipe Massa bagged his first podium of the year, finishing one position ahead of the Ferrari of fourth-placed Sebastian Vettel.
The race rapidly became a processional, uninspiring grand prix. The main incident happened on the opening lap when Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen made contact exiting Turn 2, sending both into the barriers and out of the race.
Alonso had nowhere to go after placing his McLaren on the outside of the Finn's Ferrari which, after Raikkonen's car had a big tank-slapper on the exit, it snapped back to outside, collecting the Spaniard in the process.
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Scarily, Alonso's car vaulted the Ferrari as they came to rest against the outside barrier. Thankfully though, both drivers walked away from the crash.
McLaren's woes continued when Jenson Button retired for the second race in succession.
But there was no doubt who the happiest man in Austria was.
"I had a good start and then good pace in the race. That's what I'm most happy about," Rosberg said after controlling the race. "I think I have found what I needed to find last year in terms of in the races, and that's what is really working out for me this year.
"As for my concerns over the closing laps, it was just vibrations picking up on the right front. I was just telling them to keep an eye on it, but it was fine in the end. It just came from tyre wear."
Hamilton meanwhile questioned his five-second penalty, despite TV evidence confirming he did run over the white lines with his nearside wheels.
"I don't think I went over anything, to be honest," he said, before explaining he believed a technical issue contributed to him losing the lead at the start.
"I had a problem with the revs," Hamilton continued. "I took my foot off the gas and the throttle was still on. It was not the best way to start the race but it is something we will work on to improve on my side of the garage."
F1 Austrian Grand Prix — Result:
1. Nico Rosberg GER Mercedes-Mercedes 71 laps 1hr 30m 16.930s
2. Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes-Mercedes +8.8s
3. Felipe Massa BRZ Williams-Mercedes +17.5s
4. Sebastian Vettel GER Ferrari-Ferrari +18.1s
5. Valtteri Bottas FIN Williams-Mercedes +53.6s
6. Nico Hulkenberg GER Force India-Mercedes +64.0s
7. Pastor Maldonado VEN Lotus-Mercedes +1 lap
8. Max Verstappen NED Toro Rosso-Renault +1 lap
9. Sergio Perez MEX Force India-Mercedes +1 lap
10. Daniel Ricciardo AUS Red Bull-Renault +1 lap11. Felipe Nasr BRZ Sauber-Ferrari +1 lap
12. Daniil Kvyat RUS Red Bull-Renault +1 lap
13. Marcus Ericsson SWE Sauber-Ferrari +2 laps
14. Roberto Merhi ESP Manor-Ferrari +3 laps
Not Classified
Rtd. Romain Grosjean FRA Lotus-Mercedes 35 laps completed
Rtd. Carlos Sainz Jr ESP Toro Rosso-Renault 35 laps completed
Rtd. Jenson Button GBR McLaren-Honda 8 laps completed
Rtd. Will Stevens GBR Manor-Ferrari 1 lap completed
Rtd. Kimi Raikkonen FIN Ferrari-Ferrari 0 laps completed
Rtd. Fernando Alonso ESP McLaren-Honda 0 laps completed
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Jim McGill