Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes won the opening Grand Prix of the 2020 Formula 1 season in Austria, as teammate Lewis Hamilton was penalized for a collision and relegated off the podium to fourth.
Hamilton, the six-time champion was given a five-second penalty during the race and was demoted to fourth behind Charles Leclerc, who brought his Ferrari home second and Briton Lando Norris who claimed his maiden podium for McLaren.
Hamilton hit with a late pre-race grid penalty that dropped him from second to fifth as he clashed with Red Bull’s Alex Albon in the final laps.
Pierre Gasly was sixth for Alpha Tauri and Esteban Ocon eighth on his return to racing with Renault ahead of Antonio Giovinazzi of Alfa Romeo and Sebastian Vettel, the four-time champion in his final season at Ferrari, finishing 10th.
Before the race even started, there was drama when six of the 20 drivers opted against taking a knee to protest against racism.
Hamilton wore a Black Lives Matter t-shirt, while other drivers, who all lined up with him at the front of the grid, sported black tops saying “End Racism.”