Hamilton wins the first Styrian Grand Prix

Double win for Mercedes, Max Verstappen takes first points of season in third

For the second time in a week, the fastest drivers in the world battled it out in thrilling style over 71 laps at the Red Bull Ring. Just like in qualifying the day before, the reigning World Champion was unbeatable in the race. Lewis Hamilton took the win at the first ever Styrian Grand Prix ahead of his team-mate Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing). The second Red Bull Racing driver, Alex Albon, finished fourth to also claim important points for the Austrian team

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New lap record, early exit for Ferraris

The two Ferrari drivers didn‘t have such a good afternoon on Sunday – both Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc, who had been on the podium last week, had to abandon their cars in the pits after just a few laps. While Hamilton breezed to a comfortable win, another driver set a new standard towards the end of the race. Spain’s Carlos Sainz (McLaren) recorded the fastest ever lap at the Red Bull Ring with a time of 1:05.619 minutes.

The second installment of the F1 season opener in Austria therefore had a successful end. Despite the challenging circumstances, the elite racing series has made a thoroughly successful start to its season during its two week stay in Austria. The FIA and the Formula 1 Group expressed their gratitude at the end of the race in front of the eyes of the international sporting world with ‘Danke Spielberg’ written on banners along the racing circuit.

Views on the Formula 1 Pirelli Großer Preis der Steiermark 2020

Lewis Hamilton (GBR / Mercedes): “It has been a crazy year so far. It‘s fantastic that we put in this kind of performance. We had the perfect strategy. I tried to keep away from the kerbs. As far as I‘m concerned, we could race every weekend. I like it!”

Valtteri Bottas (FIN / Mercedes): “If Lewis has the pole and makes a good start, that’s it. He didn’t make any mistakes. My second position was a matter of damage limitation. I had some battles with Max. It was a real race and that is always fun!”

Max Verstappen (NED / Red Bull Racing): “I really tried everything, but we were just too slow. We need more grip and more power! I had a few good battles with Valtteri, but otherwise the race was a bit boring for me. Getting on the podium is good, of course, but we still have a lot of work ahead of us!”

F1 premiere: Fans design interactive T10 stand

Andreas Gabalier sang his own version of the Sytrian regional anthem before the start to the race. During the race, fans had the first ever chance to influence a stand at the racing circuit in real time – in incredible style! 1,000 LED lights on the T10 stand at the start/finish curve at the Red Bull Ring reacted in real time during the Styrian Grand Prix to driver hashtags that were tweeted during the race. The appearance of the stand therefore changed during each lap. In the morning, F1 fans from across the whole world had already used the unique chance to greet their stars online again via the Virtual Styrian Green Carpet.

Side series: Home win for Lechner Racing

In the side series, Austrian teams and drivers were well represented again at the second Grand Prix weekend of 2020 at the Red Bull Ring. In the Formula 3 championship, Vienna’s Lukas Dunner finished 16th on Saturday after a crash in the rain and took 18th on Sunday in his second race of the weekend. Austrian team BWT Lechner Racing took a win in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, this time with Dylan Pereira (LUX). Moritz and Philipp Sager, the local father-son duo, finished 19th and 21st.