Coming into the Russian Grand Prix, all the talk around the paddock and the press was how this track was a Mercedes strong hold where both Lewis Hamilton and Valterri Bottas have performed extremely well and no other racing team has ever won a Formula 1 race here. If you look at the end results without watching the race you will see Lewis Hamilton won and Bottas finished 5th, but that all happened with 2-3 laps left in the race. The F1 gods thought it would be funny to sprinkle some rain in the forecast right at the end just to add to this already incredible Formula One season.
Here’s how the race played out.
We have to start with Mclaren and Lando Norris. Norris qualified for the Pole Position for the first time in his young career, just 2 weeks after getting his best result in Monza, P2. After getting a great start off the line, Carlos Sainz caught a slip-stream and got past Lando on the first turn and held the lead for only about 13 laps before Lando was able to make a move and pass Sainz and regain the lead. Lando played the position on race leader brilliantly as he held off a surging 7-time world champion all the way up until the rain started to fall.
Bottas was the first driver to pit and put on the wet tires on lap 47 of 53 with Verstappen, with Ricciardo following suit shortly after, and then the rest of the field. The only 2 drivers that remained out on the track were Lando and Hamilton. McLarens’ strategy was to talk to their driver and see how he felt the track was, rather to inform him of impending rain coming. Norris (who was 3 laps away from his 1st career win in F1) was adamant that he could stay out there and win the race. Mercedes informed Lewis of the rain coming and Hamilton stayed out on the track for 1 more lap, but a second call on the radio made it clear that conditions were about to get worse. The reigning 7-time world champ decided it best to go in to the pits and put on the wet tires.
Hamilton immediately made up tons of time on Lando as the rest leader. At this point, Lando realized he made a mistake and was slipping all over the track before he eventually made his way into the pits. Unfortunately for the youngster, it was too little too late at that point. Norris did manage to salvage some points finishing in 6th place, but it was devastating for him to have his 1st victory so close and in a race where he drove his ass off to hold of Lewis once he made his way behind him.
The team should have been more firm with their young driver and instructed him to come in sooner because of the rain. And it has to be tough to be in the lead and decide to pit ahead of Lewis Hamilton in those conditions. Hopefully the team learns from this and communicates better because it cost Lando his 1st win. And as one driver’s hopes of their 1st victory were crushed at the end, Lewis Hamilton secured his all-time leading 100th career Grand Prix victory. We will touch on this in it’s own blog shortly.
Max Verstappen came into the race at the back of the grid because he and the Red Bull team decided to change his power unit this weekend because he was already facing a 3-place penalty for that little incident in Italy. That coupled with the fact that Mercedes has always dominated in Sochi they figured now is as good a time as any if they were going to have to change it anyway. Fortunately for Verstappen, the chaos that happened with a few laps to remain (and his decision to change to wet tires when he did) shot him up all the way back to finish the race in P2 and limit the damage in the championship battle against Hamilton. He did lose his lead but is only trailing Lewis by 2 points when for a while it was looking like it could have been a bigger gap.
Sergio Perez, Verstappens teammate at Red Bull, was being called upon to pick up the slack for the team in the Constructors Championship with Max starting in the back of the grid, but only managed to finished in 9th behind both Mercedes drivers (Bottas finished 5th) and even worse behind his teammate who started dead last.
Up next for the Formula One season will be in 2 weeks on October 10th when they head to Istanbul Park for the Turkish Grand Prix where last years race was won by Lewis Hamilton by over 30 seconds. Hamilton and Mercedes have a difficult decision to make because Hamilton is going to have to change his power unit soon and still try to hold on to a chance of beating Max Verstappen for the Drivers Championship. The luck that Verstappen had this weekend with changing his engine and still coming in 2nd is not likely to repeat itself.
This season just keeps getting better and better. 1st and 2nd place are only separated by 2 points after 15 races and it’s still anyone’s guess who could win. Young stars like Norris, Sainz, Russell, Gasly and Ocon have really shined all season long and if their futures are as bright as they seem to be, we as fans of Formula One, are in for a real treat for years to come.
Keep a look out for a Hamilton 100 wins blog and a preview post for the Turkish GP, until then go and follow us on the socials.