There’s no doubt that Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel are the faces of this F1 season; however, Valtteri Bottas and Daniel Ricciardo proved in the Austrian Grand Prix that the underdogs shouldn’t be counted out.
Indeed, as the less praised members of their teams, it’s easy to forget how capable Bottas and Ricciardo are. Fortunately, sports betting fans were reminded of their talent as they thrilled online betting in a somewhat eventful race at the Red Bull Ring.
Bottas led from start to finish, never relinquishing his advantage despite an intense fightback from eventual second-placer Vettel. The Finn even had a perfect start – so good that even the German ace and Ricciardo questioned if he made a jump start.
Of course, Vettel didn’t make it easy for the pole leader, managing to reduce the gap to less than two seconds in the closing stages. He was just 1.1 seconds behind Bottas in the last three laps, but he never made it close enough to attack and overtake.
Red Bull’s Ricciardo, meanwhile, snatched the third as he held off a late charge from Hamilton who started from eighth on the grid – no thanks to his five-place grid penalty caused by an unauthorised gearbox change.
Hamilton capitalised on the early chaos – which sent Max Verstappen spinning out – and rocketed ahead into fifth. He eventually surpassed Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen for fourth, but Ricciardo managed his lead well to deny the Brit star a podium finish.
It didn’t also help Hamilton that his car slipped out of shape on the penultimate lap due to his heavily-blistered set of ultra-soft tyres.
The win is just Bottas’ second Formula 1 victory, adding to his Russian Grand Prix win last April. Moreover, he is now just 15 points behind his teammate Hamilton and in contention for the world championship.
For Ricciardo, this fifth consecutive podium marks his best run in the sport, an impressive feat after winning the “Bonkers Baku” race last month.
On the other hand, Ferrari will still be happy with the result even though their other driver, Raikkonen, ended in fifth despite starting third. After all, their lead driver, Vettel, not only made his first-ever runner-up finish in Austria but also extended his lead at the top to 20 points over Hamilton.
Next stop is the British Grand Prix where Hamilton will look to take advantage of home court and make his disappointing week a distant memory. Nonetheless, with how things are shaping up, it certainly won’t be easy.
For the latest sports update, promotions and betting picks with SBOBET get social with our official Twitter, Google+, YouTube and Facebook accounts. Visit SBOBET and join us now. Start placing your bets today!
Click for more motor sports betting options.
