Bottas surged clear after lights out at the Red Bull Ring, prompting questions over the legality of his getaway from Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo, who finished second and third respectively.
The Finn came under the microscope of the race stewards but his reaction time of 0.201 seconds proved sufficient to avoid any punishment, and he was elated with how he began the race.
“I got the start of my life. I was really on it,” Bottas said during his post-race podium interview.
“I had a bit of deja vu from Russia at the end, Vettel was catching up but the problem was I had a massive blister.
“At the beginning I could control the race but it was trickier towards the end. I’m really happy, it’s only the second win in my career.”
Although the Finn’s start was found to be legal, four-time champion Vettel was unconvinced.
“I was pretty sure [Bottas] jumped it,” said the German.
Bottas is now 15 points behind Lewis Hamilton – who finished fourth – in the drivers’ standings and 35 adrift of Vettel.
On his chances of maintaining a title challenge, Bottas said: “It’s still a long year ahead, we’re not even halfway. It’s early days and we’re still developing as a team.”
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