2018 Austrian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Max Verstappen gave Red Bull Racing its first home victory at the 2018 Austrian Grand Prix as both Mercedes cars retired. The Red Bull Ring produced a race of changing fortunes, with Ferrari taking the other podium places and Sebastian Vettel reclaiming the championship lead.

Pole position
Driver	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes
Time	1:03.130
Fastest lap
Driver	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari
Time	1:06.957 on lap 71
Podium
First	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing
Second	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari
Third	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
29 June 2018	Practice 1	11:00 – 12:30
29 June 2018	Practice 2	15:00 – 16:30
30 June 2018	Practice 3	12:00 – 13:00
30 June 2018	Qualifying	15:00 – 16:00
1 July 2018	Race	15:10

All times are local (UTC+02:00). The race time is the scheduled start.

Championship background

Lewis Hamilton led Vettel by 14 points after France. Austria was the second race of the triple-header, and Mercedes arrived looking especially strong after a front-row lockout and victory at the previous round.

Race entries

Robert Kubica took Sergey Sirotkin‘s Williams for FP1 before the regular race line-up resumed. The Red Bull Ring featured three DRS zones, adding another factor to the close battles on its short lap.

Free Practice

Lewis Hamilton led FP1 with a 1:04.839, followed by Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen. Mercedes began the weekend at the top of the times.

Hamilton remained fastest in FP2, recording 1:04.579 ahead of Bottas and Sebastian Vettel. The leading teams were closely grouped as they assessed their race pace.

Vettel edged Hamilton in FP3 with a 1:04.070, only 0.029 seconds ahead. Bottas was third, keeping Ferrari and Mercedes tightly matched before qualifying.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2018 Austrian Grand Prix FP1, 29 June 2018

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:04.839	39
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.127s	39
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.233s	42
4	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.341s	29
5	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+0.644s	22
6	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.937s	31
7	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+1.189s	31
8	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	+1.216s	40
9	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	+1.376s	31
10	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	+1.555s	36
11	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+1.561s	32
12	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+1.565s	23
13	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	+1.588s	29
14	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+1.616s	42
15	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+1.640s	35
16	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	+1.728s	32
17	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+1.773s	30
18	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	+1.859s	30
19	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	+2.032s	45
20	40	Robert Kubica	Williams	+2.585s	38

Free Practice 2 Classification

2018 Austrian Grand Prix FP2, 29 June 2018

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:04.579	37
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.176s	42
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.236s	53
4	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+0.452s	48
5	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.546s	48
6	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.686s	42
7	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+0.850s	38
8	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+0.980s	41
9	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	+1.179s	31
10	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	+1.351s	47
11	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	+1.420s	38
12	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	+1.517s	30
13	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	+1.554s	43
14	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+1.620s	29
15	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+1.694s	42
16	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	+1.747s	49
17	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	+1.753s	55
18	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+1.775s	48
19	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+1.850s	33
20	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	+2.047s	44

Free Practice 3 Classification

2018 Austrian Grand Prix FP3, 30 June 2018

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:04.070	22
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.029s	24
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.134s	24
4	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.400s	22
5	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.721s	14
6	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+0.821s	18
7	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+0.846s	17
8	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+0.943s	16
9	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	+1.016s	22
10	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	+1.149s	25
11	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+1.158s	19
12	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	+1.194s	25
13	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	+1.374s	21
14	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+1.378s	19
15	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+1.432s	24
16	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+1.629s	27
17	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	+1.635s	23
18	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	+1.767s	16
19	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	+1.959s	23
20	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	+2.248s	22

Qualifying

Valtteri Bottas secured pole with a 1:03.130, beating Lewis Hamilton by 0.019 seconds. Sebastian Vettel was third fastest but received a three-place penalty for impeding Carlos Sainz in Q2.

Kimi Räikkönen moved up to third on the grid, with Max Verstappen and Romain Grosjean also benefiting. Fernando Alonso had to start from the pit lane after specification changes, while Charles Leclerc and Brendon Hartley carried further penalties.

Qualifying Classification

2018 Austrian Grand Prix Qualifying, 30 June 2018

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:04.175	1:03.756	1:03.130	18
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:04.080	1:03.577	1:03.149	21
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:04.347	1:03.544	1:03.464	18
4	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:04.234	1:03.975	1:03.660	21
5	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:04.273	1:04.001	1:03.840	18
6	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	1:04.242	1:04.059	1:03.892	17
7	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	1:04.723	1:04.403	1:03.996	22
8	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	1:04.460	1:04.291	1:04.051	20
9	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	1:04.948	1:04.561	1:04.725	19
10	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	1:04.864	1:04.676	1:05.019	20
11	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	1:05.148	1:04.845	—	19
12	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	1:05.011	1:04.874	—	16
13	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	1:04.967	1:04.979	—	19
14	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	1:04.965	1:05.058	—	17
15	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	1:05.264	1:05.286	—	17
16	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	1:05.271	—	—	9
17	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	1:05.279	—	—	11
18	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	1:05.322	—	—	10
19	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	1:05.366	—	—	11
20	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	1:05.479	—	—	11

Sebastian Vettel received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Carlos Sainz in Q2.

Charles Leclerc received a five-place grid penalty for an unscheduled gearbox change.

Fernando Alonso required to start from the pit lane for changing to a new specification of front wing assembly and a new MGU-K.

Brendon Hartley received a 35-place grid penalty for exceeding his quota of power unit components.

What happened in the 2018 Austrian Grand Prix?

Lewis Hamilton took the lead at the start as Valtteri Bottas lost ground before fighting back into second. Max Verstappen moved ahead of Kimi Räikkönen, establishing himself as the leading challenger to Mercedes.

Bottas retired with a hydraulic problem, bringing a virtual safety car. Ferrari and Red Bull Racing stopped their cars, but Mercedes left Hamilton out. The decision cost Hamilton track position when he later made his stop under racing conditions.

Verstappen inherited the lead and managed his tyres as the cars behind encountered blistering. Vettel passed Hamilton, while Daniel Ricciardo‘s race eventually ended with an exhaust problem.

Hamilton required another tyre stop and then retired with a fuel-pressure problem, completing a rare double mechanical retirement for Mercedes. Verstappen kept the Ferraris behind and won, with Räikkönen second and Vettel third.

Romain Grosjean scored his first points of the season in fourth, ahead of Kevin Magnussen in a superb result for Haas. Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez followed, with Alonso recovering from the pit lane to eighth. Leclerc and Marcus Ericsson completed a double-points finish for Sauber.

Vettel moved one point ahead of Hamilton and Ferrari also regained the constructors’ lead. Verstappen’s first victory of the season delighted the many Dutch supporters and gave Red Bull Racing a long-awaited success at its own circuit.

2018 Austrian Grand Prix race results

The 2018 Austrian Grand Prix was held on 1 July 2018, with a scheduled start of 15:10 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	71	1:21:56.024	25
2	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	71	+1.504s	18
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	71	+3.181s	15
4	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	70	+1 lap	12
5	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	70	+1 lap	10
6	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	70	+1 lap	8
7	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	70	+1 lap	6
8	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	70	+1 lap	4
9	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	70	+1 lap	2
10	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	70	+1 lap	1
11	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	70	+1 lap	0
12	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	70	+1 lap	0
13	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	69	+2 laps	0
14	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	69	+2 laps	0
15	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	65	Collision damage	0
Ret	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	62	Fuel pressure	0
Ret	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	54	Hydraulics	0
Ret	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	53	Exhaust	0
Ret	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	13	Hydraulics	0
Ret	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	11	Engine	0

Lance Stroll originally finished 13th, but had 10 seconds added to his race time for ignoring blue flags.

Stoffel Vandoorne retired from the race, but was classified as he completed more than 90% of the race distance.

2018 Austrian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	71	16:34:41	1:06.957	232.160
2	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	67	16:30:13	1:07.082	231.728
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	58	16:20:26	1:07.241	231.180
4	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	70	16:33:31	1:07.442	230.491
5	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	46	16:06:48	1:07.591	229.983
6	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	67	16:32:04	1:08.216	227.876
7	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	70	16:35:02	1:08.476	227.010
8	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	66	16:30:30	1:08.504	226.918
9	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	69	16:34:20	1:08.661	226.399
10	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	37	15:57:27	1:08.766	226.053
11	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	64	16:28:16	1:08.850	225.777
12	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	63	16:28:58	1:08.894	225.633
13	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	64	16:29:27	1:08.971	225.381
14	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	68	16:33:15	1:09.006	225.267
15	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	12	15:26:40	1:09.044	225.143
16	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	17	15:33:30	1:09.071	225.055
17	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	42	16:02:57	1:09.171	224.730
18	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	68	16:33:58	1:09.203	224.626
19	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	38	15:58:15	1:09.295	224.327
20	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	7	15:21:07	1:10.380	220.869

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear in this table. Time of Day is local time; average speeds are in km/h. No championship point was awarded for fastest lap in 2018.

2018 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings for drivers and teams after the 2018 Austrian Grand Prix.

2018 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Sebastian Vettel	GER	Ferrari	146
2	Lewis Hamilton	GBR	Mercedes	145
3	Kimi Räikkönen	FIN	Ferrari	101
4	Daniel Ricciardo	AUS	Red Bull Racing	96
5	Max Verstappen	NED	Red Bull Racing	93
6	Valtteri Bottas	FIN	Mercedes	92
7	Kevin Magnussen	DEN	Haas	37
8	Fernando Alonso	ESP	McLaren	36
9	Nico Hulkenberg	GER	Renault	34
10	Carlos Sainz	ESP	Renault	28
11	Sergio Perez	MEX	Force India	23
12	Esteban Ocon	FRA	Force India	19
13	Pierre Gasly	FRA	Toro Rosso	18
14	Charles Leclerc	MON	Sauber	13
15	Romain Grosjean	FRA	Haas	12
16	Stoffel Vandoorne	BEL	McLaren	8
17	Lance Stroll	CAN	Williams	4
18	Marcus Ericsson	SWE	Sauber	3
19	Brendon Hartley	NZL	Toro Rosso	1
20	Sergey Sirotkin	RUS	Williams	0

2018 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	247
2	Mercedes	237
3	Red Bull Racing	189
4	Renault	62
5	Haas	49
6	McLaren	44
7	Force India	42
8	Toro Rosso	19
9	Sauber	16
10	Williams	4

2018 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2018 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	25 March
2	2018 Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	8 April
3	2018 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	15 April
4	2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix	Baku City Circuit, Baku	29 April
5	2018 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Montmeló	13 May
6	2018 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	27 May
7	2018 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	10 June
8	2018 French Grand Prix	Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet	24 June
9	2018 Austrian Grand Prix	Red Bull Ring, Spielberg	1 July
10	2018 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	8 July
11	2018 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	22 July
12	2018 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	29 July
13	2018 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	26 August
14	2018 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza	2 September
15	2018 Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore	16 September
16	2018 Russian Grand Prix	Sochi Autodrom, Sochi	30 September
17	2018 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	7 October
18	2018 United States Grand Prix	Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas	21 October
19	2018 Mexican Grand Prix	Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City	28 October
20	2018 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	11 November
21	2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix	Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi	25 November