Formula One: Hamilton wins in Austria after final-lap tussle with Rosberg

Hamilton overtook Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg on the final lap to win the Austrian Grand Prix in dramatic and controversial fashion.

Mercedes could impose team orders for the remainder of this season after talking doesn’t seem to have curbed their drivers’ antics.

Championship leader Rosberg led at the start of the final lap at the Red Bull Ring, but ultimately finished fourth, having damaged his front wing when making contact with Hamilton as the Briton attempted a passing move at turn two.

“The race all-in-all was one of my best races”.

“But I forgive them”. I don’t know what that’s about. “I want to win, and all my energy and 100 per cent of my thought process is on that”.

“We will make the decision irrespective of what they (the drivers) say. My guys said he had something up with the brakes, maybe, I am not sure exactly what happened, I came back onto the track as quick as I could”.

“I was on racing line, he was on my blind side, I assumed he was there”.

“What an incredible race”, said Hamilton, amid the jeers. “We owe it to everyone watching. The fact is if they race as in Bahrain we love it. But collision of team-mates is a no-go for every team”.

It was not seen as such elsewhere.

The stewards examined video and telemetry, as well as hearing testimony from the two drivers, coming to the conclusion that Rosberg had not allowed Hamilton “racing room”.

The German denied culpability, however.

But Hamilton’s pit stop went a bit Pete Tong with a recalcitrant left rear and he ended up rejoining behind Rosberg, with both pitting within a lap of each other on lap 54/55 setting up the last lap denouement which resulted in Hamilton’s win and Rosberg’s fourth place. “I had no signs in the vehicle, big shame”. “I don’t need to take the ideal line, and I had Lewis on the outside and I wanted to keep him there. Great on brakes, and I got a really good exit”.

The pair’s relationship is already tense and with the championship finely balanced this will add further needle to the fight.

Whilst Rosberg blames Hamilton for turning in on him, Hamilton insists he went wide enough before taking the corner to avoid a crash, and therefore Rosberg should accept responsibility.

Despite the blame being laid at Rosberg’s door, Hamilton faced loud boos on the podium from a partisan Austrian crowd, with a large number of Germans among the thousands in attendance.

The German looked to be winning the strategic battle as the race wore on, but after switching to supersofts on lap 56, Hamilton began to loom large in his mirrors.

“As a team boss and team, the team want to finish 1-2, that is our goal and my goal, I want to be at the front of the 1-2, but certain circumstances have led us to where we are today”.