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Bottas zeroes in on title challenge as Vettel edges away from Hamilton
Valtteri Bottas held off a late charge from Sebastian Vettel to win the Austrian Grand Prix and close the gap to the championship's top two.
Valtteri Bottas continued his push to make the Formula One drivers' title race a three-way fight with victory at the Austrian Grand Prix as Sebastian Vettel extended his championship lead over Lewis Hamilton.
Bottas closed the gap to Vettel and Hamilton, taking second place Azerbaijan, and he further trimmed their respective advantages at the Red Bull Ring, though he had to hold off a late push from the Ferrari man in the final three laps.
It provided a tense ending on a day in which the Finn had looked in complete control, despite being investigated for a suspected jump start, while Daniel Ricciardo successfully fended off a final charge from Hamilton to take third for his fifth podium finish in succession.
Hamilton now finds himself 20 points adrift of Vettel and only 15 clear of Bottas, whose second F1 victory puts him firmly in place for a title tilt.
Hamilton faced an uphill battle as a gearbox change incurred a five-place grid penalty that resulted in him starting eighth.
Rear-end issues meant the three-time champion – who still managed to break the record lap time – could only guide his car to fourth.
While Ricciardo's position gave Red Bull reason to celebrate at their home circuit, a fifth retirement in seven races for Max Verstappen will provide further cause for concern.