Russian Grand Prix: The Editors’ Top/Flop

At the edge of the Black Sea, the 20 F1 drivers found an urban circuit, without elevation changes and with asphalt run-off areas. The race was somewhat less lively than in Tuscany, but it had its share of action!

If it was expected that Mercedes would dominate again on the Russian track, the order of its drivers was not necessarily predetermined. Behind the “Black Arrows,” the competition organized itself and offered some great battles. Let’s see who managed to shine and who missed out during this 10th round of the 2020 championship.

1. Max Verstappen, solid race and qualifications:

Surely frustrated by being eliminated in the first round of the Tuscan Grand Prix, Max Verstappen was determined to restore order for this Russian race. From the qualifying sessions, he proved that he would be a contender by positioning himself between the two Mercedes drivers.

In the race, despite a less favorable start compared to Valtteri Bottas, he managed to find his rhythm and stay close to the Finnish driver. The penalty for Lewis Hamilton allowed him to secure a strong second place finish.

Verstappen concedes a few more points in the World Drivers’ Championship to his direct rival for second place: Bottas, but he consolidates his third position.

2. AlphaTauri: team spirit

Since the start of the season, AlphaTauri has been proving its impressive progress! Pierre Gasly’s victory has surely galvanized the team. In Russia, for his home race, Daniil Kvyat finished ahead of his French teammate. By finishing 8th and 9th respectively, they can still hope to catch up with their Italian cousin, who hasn’t really been celebrating in 2020. Pierre Gasly enlivened the race with some great overtakes. It must be acknowledged that the Faenza team is united in the effort to continually progress!

3. Antonio Giovinazzi: a burst of pride?

The Italian Alfa Romeo driver has been struggling for quite a few races. To the point that some media outlets were fueling rumors about his mid-season replacement. It is understood that if Kimi Räikkönen’s contract is extended for next season, Antonio Giovinazzi will be on the sidelines!

From then on, the Italian has nothing left to lose, and it seems to liberate him. For once, he has shown himself to be bold and aggressive… and it’s paying off! By finishing just outside the points, he outperformed his teammate. In Russia, he also proved that he is a solid and enduring attacker. Let’s hope it’s not just a flash in the pan if he wants to prove he deserves to stay in F1 next year.

1. Vettel: Head at Aston Martin?

After a laborious Tuscan Grand Prix where the German driver remained in the shadows throughout the race. In Russia, the four-time world champion destroyed his car in Q2 after going off track! This is not a new occurrence for him: under pressure, he regularly loses control, of his car or his actions.

In the race, for his 250th Grand Prix, Vettel finishes once again far behind Leclerc. At 13th and 6th respectively, there is clearly no longer any debate between their performances. Has the German lost his motivation or his speed? His end of career with the Reds resembles that of Kimi Räikkönen in 2009. Both were left behind in the same way and quickly forgotten in favor of the second driver, the fall is harsh and Vettel cannot find the strength to rebound.

2. Mercedes, incomprehensible errors on the pit wall!

Mercedes: the team with 12 titles (ongoing series) since 2014, the team with Germanic procedures that leave no room for chance, the team with perfect strategies, could they be losing their footing? In any case, it is the star driver Lewis Hamilton who is bearing the brunt. Between the closed pit-lane incident at Monza and the poor placement of his car before a race start practice, it’s starting to add up.

In the end, Mercedes loses one victory and Hamilton loses two. In both cases, the team and the driver have a very comfortable lead, but if these mistakes happen too often, they could cause a panic!

3. Tracks without gravel traps, tracks with less spectacle?

When the Paul Ricard circuit in Castellet was purchased by Bernie Ecclestone in 1999, it was renamed HTTT, or High Tech Test Track. Indeed, during its rehabilitation under the supervision of Philippe Gurdjian, the sand traps were replaced by run-off areas equipped with asphalt strips with progressive abrasiveness. This technique allows cars that have veered off track to slow down without damaging them. And most importantly, it enables them to return to the race. This avant-garde technology, deemed safer, was subsequently adopted on numerous circuits. The Russian Grand Prix created in 2014 is no exception to this rule.

And it is repeatedly observed that drivers increasingly push the limits of the tracks, experimenting with the curbs and asphalt strips to slow down as little as possible when they are in distress, or to excessively widen their trajectory to gain time.

If this technique allowed Sebastian Vettel to get out unscathed from his brake failure at Monza, the outcome could have been more dramatic for Carlos Sainz this Sunday when he hit a safety element placed in the runoff of the first corner. A gravel trap would surely have prevented the general excess of optimism and wouldn’t have allowed such a wild and dangerous return to the track, not to mention Max Verstappen’s maneuver, who almost drove straight through with the pedal to the metal in the runoff area!

Video of Carlos Sainz’s accident at the start: