GPI 2017 Austrian Grand Prix | Page 90

RACE REPORT Blow-By-Blow Bottas got away best at the start, but so good was his getaway that there was the suspicion the Finn had jumped the start. Further back Verstappen made the poorest start, bogging down badly when the lights went out. He was swamped by rivals and dropped back to where 14th-place starter Alonso was profiting from taking an inside line. The Spaniard was followed by Kvyat but as they went into Turn 1, Kvyat braked too late and collided with Alonso who in turn hit Verstappen. The McLaren and Red Bull sustained significant damage and though both made it back to the pits they were forced to quit the race. Kvyat was later handed a drive through penalty for causing the collision. Ahead Ricciardo, who had made a good start, was on the attack. He pressured Raikkonen into Turn 3 and stole third place from the Finn. Pushed wide, Raikkonen was also passed by Grosjean in the Haas, although he bounced back and passed the Frenchman on the next lap. Bottas meanwhile was carving out a solid lead. By lap 17 the Finn had built a five-second to Vettel, with Ricciardo a further 3.5 seconds back. Raikkonen was fourth but he was being hunted down relentlessly by Hamilton, who had risen to fifth place from eighth on the grid.