Nico Rosberg, who started the race from third in the grid, managed to hold off Lewis Hamilton, to take the checkered flag on the circuit at Spielberg, increasing his lead over his Mercedes team-mate at the top of the drivers' standings to 29 points. This was Rosberg's third Grand Prix win this season and the sixth of his career.

Williams driver Valtteri Bottas of Finland came in third for his first ever appearance on the podium. His team-mate, Felipe Massa, who had started from the pole position, came in fourth.

"It wasn't the easiest of races, trying to manage certain things happening, but I had a very very fast car again but it is great to win again," Rosberg said on the winners' podium after the race.

"It was also great to get another one-two. It's great to be back in Austria, it's great to have a race here again and the fans have been fantastic," he added, referring to the fact that this was the first Grand Prix race in the Alpine republic in more than a decade.

The 1-2 finish also increased Mercedes total points in the constructors' standings to 301 points, more than double that of second-place Red Bull on 143 points.

Woe is Vettel

There was more bad news for Germany's four-time drivers' champion, Sebastian Vettel. The Red Bull driver, who had started from 12th in the grid, had a mechanical problem on the second lap, telling his team the car had lost drive.

"Okay, for some reason I got drive again," the 26-year-old Vettel then reported over the team radio after crawling along and dropping to last place.

He then had to head to the pits on lap 30 for a new front wing after making contact with the rear of Esteban Gutierrez' Sauber. Stewards were investigating that incident. Five laps later, at the mid-point of the race, the Red Bull team instructed him to return to the pits and retire.

pfd/jm (AFP, dpa, Reuters)