Summary
“Sorry guys [for the mistake on Lap 1], but thank you for an unbelievable car.” Rosberg is grateful for his second-placed finish, and it is testament to the machine Mercedes have built that the German was able to recover from that early-pit stop and come right through the field. Hamilton’s victory was essentially assured as soon as Rosberg made that mistake on turn one. Red Bull’s Team Principal Christian Horner shakes the hand of Mercedes’ Niki Lauder, Red Bull have finally relinquished their four-year grasp on the Constructors’ Championship. Lewis Hamilton punches the air as he gets out of his car.
Putin and Bernie are in some kind of reception room shaking hands. Russia’s president there for the glory. Course he is, flanked by six or seven Russian girls.
British national anthem plays out as Hamilton and Mercedes pick up their respective trophies. Congratulations to them both. Thanks for reading, see you next time!
The top 10 finishers in the inaugural #RussianGP, with @MercedesAMGF1 finishing first and second #F1 pic.twitter.com/XUJgcM8lze
— Formula1.com (@F1) October 12, 2014
Updated
Lewis Hamilton wins the first ever Russian GP! Mercedes win the Constructors' Championship!
Lap 53: That’s Mercedes first ever drivers’ title. “Awesome drive Lewis” say the team. “History in the making,” he responds.
Lewis Hamilton WINS the #RussianGP! We are 2014 #F1 #W05LDCHAMPIONS!! GET IN THERE!!! pic.twitter.com/kwveQIDHJE
— MERCEDES AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) October 12, 2014
Hamilton is now 17 points ahead of Rosberg, with three races left in the season.
Drivers’ championship: 1 HAM 291; 2 ROS 274; 3 RIC 199; 4 BOT 145; 5 VET 143; 6 ALO 141; 7 BUT 94; 8 HUL 76 http://t.co/Zkk98V3IL3 #F1
— Formula1.com (@F1) October 12, 2014
Updated
Lap 52: Ricciardo looks to have lost his battle with Alonso for sixth, despite being in a faster car. 0.9 seconds behind. Red Bull will be very disappointed with this race overall.
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Lap 51: It doesn’t look there’s going to be a whole load of over-taking, each place has a fairly comfortable buffer zone. Hamilton matches Senna in terms of the number of fastest laps.
Lap 50: Red Bull’s Christian Horner “Congratulations to the Mercedes team. They’ve been phenomenal this season. We’ll be fighting hard to take the title back next season.
Lap 49: Ricciardo: “I have to stay in the DRS zone, otherwise I’ll lose him” The Red Bull driver is chasing down Alonso in sixth.
Lap 49/53, and Bottas of @WilliamsRacing sets a new fastest lap as he hunts Rosberg of @MercedesAMGF1 #RussianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/kdoLQPaK9H
— Formula1.com (@F1) October 12, 2014
Updated
Lap 48: It’s stat time. Hamilton would match Nigel Mansall’s record for the number of race wins with this victory. Coulthard also has one for you: “Any man who has won four Grand Prixs in a row has never failed to win the drivers’ championship.”
Hamilton has just set ANOTHER fastest lap: 1min 41.6 seconds
Lap 47:
7 laps to go! Anyone else got sweaty palms?! #RussiaWithLove
— MERCEDES AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) October 12, 2014
I do! Fast typing is tough work on a Sunday.
Also, Koboyashi’s retirement was because “his brakes were overheating and it was too dangerous for him to carry on racing”.
Lap 46: Bottas is continuing to go quicker than Rosberg, but he might have run out of time to nab second. One mistake though, and the Finnish driver could break the one-two Mercedes monopoly. Bottas would move up to fourth in drivers championship if he hangs onto his third place.
Lap 45: “This is desperate. This is getting desperate.” Force India tell Perez. That’s in relation to his fuel consumption.
Lap 44: New fastest lap for Massa on the soft tyres. He’s still in 11th and can’t get past Perez at the moment.
Lap 43: 10 laps to go. Hamilton is 18 seconds ahead of Rosberg, and will take another step towards the drivers’ championship. He had a little lock up on turn 13 there, but it doesn’t matter. Button and Magnussen, in fourth and fifth, also look comfortable in their position, should hold it now.
Lap 42: Bottas is just under five seconds behind Rosberg, and is gaining on him. Can he clinch seconds. Button expecting to run to the end on his tyres.
Lap 41: Perez being told to look after his fuel. This season’s hybrid card have to use a third less fuel than last year, and some of the teams are struggling to finish the races on these harder circuits.
Lap 40: Gutierrez makes his stop, as expected. Meanwhile, Hamilton has just set a track record out front. His win is all but certain, barring any crashes.
Lap 39: Esteban Gutiérrez has one of the few drivers yet to make a stop. He’s going well in ninth, but is overtaken by Raikonnen. Looks like he’s going to make a stop. Nearly 40 laps on those softies!
“Do you think you can get these tyres through to the end of the race?” ask Mercedes.
Yes, yes, easy! Well not easy, but they feel good at the moment”, replies Rosberg.
Lap 38: Kvyat has been forced to make a pit stop. That lock-up has ruined his tyres and he’s getting far too many vibrations through the thin carbon seat he’s sitting in.
Lap 37: Kyvat is having a bit of a nightmare out there at the moment, trying to pass Hukenburg but locking up on that Turn One, where most of the overtaking in this race has occured. That’s bad news for his tyres and the Russian is forced wide, as Hulkenburg re-passes him to reclaim 14th.
Lap 36: Williams still believe Rosberg will make another stop, as Bottas chases down the German. It’s still unclear what Mercedes’ strategy will be here: apparently they’ve told Rosberg, they’re going to “Plan B”, whatever that means.
Lap 35: Perez and Massa (now 12th and 13th) manage to pass Kvyat, who has dropped to 14th. One went down the inside of the Russian, the other on the outside. 20 laps to go.
Felipe pushing PER & KVY now
— WILLIAMS RACING (@WilliamsRacing) October 12, 2014
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Lap 34: Red Bull’s Christain Horner is on the mic, talking to the commentators. “It’s not stellar at the moment. Bit of a Mercedes procession. It’s interesting to see hwo these tyres are working. Rosberg is showing zero degradation on those medium tyres, which is quite remarkable.” The two Red Bull racers back in seventh and eighth at the moment, certainly not the best race for them.
Lap 33: Grosjean has been given a five-second penalty for causing that near-crash with Sutil. I think that’s a bit harsh, he was just holding his ground, and it was Sutil that was being the aggressor!
Lap 32: “Rosberg is going to get deg. We’ll get him back”, the Williams team assure Bottas. Hmm, not sure that Rosberg is going to pit again?
Lap 31: Vettel comes into the pits. He’s moving onto the medium compound. Rosberg has moved past Bottas into second! Bottas was forced wide on turn one. Rosberg was able to open up the DRS and sneaked in on the inside. Bottas didn’t see him until very late, and to avoid crashing was forced wide. Mercedes now one and two.
Lap 31/53, and Rosberg has fought his way back to second, behind @MercedesAMGF1 team mate Hamilton #RussianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/n07u3O7NfF
— Formula1.com (@F1) October 12, 2014
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Lap 30: Rosberg is chasing down Bottas in third. Vettel, in second, is being told off for his fuel consumption. Will the German be able to make it all the way through the race on his soft tyres?
Lap 29: Caterham’s Kamui Kobayashi has had to retire, whilst Sutil has spun out on the first corner. He’s in 17th, but there’s no damage to his car and he’s OK to continue. Very nearly collided with Grosjean, who may have actually caused Sutil to spin.
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Lap 28: Hamilton makes his stop. From soft to medium tyres. He was 21 seconds ahead going into the pits and emerges still as the race leader. Hamilton is very relaxed, even adjusting his gloves as he comes back onto the track! Vettel is up to second, although he hasn’t made a stop yet.
Lap 28/53, and Kevin Magnussen of @McLarenF1 is the fastest man through the speed trap #RussianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/THcTyEztsV
— Formula1.com (@F1) October 12, 2014
Updated
Lap 27: We’re about at the half-way stage here. Rosberg is up into fourth and has just set a fastest lap. With Hamilton up front, this is looking increasingly encouraging for Mercedes. Constructors’ Championship surely in the bag.
Lap 26: Terrible stop from Ferrari. Over seven seconds, the front jackman didn’t do his job properly and Massa is now behind Button. Oh dear.
Lap 25: Alonso looks as though he’s going to pit. Struggling here.
Lap 24: It’s nearly a sell-out in Sochi by the way, the sport has definitely captured the imagination of the crowd.
Lap 23: The gap between Perez and Massa is about 0.8 seconds. They are still racing hard. Vergne is the latest to pit: going from a soft to medium tyre. Good stop of under three seconds! Very impressive! He’s still ahead of teammate Kvyat.
Lap 22: Hamilton is cruising out front on the softer tyres. “Most of the tyres are feeling really good. They’re not running off at all,” he says over the radio. Button meanwhile, has made a pit stop on the harder tyres. He comes back onto the track in ninth, behind Rosberg.
Updated
Lap 21: That battle between Massa and Perez has allowed Rosberg to pull clear of the duo in ninth. He’s now chasing down Raikonnen in eight. Kvyat has made his first pit stop, that should be his only one of the race.
Lap 20: Massa is chasing down Perez, who has just ceded his position to Rosberg.
Вы готовы к гонке #RussianGP? поддержать нас и Даниил... tweet with #GOTOROROSSO ;) #F1Sochi @SochiAutodrom #F1 pic.twitter.com/TZUPuA1nFP
— Toro Rosso (@ToroRossoSpy) October 12, 2014
Lap 19: Rosberg is 44 seconds behind Hamilton, he definitely won’t catch Hamilton. Two more teammates: Vettel (6th) and Ricciardo are 26 seconds apart, The Australian has already pitted remember.
Lap 18: Chilton is interviewed after retiring from the race. “It’s been a very difficult week for the team, but we’re done a good job to get running. Hopefully we’ve put on a good showing for Jules, it’s just a shame we couldn’t finish the race for him.”
Lap 17: Button is yet to make a stop. He’s still on the soft tyres. “How are the tyres?” the team ask. “Still the same”, he replies. Going well in third.
Lap 16: Bottas is actually quicker through the middle section of the lap. Hamilton is much quicker on the straight, which is just over 1km long. It’s brilliant to see Williams doing so well this season, last season getting any point on the grid was a bonus. Now they’re in the reckoning for a podium.
Lap 15: Two things have/will had/have a huge effect on the result today. The start of course, and how teams manage these tyres. Hamilton currenly has a lead over Bottas just over four seconds.
Lap 14: Mercedes on the radio telling Rosberg “to keep it up Nico. We believe we’re on course for a podium.” He’s currently up to 12th.
.@nico_rosberg into P12 now after passing @NicoHulkenberg! #RussiaWithLove
— MERCEDES AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) October 12, 2014
Updated
Lap 13: Massa has actually changed his tyres from hard to soft. In the first race in Russia, it seems nobody quite knows what is going to work, different teams have different strategies. The softer tyre is quicker of course, but time will tell if Massa can get to the end of the race with it.
Lap 12: Ricciardo has got to the tip stop: 2.7 seconds as he changes to the harder tyre. He’ll always certainly go to the end of the race with these now. Perez up to 10th.
Lap 11: Chilton has has to retire due to vibrations. Jules Bianchi’s teammate was struggling at the back of the field anyway.
Updated
Lap 10: Button has grafted a bit of a gap between himself and Alonso in fourth: 3.5 seconds. Hamilton looking very comfortable out front.
Rosberg of @MercedesAMGF1 and Massa of @WilliamsRacing begin climbing the order after early pit stops #RussianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/PLSn2mwE2z
— Formula1.com (@F1) October 12, 2014
Updated
Lap 9: Interesting to see Perez in 11th. The Force India driver is on the harder tyre but is running the same lap time as many of his contemporaries on the softer tyre, who should be quicker in the opening stages. Perez’s speed should grow as the race progresses, expect him to move up the field. The track temperature should decrease as the afternoon gets cooler.
Lap 8: Rosberg up to 16th, and clarifies “Do I need to drive to get myself to the end of the race?” Ergo: Do I have to look after these tyres or can I go for it?
Lap 7: Hamilton has set a new fastest lap. Bottas up to second. Magnussen is up to fifth followed by the two Red Bulls.
.@LewisHamilton leading the race after 6 laps. Gap to @ValtteriBottas in P2 is 2.5 seconds #RussiaWithLove
— MERCEDES AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) October 12, 2014
Lap 6: Ricciardo pushing Vettel hard in sixth. The Australian makes a swerve round the outside, as the German makes a mistake, but Vettel closes him off. Kvyat down to tenth now, as Räikkönen passes him.
Lap 5: Alonso is pushing Button hard in third. Rosberg is all the way down in 18th, he’s got a lot of work to do!
Lap 4: After a good day yesterday, Kvyat has dropped down to ninth! Lewis Hamilton has the fastest lap so far by 2.2 seconds.
Lap 3: Vettel and Riccardo running seventh and eighth, it’s very congested in that midfield. Every car going head to toe through the corners. Breathless start here. The drivers have settled into their positions now.
Lap 2: Rosberg makes his early pit stop, Hamilton now leading. “What’s the strategy now” Rosberg asks in the pit? “We’re going to have to go all the way to the end on these tyres”. Wow. Hamilton back in the lead. Button in third, Alonso in fourth.
Lap 1: Rosberg has overtaken Hamilton on the first corner! The German went hard out the outside, but was forced to slam the brakes on to avoid crashing and was forced wide, cutting the corner. The Mercedes team radio tell Rosberg to give the position back to Hamilton, and he responds by saying he needs to make a pit-stop, that hard brake completely ruined his tyres. Big opportunity for Bottas.
Updated
We’re all set! Off we go! Lights out!
Updated
The harder of the two tyres are thought to last more than 30 laps. Massa in 18th, Perez in 12th are amongst those on that tyre. Expect those two to move through the field. Everyone in the top 10 is starting on the softer tyre today.
Interesting to see Bottas in third, he was fastest in two-thirds of the qualifying lap, but made an error in the final stretch to allow the Mercedes duo to take the top two spots. Also watch out for home favorite Daniil Kvyat in fifth – it is the highest ever start for a Russian in F1.
Here’s how we’re lining up on the grid:
1 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes GP
2 Nico Rosberg(Ger) Mercedes GP
3 Valtteri Bottas(Fin) Williams
4 Jenson Button(Gbr) McLaren
5 Daniil Kvyat(Rus) Scuderia Toro Rosso
6 Daniel Ricciardo(Aus) Red Bull
7 Fernando Alonso(Spa) Ferrari
8 Kimi Raikkonen(Fin) Ferrari
9 Jean-Eric Vergne(Fra) Scuderia Toro Rosso
10 Sebastian Vettel(Ger) Red Bull
11 Kevin Magnussen (Den) McLaren
12 Sergio Perez(Mex) Force India
13 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari
14 Adrian Sutil(Ger) Sauber-Ferrari
15 Romain Grosjean(Fra) Lotus F1 Team
16 Marcus Ericsson(Swe) Caterham
17 Nico Hulkenberg(Ger) Force India
18 Felipe Massa(Bra) Williams
19 Kamui Kobayashi(Jpn) Caterham
20 Pastor Maldonado(Ven) Lotus F1 Team
21 Max Chilton(Gbr) Marussia
It is an absolutely glorious day in Sochi by the way. The coastal town is 1000 miles south of Moscow, and it is very temperate: 21°.
Cars making their way to the grid now! Passing through pit-lane and practice starts #RussiaWithLove pic.twitter.com/8bTNsZWPsu
— MERCEDES AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) October 12, 2014
Meanwhile, all the drivers have got together in a huddle, arm in arm, as a show of solidarity for Bianchi. The Russian national anthem has played with the crowd belting out their tune. Bernie and a few local Russian suits are patrolling the tarmac.
This is another track designed by Hermann Tilke. The German has designed nearly every new track recently: if you don’t know much about him, have a go on this profile from 2009.
Hello everyone!
Today’s race is notable for three big reasons:
It is the first race since Jules Bianchi’s horrific crash last week, the Frenchman remains in hospital and his condition remains at the forefront of people’s minds here in Sochi.
Secondly, this is of course the inaugural race in Russia, at the the Sochi Autodrom. The track isn’t thought to be geared towards overtaking, but this is new ground for the sport, so we’ll wait and see.
Lastly, Mercedes can clinch the constructors’ championship today. They already have one hand on the trophy, and Red Bull, in second, have to outscore Mercedes today by 19 points: with Lewis Hamilton on pole, that doesn’t look likely. Also bear in mind there has been only two occasions this season that Mercedes haven’t scored 25 points on the grid.
We’re 20 minutes away here. Let’s do this!
Michael will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s the qualifying report:
Lewis Hamilton continued his domination of the inaugural Russian Grand Prix to claim the 38th pole position of his Formula One career, but only after a major error from Valtteri Bottas.
After finishing comfortably quickest in the second and third practice runs around F1’s newest venue, the Sochi Autodrom, Hamilton’s Mercedes topped the timesheet in all three qualifying sessions and will lead away the field on Sunday.
There was a scare for Hamilton, though, with Williams’ Bottas fastest in the first two sectors of the track on a final flying lap, only to make errors over the final third to finish behind the Englishman and his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg.
Following his seventh pole of the season and the 15th in 16 races for Mercedes, Hamilton said: “Pole is always a great place to start. That’s thanks again to the amazing job done by the team, who have been constantly improving and moving forwards, so thanks to them we have been able to be on the front row quite often.
