RUSSIA. Sochi: It was high drama and heartbreak on Sunday at the Russian Grand Prix held at Sochi International Street Circuit that saw Lewis Hamilton, winning the race and achieving his 100th Formula One victory. Starting last due to engine penalty for using a brand new Honda power unit, Max Verstappen made use of most of the Russian GP rain to finish second. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz took the final podium place.
The driver of the day
It was Lando Norris who stole the show with impressive driving and maintaining the lead throughout. However, a decision by Norris to hold onto and to continue with slick tyres didn’t go well. Norris slid off with just three laps to go as it started raining. Norris later was adjudged the ‘Driver of the day’ award.
Drivers performed unpredictably
In fourth was Daniel Ricciardo followed by Valteri Botas in P5 who started from p17. Alpine’s Fernando Alonso started sixth and finished P6. Kimi Raikkonen finished eighth for Alfa Romeo, while Sergio Perez secured P9. Russell started third but secured P10 while Aston Martin’s Stroll took 11th position after hitting teammate Vettel (P12), Pierre Gasly of AlphaTauri (P13). Starting at ninth, Esteban Ocon took 14th for Alpine while Leclerc settled for P15 from 19th. Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi started 17th but still finished ahead of AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda. Nikita Mazepin took 19th for Haas in his home GP debut while Mick Schumacher had to retire with a mechanical issue.
Lewis Hamilton
Born in the year 1985 in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England, Sir Lewis Hamilton started karting at an early age and quickly began winning races and cadet class championships. Hamilton joined the McLaren young driver program in 1998. Hamilton’s participated in the 2001 British Formula Renault Winter Series and finished fifth followed by the 2002 Formula Renault UK campaign with Manor Motorsport in which he secured the third position. For the 2006 season, Hamilton moved to ASM’s sister GP2 team, ART Grand Prix, and won the GP2 championship in his first attempt. This led to a Formula One drive with McLaren in 2007. After four more years with McLaren, Hamilton signed with Mercedes in 2013. After finishing on the podium in his debut, Hamilton went on to set several records with time. Hamilton is regarded as one of the most complete drivers on the grid excelling across a wide range of areas. He is also known as the best driver of his generation, and one of the greatest Formula One drivers of all time. Hamilton is in his 15th season in F1 and has already surpassed Michael Schumacher’s 91 wins. He is now attempting to take his eighth title this season, surpassing Schumacher’s seven. Hamilton was listed in the 2020 issue of Time as one of the 100 most influential people globally and was knighted in the 2021 New Year Honours.
“It has taken a long time to get to 100 and I wasn’t even sure if it would come,” said Hamilton, the most successful driver in F1 history with seven world championships, 101 poles, and now 100 wins.
Russian Grand Prix Top 5
- Lewis Hamilton (Team Mercedes)
- Max Verstappen (Team Red Bull Racing Honda)
- Carlos Sainz Jr. (Team Ferrari)
- Daniel Ricciardo ( Team McLaren)
- Valteri Botas (Team Mercedes)
Driver Standing after Russian GP
- Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes):246.5 Pts
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing): 244.5 Pts
- Valteri Bottas (Mercedes):151 Pts
Constructors Standings after Russian GP
- Mercedes – (Hamilton / Bottas): 397.5 Pts
- Red Bull Racing – (Verstappen / Perez): 364.5 Pts
- McLaren – (Norris / Ricciardo): 234 Pts
About Sochi International Street circuit and VTB Russian Grand Prix
Designed by Hermann Tilke, the Sochi International Street Circuit located at Sochi is the third-longest circuit on the racing calendar, behind Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, Baku Circuit, and Silverstone in the UK.
Sochi Autodrom is the only circuit hosting the Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix and operates all year round. It features permanent pit and paddock facilities and features a combination of technical 90-degree turns and high-speed straight lines and bends. The 5.8 Km circuit is integrated into the Olympic Park built for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. Construction of the circuit was completed in June 2014 ahead of its first races and the circuit received its final approval from the FIA in August 2014.
The Russian Grand Prix was conducted twice, first in 1913 and then in 1914 at a circuit in Saint Petersburg. The first race was won by Russian racing driver Georgy Suvorin and German Willy Scholl won the 1914 event. The Russian Grand Prix was abandoned with the outbreak of the First World War. The Russian Grand Prix will take place at the newly minted circuit Igora Drive in the region of St. Petersburg from 2023 onwards.
Coming next in the Formula One season for 2021 is the ‘Turkish Grand Prix 2021’, which is scheduled from October 08 to 10, 2021, at the Istanbul Park Circuit.
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