Russia: 2018 Flashback and Winner Predictions
Although the races in Sochi are not the most interesting of the season, 2018 was a source of a little bit of on-track action and controversy for our greatest pleasure!
2018 in summary: Bottas takes second and Hamilton soars to the title.
With a 40-point lead over Sebastian Vettel after Singapore, Lewis Hamilton was clearly in a strong position. Arriving in Sochi, Mercedes were the clear favorites. The German team has been unbeaten there since the inaugural race of the event in 2014. With Valtteri Bottas taking pole position alongside his garage neighbor, the Silver Arrows dashed nearly all hope for Ferrari to climb the rankings this weekend, with the two red cars relegated to nearly 1 second behind. The race promised to be long for the Scuderia.
Despite a lightning start, Sebastian Vettel was not able to overtake his rival for the crown. Seeing his chances of victory diminish lap after lap, he decided to pit on the thirteenth lap to switch to soft tires. This relatively early stop is in no way a disadvantage for the end of the race because the Sochi circuit does not wear out the tires.
The other excellent takeoff is that of Max Verstappen. Starting at the back of the grid due to engine penalties, the Dutchman was determined to use his overtaking skills early in the race to rejoin the leading group. And he succeeded! By the end of the first lap, the Red Bull driver had already gained 7 places. By the 8th lap, he had overtaken all the midfield drivers to find himself in 5th place. The outcome was less positive for Daniel Ricciardo, who, at the same time, was only in a meager 12th place. The Australian faced more difficulties in moving up the ranks.
On the fourteenth lap, Lewis Hamilton responded to Vettel’s pit stop but too late, the undercut had worked perfectly. In addition to coming out ahead of the Mercedes marked with number 44, the German was really not far from Valtteri Bottas, the race leader. Not particularly appreciating losing his second place, the Briton used the full power of the German engine to dive inside. But the Ferrari driver had other plans in mind and closed the door very aggressively and very late. Hamilton narrowly avoided contact and took that second place three corners later.
What was about to happen on the 25th lap would create a real controversy and fuel numerous discussions. While the Finn had been leading the Grand Prix for almost its entirety, he received a team order asking him to let his teammate pass at the thirteenth corner. Hamilton was so far behind Bottas that the latter practically had to park to give the victory to his garage neighbor. It was a poorly received order because there were still 5 races to go, and the Brit had such an advantage over his competitors in the championship that the title was virtually within his grasp.
It is ultimately the two Ferraris and the two Red Bulls that occupy places 3 to 6. Charles Leclerc finishes as the best of the rest and proves to Ferrari that they made the right choice in signing him for 2019. The Monegasque finishes ahead of Kevin Magnussen with whom he had a good battle, although a bit too tense at times. The two Force Indias occupy the last two positions.
The Editorial Prediction:
Who says new Grand Prix, says new prediction from your favorite Motorsinside journalists. On the menu: a choice between pole position for Lewis Hamilton or his teammate Valtteri Bottas. The main course is a Mercedes one-two, regardless of the order. Ferrari completes the lineup. But will the Sochi cuisine be spicy enough to amaze our taste buds?
