Ferrari looked set to end Mercedes dominant run
at the Sochi Autodrom, but in the space of a few seconds their hopes of victory
vanished, with championship leader Lewis Hamilton seizing the advantage to seal
a first Grand Prix win since the summer break.
Sebastian Vettel took a surprise lead at the
start from third on the grid, leapfrogging pole-sitter and Ferrari teammate
Charles Leclerc and Mercedes' Hamilton, with it, soon emerging that Ferrari had
plotted such a scenario pre-race as part of a plan to defend from Hamilton. It
worked, with Leclerc slotting into second, but when Vettel was asked to hand
the place back to his teammate, the four-time world champion kept his foot
down. After much discussion, and some consternation from Leclerc on team radio,
the red duo settled into a rhythm until the pit stops.
The Briton crossed the line to secure his ninth
victory of the season, stretching his championship lead to 73 points – almost
the equivalent of three race wins – with just five Grands Prix remaining. Bottas,
having rebuffed Leclerc, ended up second to give Mercedes their fourth one-two
in Sochi in six attempts. Leclerc completed the podium, failing in his bid to
snatch the fastest lap of the race, with Max Verstappen in a lonely fourth
place. His Red Bull teammate Alexander Albon pulled off a brilliant recovery
from a pit lane start to rescue fifth, ahead of McLaren’s Carlos Sainz.
Racing Point’s Sergio Perez scored points for
the third time in four races with seventh, with McLaren’s Lando Norris eighth.
Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg completed the top 10, the former after
having five seconds added to his race time for an off-track moment several laps
before the flag. But the day belonged to Mercedes, who brilliantly took
advantage of a supreme slice of luck to secure their eighth one-two of the
season to edge closer to their sixth successive constructors’ championship
title.
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