F1 Paddock Notebook – Russian GP Sunday

F1 Paddock Notebook – Russian GP Sunday

 

 

 
– Lewis Hamilton recorded the 82nd victory of his Formula 1 career in Sunday’s Russian Grand Prix, pitting under the Virtual Safety Car to jump Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and extend his lead at the top of the drivers’ championship.- It marked Hamilton’s fourth Russian Grand Prix victory, extending Mercedes’ perfect record at the Sochi Autodrom since the circuit joined the calendar in 2014. Mercedes’ winning streak in Russia dates back to 1913, when the first non-championship race was staged and won by its predecessor, Benz.- Hamilton and Mercedes chief Toto Wolff both conceded after the race that Ferrari had better pace, having run one-two through the early part of the race, albeit while its drivers squabbled over team orders following a pre-race agreement.- Charles Leclerc had agreed to give Ferrari teammate Sebastian Vettel a tow on the long run to Turn 2 in order to help him pass Hamilton (who started second), only for Vettel to make such a good start that he took the lead. Vettel ignored multiple calls from the team to give the position back to Leclerc, saying he was too far away to do so, prompting Ferrari to delay making the switch.- You can read the full radio transcript from Ferrari here.- Ferrari claimed after the race that its decision to pit Leclerc earlier than Vettel and give him the undercut was not influenced by the need to switch positions – despite Leclerc jumping Vettel as a result of the strategy. Vettel pitted four laps later than Leclerc and emerged from the pits behind his teammate before retiring on his outlap due to an MGU-K issue.- F1 race director Michael Masi said a VSC “wasn’t even a second thought” as Vettel’s car was unsafe electronically. Ferrari chief Mattia Binotto said this was why Vettel was told to park up immediately instead of trying to bring the car back to the pits.- Hamilton headed up Mercedes’ first one-two finish since the British Grand Prix, with teammate Valtteri Bottas coming home in second place. The result means Mercedes can clinch the constructors’ championship in Japan by outscoring Ferrari by 10 points.- Hamilton will have to wait for his drivers’ championship until at least Mexico, though. He is 73 points clear with 130 still available, needing an advantage of 78 after Mexico to wrap things up.- Max Verstappen called his race “boring” after finishing fourth for Red Bull, adrift from the lead runners. Verstappen had recovered from P9 on the grid after a penalty, but had no fresh Soft tyres left to match the lead runners for strategy in the final stint or go for a late pit stop to take the fastest lap.- Alexander Albon recovered from a pit lane start following a change in floor spec to finish fifth for Red Bull, having also managed a race-long brake issue. He lamented struggling in a train of cars, though: “It’s almost like a tunnel system. The air is stuck in one place, a little bit like a street track. The downforce loss was immense when you’re following.”- Carlos Sainz topped the midfield for McLaren in sixth place, which combined with Lando Norris’ eighth-place finish took the team beyond the 100-point mark for the season. Its lead over Renault now stands at 33 points with five rounds to go after Nico Hulkenberg could only pick up one point for P10.”4- Daniel Ricciardo’s race was all but ended on the opening lap after a three-car clash that also involved Antonio Giovinazzi and Romain Grosjean at Turn 4. Giovinazzi said he was the “ham in a sandwich” after getting caught between the two cars. Grosjean was eliminated on the spot, while Ricciardo retired later on due to damage from the collision.- Kimi Raikkonen picked up a drive-through penalty for jumping the start before spending all of the race running outside of the points. “We just didn’t have enough speed,” Raikkonen said after finishing 13th. “We have to understand why the last four races have been nightmares to figure out what’s going wrong.”- Kevin Magnussen and Haas team boss Gunther Steiner were left fuming over a five-second time penalty that dropped the Dane from P8 to P9 for allegedly gaining an advantage at Turn 2. Magnussen called the penalty “bullshit” after failing to follow the escape road set out. Race director Masi said there would be the usual reviews of the solution after the race following tweaks each year so far.- Formula 2 driver Nikita Mazepin has been hit with a 15-place grid penalty and four points on his license after causing an accident in Sunday’s Sprint Race following contact with Jack Aitken in the escape road. The two drivers went side-by-side, resulting in contact that sent Mazepin back across the track and into the path of Nobuharu Matsushita. Both Mazepin and Matushita avoided injury but were taken to hospital for evaluations. Matsushita will be kept in overnight as a precaution.- This was the first Russian Grand Prix in Sochi not to be attended by President Vladimir Putin. Reports emerged earlier in the week that this will be the penultimate race to be held in Sochi, with a move to a new track in St Petersburg planned for 2021. 

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