The 2017 Formula One season heads to Austria this weekend as Australian Daniel Ricciardo attempts to back up his great win in the last Grand Prix in Azerbaijan two weeks ago. The Red Bull Ring in Spielberg will be the site for the 2017 Austrian Grand Prix with the race to get underway at 10pm on Sunday night.
Daniel Ricciardo was a surprise winner in the Azerbaijan GP after Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel and then leader Lewis Hamilton collided in the middle parts of the race. Vettel was charged with a 10 second penalty for dangerous driving while Hamilton was forced into pit lane to replace a damaged head rest from the collision. That allowed Ricciardo to stroll through to the finish line to claim his 5th Formula One victory and helped us win our Ricciardo to podium tip at a handy $6.
With Vettel and Hamilton finishing 4th and 5th respectively, Ricciardo and Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas were able to pick up some ground in the driver standings, breathing some life back into the championship with 12 races to go.
The drama between Vettel and Hamilton also adds fuel to the championship fire. With Vettel currently in the lead by 14 points, a win in Austria for Hamilton could see the Brit overtake Vettel on the standings.
It’s been a tumultuous season for Bed Bull driver Max Verstappen so far. The Dutch youngster has been forced to retire on four occasions already, however, when he has managed to stay in the car he hasn’t seen a finish lower than 5th place. The Austrian GP was one of Verstappen’s five podium finishes last year so he obviously knows the course quite well. If he’s able to stay in the car we think a podium finish isn’t out of the question here.
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Kimi Raikkonen is also a driver who has had success in Austria in recent history. The Ferrari driver claimed one of his three podium finishes at the Red Bull Ring last year and comes into the 2017 edition after a disappointing 14th finish in Baku. The top two spots on the podium will likely be filled by the Vettel-Hamilton combo but we think of all the field, Verstappen and Raikkonen have the ability to snatch that bottom step.
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Since the Austrian GP’s return to the Formula One calendar in 2014. Lewis Hamilton hasn’t finished lower than second in his three starts. He capped off his dominant performance with a win in last year’s Austrian GP, which would be the first in a streak of four victories. He also recorded the fastest lap time in last year’s race and should be fired up after being robbed of a victory in Baku.
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