The inaugural Formula One Russian Grand Prix was a great success, with Mercedes AMG securing yet another one-two finish. The winner was star driver Lewis Hamilton, who, barring any major mishaps, is on track to take home the 2014 Drivers’ Championship. The latest win also means Hamilton has equalled the record number of wins for a British driver, set by Nigel Mansell: 31.
It was a straight-forward race for the Briton, who led from pole, although early on in the race fellow Mercedes AMG driver Nico Rosberg, also at the front of the grid, tried to make a pass but locked up his brakes which spotted his front tires, requiring an early pit stop. Despite the setback, the German still managed to finish second, 13.6 seconds behind the leader.
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The one-two finish is the Mercedes team’s ninth this season, and it was enough to secure the squad the 2014 Constructors’ Championship. This represents the first time in its more than 120 years of motorsport participation that Mercedes has secured a constructors’ title in motorsport’s highest echelon.
Taking the final podium spot was Williams’ Valtteri Bottas, 17.4 seconds behind Hamilton, and then it was the two McLaren drivers Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen in fourth and fifth respectively. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso finished sixth, less than two seconds ahead of Infiniti Red Bull Racing rising star Daniel Ricciardo in seventh. Alonso was a front runner in the early stages, even fighting for a podium place, but a switch to Medium tires slowed him considerably against the rest of the field.
Eighth place went to Red Bull’s other driver Sebastian Vettel and then it was Ferrari’s other man Kimi Räikkönen in ninth and Force India’s Sergio Perez rounding out the top ten.
Only two drivers failed to finish the race: Caterham’s Kamui Kobayashi retired on lap 21 due to brake trouble and Marussia’s Max Chilton on lap nine due to suspected suspension issues. Sadly, Chilton’s Marussia teammate Jules Bianchi remains in a hospital in Japan with serious head injuries following an accident at the previous Japanese Grand Prix. Marussia chose to field just the one driver in this weekend’s Russian race as a sign of respect for its injured driver.
Thanks to his latest win, Lewis Hamilton’s lead in the 2014 Drivers’ Championship extends to 291 points. Nico Rosberg remains in second with 274 points with Daniel Ricciardo a distant third with 199 points. In the Constructors’ Championship, Mercedes AMG has an unbeatable 565 points versus Infiniti Red Bull Racing’s 342 and Williams’ 216. The next race on the calendar is the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas in three weeks.
Below are top ten results of the 2014 Formula One Russian Grand Prix:
1) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG
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2) Nico Rosberg, Mercedes AMG
3) Valtteri Bottas, Williams
4) Jenson Button, McLaren
5) Kevin Magnussen, McLaren
6) Fernando Alonso, Ferrari
7) Daniel Ricciardo, Infiniti Red Bull Racing
8) Sebastian Vettel, Infiniti Red Bull Racing
9) Kimi Räikkönen, Ferrari
10) Sergio Perez, Force India
