F1: Rosberg eases to Austrian GP victory
June 21, 2015
Nico Rosberg won the Austrian Grand Prix ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton on Sunday, in Mercedes' first one-two finish of the season.
Hamilton had started in pole position but was beaten into the first corner by the determined German, who took an aggressive inside line and never looked back. Any hopes of a thrilling chase to the finish between the two were dashed when the double world champion, who finished 3.8 seconds behind, collected a five-second penalty for a pit lane infringement on lap 35.
Brazilian Felipe Massa finished a distant third - 17 seconds off the pace - for Williams after holding off Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, who had lost crucial seconds on his one pit stop when the wheel gun jammed on his right rear tire.
Vettel's team mate Kimi Raikkonen and McLaren's Fernando Alonso collided and crashed into the barriers at the second corner of the first lap, bringing out the safety car for five laps as the wreckage was removed. Both drivers were unhurt and walked away, shaken but not injured. By the end of the race, only 14 cars saw the checkered flag after a number of retirements.
After eight of the 19 races, Hamilton's overall championship lead has now been cut to 10 points after Rosberg's third wind of the season, one that came a day after the German celebrated his 30th birthday.
jh/sms (Reuters, AP)