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Hello and welcome to ESPNF1's coverage of the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi. --- 14:59: Outisde of the top ten, Magnuseen, Gutierrez, Grosjean and Ericsson start on the soft tyre. Everyone else - including those Force Indias - start on the medium tyre. Interestingly Vettel, who spoke yesterday about the possibility of an alternate strategy, starts on a fresh set of soft tyres. --- 14:58: Hamilton leads the pack away for the formation lap. ---
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--- 14:56: You take 56% of this race at full-throttle, which gives you a good idea of why Mercedes power seems to have a slight advantage across the field. However, Kvyat broke his Toro Rosso into the top six yesterday and is the highest non-Mercedes starter. He'll be hoping to build on that form today on home soil.. ---
--- <14:54: Just six minutes left until the formation lap. Fascinated to see how Rosberg responds to Hamilton's recent purple patch of form. Psychologically, this race could be crucial for his title hopes. ---
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--- 14:51: Similar scenes to Monaco in 1994 when the grid lined up with flags of tribute to Ratzenberger and Senna. ---
--- 14:48: After the minute's silence, we now get the Russian national anthem. The Russian president is standing with Ecclestone in front of the line of drivers. This is new, but not sure whether it would have happened without the Bianchi tribute at the beginning. --- 14:46: "Jules we are supporting you" is the message written on the track just after the front row of the grid. --- 14:45: Te drivers have gone to the front of the grid for the national anthem. Looks like there is a minute's silence first for Bianchi.
--- 14:41: I think for all these racers, Chilton included, racing will be the best tonic for their emotions today. That seemed to be the general feeling on Thursday during the media day. As much as they can, these drivers need to put those emotions to one side and focus on today's race. --- 14:40: Marussia and Chilton posing with that board now. Charlie Whiting down there, as well. Incredibly poignant moment. --- 14:35: There's a pit board by Chilton's car saying "Racing for Jules". I think that's a sentiment echoed across the grid today. --- 14:31: So what can we expect today? Well, the tyres have shown very little degradation and that means a one-stop strategy is the most likely. Of course, the track has evolved as the weekend continued, and it may be that we see a bit more degradation today. An unplanned safety car could change things, too. Both GP2 races had safety car periods in, while Ricciardo's stoppage in FP1 briefly brought out red flags. It seems likely we will have some sort of safety car period today. --- 14:30: The pit lane is just about to open and we have a train of cars about to make their way out onto the track. |
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Lap 1 |
Lights out and it's a great start from Hamilton who immediately moves across to block Rosberg but the German takes the lead into Turn 2 but runs deep across the run-off area. He recovers back to the track and he is in front. He carried a lot of speed into Turn 2, surely he'll be told to hand that place back and indeed he is. Big drama out in front as Rosberg tells Mercedes he needs to box because of vibrations, he's completely flat-spotted his tyres. Huge for the world championship. |
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Lap 2 |
Rosberg pits with the flat-spotted tyre and Hamilton reclaims the lead. Important to note Rosberg only really took the lead because of the speed he took into Turn 2. Hamilton's lead over Bottas 1.6s. Behind that, Ricciardo had a woeful start, Vergne had a stonking jump off the line and he's up to fifth! Kvyat, who started in that position, has dropped to eighth. Rosberg and Massa both pit, so they are now at the back of the pack. He's going to need a very, very special strategy to make this race work for him now. "What's the strategy now?" Rosberg asks. Mercedes tells him he needs to go to the end of the race on this set of medium tyres. That's 51 laps on one tyre. |
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Lap 3 |
Hamilton sets a fastest lap, a 1:45.342. Another example of Rosberg feeling the pressure, I would say. There was no need to try such an ambitious move so early. super stuff at the lef-thander as Vergne and Magnussen dice for fifth. The go wheel-to-wheel through that Turn 3 but Vergne holds firm and eventually keeps the position. Super driving early on. "Tyres temperatures high, JEV." "I'm so slow on the straight just let me drive!" replies the Frenchman. Magnussen uses that straight-line advantage and takes JEV on the run down to Turn 11. |
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Lap 4 |
Another fastest lap for Hamilton out in front. He has the chance to open up a massive championship lead this afternoon. He's 2.2s in front of Bottas. Rosberg needs a safety car period to save his race. At the moment he'll be lucky to score a point. I've completely forgotten to mention Alonso, who is somehow sitting in fourth. |
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Lap 5 |
Vergne struggling a bit now and runs across the corner at Turn 2. That relegates him behind the Red Bulls of Vettel and Ricciardo. Massa has set a fastest lap of 1:44.601. Just watching this, you can see how much of a sitting duck Vergne is on the straights. Seeing a replay, it seems Vergne had been passed by the Red Bulls before his moment at Turn 2. He was actually forced across that corner by team-mate Kvyat, whose left rear looks to have taken a bit of a beating. |
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Lap 6 |
Hamilton sets a fastest lap, a 1:44.080. He's now 2.5s ahead of Bottas. Button 3.8s behind and has just seven tenths over Alonso. Amusingly, McLaren tells Button of the gap and he says: "I know, I can see him in my mirrors" Vettel doing all sorts to keep Ricciardo behind him. The Australian has a sniff on the outside of Turn 11 but the world champion has it covered. You feel like Vettel has stepped his game up slightly in the last few races. |
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Lap 7 |
Clear to see what these drivers mean by limited overtaking opportunities here. This could get a bit spicey. Ricciardo complains "We're losing a lot of time..." as he's cooped up behind Vettel. Can't imagine the outgoing German will take too kindly to any team orders. |
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Lap 8 |
Hamilton not pulling out a massive gap on Bottas, but he sets a fastest lap of 1:43.958. The gap just under three seconds. Rosberg already 35 seconds behind Hamilton, with a pit stop about 25 seconds long. "I'm driving in a way that will get me to the end of the race, for your information," Rosberg says. |
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Lap 9 |
It's another fastest lap for Hamilton out in front, a 1:43.882. Bottas and Button both set personal bests behind that. Button has now opened up a 2.4s gap over Alonso. The 2009 world champion looking very strong for a spot on the podium. McLaren gets on the radio to congratulate him on the gap he's opened up on the Spaniard. Kvyat has had an off-track moment. His home race not going quite as swimmingly as qualifying did. He's held onto eighth, however. |
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Lap 10 |
Another fastest lap for Hamilton, matched by another personal best by Bottas, so that gap is only 2.9s. Bottas lapping around 0.05s slower. This isn't going to be a cakewalk for Hamilton today. Chilton pits from 21st. That's his second stop of the afternoon and it looks like it might just be to retire the car. It goes up on the jacks... he's been reporting a problem with his front left tyre today. |
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Lap 11 |
Bottas takes two tenths out of Hamilton on that last lap. Magnussen, meanwhile, is chipping away at the gap to Alonso, who is just falling backwards. His advantage over the Dane now three seconds. Rosberg moving through the order nicely, he's already up to 14th but now behind the first Mercedes-powered car in Hulkenberg. |
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Lap 12 |
Hamilton sets a massively fast lap, a new best of the race, a 1:43.686, some six tenths up on Bottas and now the gap is over three seconds. Vettel not budging for Ricciardo and the Australian comes in for his first stop of the afternoon. Red Bull bolts in some new medium tyres, he had been slipping back into the clutches of JEV and Raikkonen.
Chilton is out of the car, the first retirement of the afternoon. A horrible end to a tough weekend for the Marussia team. |
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Lap 13 |
Alonso responding to the latest pressure of Magnussen with a new personal best, that gap is back to 4.4s.
Out in front, Hamilton had used less fuel than the eight drivers behind. The luxury of leading... |
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Lap 14 |
Hamilton's lead now up to 3.8 seconds as he pulls out another four tenths on Bottas. I don't think we've seen the Mercedes at its best yet, somehow. Magnussen and Vettel both do a personal best lap, now. Really hard to work out these tyres. Strategy calls later in the race will be fascinating, especially for the likes of Hamilton and Bottas. Mercedes tells Rosberg he's currently on for a podium. He'll need to do a great job to keep those tyres until the end, he's already 30 seconds down on Button so fourth seems realistic IF his tyres can hold up. |
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Lap 15 |
Hamilton's lead now four seconds. He's just eeking away at those lap times out in front, though there's been a bit of a drop-off from his earlier fastest laps. Seeing a replay of Rosberg easing his way past Gutierrez into Turn 2 for 11th. Gutierrez then falls into the clutches of Massa, who dispatches him on the run down to Turn 11. Such a big advantage for Mercedes power around here, it's so clear cut. |
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Lap 16 |
Hamilton really turning the screws out in front. His new lead stands at 4.5s after going half a second faster on that last lap than Bottas. Bottas holds 12 seconds over Button in third. |
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Lap 17 |
Hamilton still going quickly, he went purple in the middle sector in that last lap and is still lapping within a tenth of his fastest lap. Bottas' times bouncing between the high 1.43s and low 1.44s. Alonso is taking the odd tenth here and tenth there off Button but nothing substantial. He's still 2.5s down on Button and must be losing a lot of time down the straights to that Mercedes-powered McLaren. |
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Lap 18 |
Hamilton sets a new fastest lap, a 1:43.577. His lead is now 5.4s, and the championship leader looks comfortable out in front. Button told "Plan A" is the best one for this race. McLaren will also have one eye on Ricciardo after his earlier pit stop, he might be hoping to factor in around Magnussen later when he pits. He's a long way down though and, like Rosberg, has a big job on his hand managing the tyres. But around here that doesn't seem like as big an issue as it is at other circuits. |
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Lap 19 |
Rosberg is asked to pick the pace a little bit. Ricciardo really struggling to find any pace and he's tucked up behind Grosjean at the moment. Some work to do for the man with a very slim championship chance. Mercedes sending that message to Rosberg so he can "keep Button outside the pit-stop window". Clearly Mercedes still thinks it can have two drivers on the podium this afternoon. Worth noting that the man behind Rosberg, Massa, is on the prime soft tyre. Williams covered off Rosberg's early stop which looks like a clever thing to do with Massa starting so low down the order. |
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Lap 20 |
Rosberg is tucked up behind Perez but he eases by into Turn 2 and he's now into a points-paying position. |
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Lap 21 |
Hamilton sets a new fastest lap, a 1:43.407, and now leads by eight seconds. He reports to Mercedes that everything, including his tyres, feel good. Kvyat dives into the pits. It's a bit of a scruffy stop from Toro Rosso as they bolt on a set of medium tyres. Rosberg is scampering away from Perez and catching Raikkonen, but Massa appears to be struggling to get past Perez in the battle for tenth. |
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Lap 22 |
Hamilton takes another 1.4s off Bottas out in front. Massa unable to replicate Rosberg's move on Perez into Turn 2. "I'm feeling quite a lot of degradation," reports Rosberg. Hamilton, meanwhile, once again tells Mercedes his tyres feel really good. He's on used soft tyres, Rosberg on much fresher mediums. Fascinating. |
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Lap 23 |
Hamilton clearly as comfortable as you can be as he sets another fastest lap, a 1:43.248. Button jumps into the pits for McLaren and its a tidy stop as he gets a fresh set of medium tyres. Button emerges behind Rosberg, who we just heard complain about a bit of degradation to Mercedes. So, as it stands, Mercedes has successfully undercut Button but he needs to make the tyres last for another 30 laps. Mercedes tells Rosberg he needs to keep Button behind him. His medium tyres will be 22 laps older. |
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Lap 24 |
Bottas has dropped 12.5s behind Hamilton now, so he's clearly starting to struggle with his tyres as his last lap was 1.5s off the leader. His struggles would suggest Rosberg and Massa will need to pit again. Vergne pits from eighth for fresh medium rubber. |
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Lap 25 |
Magnussen tells McLaren his tyres are really good and that he still has a lot of grip. The Dane currently in fourth and has just gained four tenths on Alonso, that gap currently 3.6s. Bottas 1.5s down on Hamilton again but Williams still not pitting the Finn. He's got no-one around him currently, with Alonso 14 seconds behind. Kobayashi has pulled into the Caterham garage and retired his car. |
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Lap 26 |
Alonso pits from fourth. It's a very slow stop for the Ferrari and the man with the jack walks back in front and has to jump out of the way as Alonso pulls out of the pit lane. Very messy. Rosberg, meanwhile, eases his way past Raikkonen into sixth. |
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Lap 27 |
There's activity in the pit lane as Bottas finally comes in from second. Magnussen also pits from third. Let's see if the Dane can jump ahead of Button. Well, this is interesting. Rosberg sets a fastest lap now - a 1:43.144. |
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Lap 28 |
Our leader Hamilton comes into the pit lane. Amazing how narrow the pit lane is and for a moment it looked like Hamilton had grazed the wall but, all in all, it's a very tidy pit stop from Mercedes. Hamilton's advantage so big that he doesn't even lose the lead to Vettel, the new man in second - albeit having not pitted yet. Magnussen did not get the jump on Button, he's currently down by six tenths. |
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Lap 29 |
Massa pits again and takes on another set of soft compound tyres. Rosberg, impressively, has risen to fourth, which is third in reality once Vettel makes his stop. Kvyat and Perez are diving for 12th but the Frenchman defends stoutly into Turn 2. Sutil spins but stops just before the barrier. That would have made things interesting but he gets going again. It looks like he was clipped by Grosjean as he passed the Lotus into Turn 2. Doesn't look like Grosjean picked up any damage. |
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Lap 30 |
Vettel told to "respect the beeps" because fuel is marginal. Rosberg currently lapping quicker than Button, so not sure whether the McLaren is holding something back but you'd think, with the advantage of fresher rubber, this would be the chance to strike. |
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Lap 31 |
Vettel pits from second and, as it stands, it looks like it's going to be very close with him and Ricciardo. Rosberg dispatches Bottas into Turn 2, he's really going strongly out there. I still can't imagine he can keep these tyres until the end of the race, though.... Bottas forced into evasive action, going across the run-off area. Some animated discussion going on in the Mercedes garage. Out in front, Hamilton leads by 20 seconds. |
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Lap 32 |
Williams tells Bottas they are confident he will get Rosberg back soon with his tyres currently 31 laps old. Rosberg currently lapping faster than anyone else on the track, including his team-mate Hamilton. Grosjean gets a five-second stop/go penalty for that earlier incident with Sutil. |
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Lap 33 |
Rosberg sets a fastest lap, a 1:42.770. He's really going strongly out there but you have to wonder if he has enough tyres for the end of the race. If Mercedes has decided to pit him again, he'll need to pull out a gap. "The tyres are coming back a little bit at the moment," says Rosberg.
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Lap 34 |
The leading pair are now back on equal lap times. Bottas and Button have just posted personal bests though. In my eyes, it's those two who look best for a finish on the podium at the moment. Amir says: "Rosberg has to be punished for turn botas out of track?!" Kvyat told his fuel is critical and he's coming under huge pressure from Perez and Massa in that little scrap for 12th. |
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Lap 35 |
"Ok Nico, so Plan B," is the message to Rosberg, who sets another fastest lap, a 1:42.670. Hamilton had just set a personal best. The gap is 19.4s but really, the important gap is to the cars behind Rosberg as he won't have the tyres to mount a legitimate challenge at the end. If he was to pit again, Rosberg would come out around seventh. Given how easily he rose back through the field, you'd fancy him to fight his way back through the order. Perez this time makes a move stick into Turn 2 and Massa dispatches Vergne himself. |
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Lap 36 |
Rosberg sets another fastest lap, a 1:42.551. He's 4.4s ahead of Bottas. Devasish says: "Rosberg is gonna pit for sure and it is hammer time!" Kvyat is going backwards at the moment and is now fending off the attentions of Hulkenberg. For whatever reason, that Toro Rosso not able to replicate it's impressive one-lap pace from practice and qualifying. Indeed, and Bottas is told Williams expects Rosberg to pit again, which would explain his current pace. |
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Lap 37 |
Rosberg puts in another fastest lap and now the gapto Bottas is five seconds. This has shades of Hamilton's charge in Singapore before his stop. Kvyat locks up heavily into Turn 2 and Hulkenberg eases past the struggling Toro Rosso. |
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Lap 38 |
Another fastest lap from Rosberg, a 1:42.088. This pace suggests to me that, if Rosberg does pit later, he'll be coming up against other drivers whose pace is getting quicker and quicker, especially with these tyres taking a while to come good.. |
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Lap 39 |
This current standing good enough for Mercedes to wrap up the constructors' title, by the way. Finishing seventh would mathematically keep Ricciardo in the title fight but as an even bigger outside than before. Are Rosberg's tyres starting to feel the strain? His last lap 1.3s slower than Hamilton, slower than Bottas too. His current lap also looks slow. We're seeing an image of Ecclestone and Putin exchanging pleasantries in the paddock. Raikkonen dispatches Gutierrez for ninth. Gutierrez another man yet to pit in this race and he is another man who looks like a sitting duck with Perez and Massa lurking. |
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Lap 40 |
Rosberg is asked if he can get these tyres to the end of the race. He says, "yes, easy". But Bottas and Button currently lapping faster. Some very interesting laps ahead. Hamilton, meanwhile, leads by 17.6s as Rosberg continues to struggle in the first sector so perhaps those tyres are finally starting to get away from the German. |
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Lap 41 |
While there's a question-mark over Rosberg's tyres, Hamilton has been lapping quicker and quicker in the last few laps and now has pulled out a huge 1:41.835 - the fastest lap of the race so far. Bottas two tenths quicker than Rosberg on that last lap. You'd think Mercedes, if it wanted to be safe, would box Rosberg now so he can make up some of the damage. If it falls apart for him later on he'll be in a bit of a pickle. A pickle with Mercedes power, at least.
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Lap 42 |
Siddhesh:,/b> "Why is everyone so pessimistic about Rosberg? He has done a stellar drive so far, and that move on Bottas, while ballsy looked quite fair to me. He had the inside line there. Devasish says: "Not even close to Hamilton he can just raise his game whenever he want and it is not easy to just pass someone like Alonso." Not a huge amount between Rosberg and Bottas' last lap times. Hamilton out in front is probably cruising, he's 11 laps away from a ninth win of the season. This is the time now for Bottas and Button to turn the screws on Rosberg. |
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Lap 43 |
Ricciardo all over the back of Alonso now but hasn't had an opportunity for an over-take just yet. Bottas' last lap six tenths quicker than Rosberg. Those drivers behind smell blood now, this is the moment to try to make something work on Rosberg. Perez repeatedly warned to look after his fuel, which is "absolutely critical" after his dicey racing earlier this afternoon.
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Lap 44 |
Hamilton has a bit of a lock-up coming into Turn 11. Interesting tweet here:
Ricciardo being hassled by Alonso for sixth but the Ferrari is not budging. Just doesn't look like Ricciardo can get close enough to have a go and, if he was close enough, you know he'd have a go. |
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Lap 45 |
I think Rosberg is going to do this fine. He's five seconds up on Bottas, lapped quicker last time out and his tyres don't seem like dropping off any time soon. Brilliant recovery drive from the German. Perez told his fuel strategy is now "desperate," and surely Massa will be able to pick Perez off for that final spot in the points now. Perez got similar messages in Monza. |
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Lap 46 |
Well hello now. Bottas sets a fastest lap, a 1:41.830. Are we going to see some late drama? Rosberg responds with a fastest middle sector of his own. |
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Lap 47 |
Mercedes five laps away from the constructors' title. |
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Lap 48 |
Rosberg just 0.01s quicker than Bottas on that last lap. If the Finn is going to do anything, he has to do it in these next few laps. He can see Rosberg up the road but at the moment that's the only view he's going to get of second place. |
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Lap 49 |
Hamilton reminds us he is still leading this race, he's 1:41.606. As it stands, Hamilton will be 17 points clear of Rosberg with nine wins to the German's four. |
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Lap 50 |
Massa still putting Perez under pressure for tenth but still not able to get within half a second. Ricciardo, presumably after being told to watch fuel, says he needs to keep Alonso in DRS range otherwise he might lose him. Bottas sets a new fastest lap, a 1:41.544. If this is his charge, he's left it a bit late. |
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Lap 51 |
Rosberg responds with a personal best lap now, so he's keeping the gap just under five seconds. Barring a mistake, Rosberg is holding firm for second. A very good drive from the Mercedes driver, barring that first corner mistake. |
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Lap 52 |
Devasish says: "Once again HAM proved the point that is best 9 wins to rosberg's 4 with the same car and also more DNF's." Bottas does another fastest lap, a 1:41.534. All in all, while over one lap this might be an entertaining circuit, this has been one of the dullest races of the season. |
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Lap 53 |
Hamilton begins the final lap of this race. Rosberg, starting his 52snd lap on the medium tyre, sets another fastest lap to probably rob Hamilton of the grand slam of pole, victory and fastest lap. Hamilton crosses the line to win the inaugural Russian Grand Prix, his 31st career victory to put him level with fellow countryman Nigel Mansell. Rosberg's superb recovery drive sees him finish second. Bottas rounds off the podium places and records the final fastest lap of the race, a 1:40.896. Button and Magnussen round off the top five, while Alonso did enough to keep Ricciardo behind. Siddhesh says: "Hamilton might be finishing ahead here, but this has been a very heroic drive from Rosberg, and silences all those critics who said that he couldn't do a Hamilton-esque drive from the back of the grid." Peter Bonnington congratulates Hamilton on a "supreme drive". "Sorry guys, that was very unnecessary. But thanks for the incredible car to recover from that," Rosberg says. So clearly the German well aware that was a recovery drive forced by a personal error. |
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Hamilton stands on top of his car and waves to the crowd. He will be happy but there must be part of him wondering how on earth his team-mate emerged alongside him on the podium. Christian Horner congratulates Niki Lauda on Mercedes' constructors' championship. Piet says: "Wow -this is boring. Despite the positive spin this must be the dullest season of my lifetime." This is different. Mr Putin is in the weighing area and is shaking hands with the top three finishers. Yeah, this isn't awkward at all...
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