Round 16 of the 2014 Formula 1 season took place at the new Sochi Autodrom in Russia.
The Russian Grand Prix made its debut on the calendar, but the mood in the paddock was sombre and downbeat following Jules Bianchi's serious accident at Suzuka.
My thoughts, as well as those of the entire motorsport community, continue to be with Bianchi, his family and friends at this difficult time. #ForzaJules
Marussia confirmed before first practice on Friday morning that the team would field one car in Russia, out of respect for the Frenchman.
FP1
First practice for the Russian Grand Prix got off to a busy start, with Fernando Alonso, Nico Hulkenberg and Kimi Raikkonen being the first to take to the Sochi Autodrom.
Drivers were keen to sample the 18-turn circuit for the first time. Track conditions were tricky, with very low grip. There were plenty of lock-ups, off-track excursions and even a few spins during the session.
Nico Rosberg ended practice one on top with a best time of 1:42.311. Lewis Hamilton finished just 0.065 seconds down in his team-mate, with Button dropping to third. Alonso and Kevin Magnussen completed the top five.
Sergio Perez, home favourite Daniil Kvyat, Raikkonen, Jean-Eric Vergne and Valtteri Bottas - who was forced to sit out of the final 35 minutes after a tyre blanket malfunction damaged his tyres - rounded out the top 10.
Sergey Sirotkin made it two Russian drivers in FP1 after replacing Esteban Gutierrez at Sauber. He finished four tenths down on Adrian Sutil in 17th. Roberto Merhi was at the wheel of Kamui Kobayashi's car during the session and was 19th.
FP2
Second practice at the Sochi Autodrom got off to a quiet start, with Chilton, Gutierrez and Bottas being the only drivers to take to the track in the opening two minutes of the session.
Button and Bottas traded fastest laps early on, before Rosberg and Hamilton took over at the front. After completing race simulations on the prime tyre in the opening 30 minutes, focus switched to qualifying runs on the option Pirelli compound.
Hamilton only managed to go fourth on his first lap, before moving to the top of the timesheets with his second attempt and improving further on the following tour. With attentions changing to longer runs on the soft tyre, the Briton remained fastest. His fastest time of 1:39.630 was over eight tenths faster than Magnussen's best effort.
Alonso was third, with Rosberg in fourth. Bottas and Button, who both showed strong race pace, were next up. Massa, Kvyat, Vettel and Vergne completed the top 10. Raikkonen was 11th and Ricciardo finished down in 13th. The Red Bull driver brought out the red flag with seven minutes remaining after stopping at turn 12 with a mechanical issue.
FP3
Hamilton topped final practice for the Russian Grand Prix. It was an eventful session, with Chilton and Grosjean being the first to take to the track.
There were plenty of off-track excursions as drivers continued to search for the limits of the Sochi Autodrom. Magnussen hit the newly-installed speed bumps at the exit of turn two and exited the session with a driveshaft problem. He did well to keep his MP4-29 out of the wall.
The red flag emerged with 42 minutes remaining to enable marshals to recover his car. After completing running on the medium tyre, drivers switched to the option compound for the final 15 minutes. Hamilton set the pace with a 1:38.726.
The 2008 world champion looked set to go faster before spinning at turn 17. Rosberg was second fastest, three tenths further back, with Bottas, Ricciardo, Massa, Kvyat and Raikkonen next up. Alonso, Vergne and Vettel completed the top 10.
Qualifying
Q1
The opening segment of qualifying eliminated the slowest five drivers from the fight for pole position. The session kicked off under clear and sunny skies, with Grosjean, Chilton, Sutil and Vergne being the first to take to the track.
Chilton put in the opening timed lap, a 1:44.455, but he was quickly displaced by the Mercedes duo of Rosberg and Hamilton, who both went straight onto the soft compound tyre.
The two title contenders traded fastest times early on, with Hamilton ending the session on top with a 1:38.759. Rosberg was second with Bottas, Magnussen, Button, Kvyat, Raikkonen, Alonso, Hulkenberg and Vergne completing the top 10.
Vettel and Ricciardo finished 11th and 12th for Red Bull Racing, with Perez, Sutil, Gutierrez and Grosjean just making it through to the second session. Ericsson was the first driver in the drop-zone. He was joined by Massa, who suffered a power-unit issue, Kobayashi, Maldonado and Chilton.
Q2
The second session saw 16 drivers battle for a place in the top 10 shoot-out, with Perez, Gutierrez and Hulkenberg being the first to emerge from the pit lane.
Perez set the first timed lap with a 1:40.163, but the Force India driver quickly fell down the order as Hamilton, Bottas and Rosberg jumped to the top of the timesheets.
Rosberg moved up to second place, before the Mercedes duo returned to their pit garages for the final part of the session. Hamilton's 1:38.338 was the fastest time of Q2, with Rosberg, Bottas, Magnussen and Kvyat completing the top five.
Button, Ricciardo, Alonso, Raikkonen and Vergne also progressed to the top 10 shoot-out. Vettel was dramatically eliminated from the fight for pole, with the four-time champion only managing 11th. Hulkenberg, Perez, Gutierrez, Sutil and Grosjean joined him in the drop-zone.
Q3
The final segment of qualifying decided the top 10 positions on the Russian Grand Prix grid. It was a busy start to the session, with Bottas, Magnussen, Button and Ricciardo being the first to take to the track.
Ricciardo briefly held the top spot after slow opening laps for Bottas and the two McLaren drivers, before Rosberg moved to the front. A mistake for Hamilton at turn 10 saw him drop to sixth place after his first run in Q3.
However, the Englishman improved on his following two laps to snatch pole position. Rosberg could only manage second, two tenths down on his team-mate. A mistake on his final attempt limited Bottas to third, with Button qualifying fourth for McLaren.
Kvyat's last lap saw him jump to fifth place, securing his best ever starting position. Magnussen, Ricciardo, Alonso, Raikkonen and Vergne completed the top 10.
Full qualifying times and results can be found here.
The Race
Conditions were warm and dry for the 16th round of the 2014 Formula 1 season, with the inaugural Russian Grand Prix taking place at the new Sochi Autodrom.
The thoughts of the entire F1 world remained with Bianchi following his Suzuka accident. Forza Jules.
Hamilton secured his seventh pole of the year on Saturday, with Rosberg rounding out the front row. Could the German take the fight to the championship leader? Could Mercedes secure the constructors' crown? Read on to find out...
The revs rose, the lights went out and the first F1 race in Russia got under way in Sochi. Off the line, Hamilton had a strong start and covered Rosberg into turn one. The German pulled alongside his team-mate into turn two and locked up, going straight on.
Bottas and Button held on to third and fourth, with plenty of drivers taking to the run-off areas in the first two sectors. Rosberg and Massa both pitted at the end of the opening tour, with the former complaining of tyre vibrations.
Hamilton re-took the lead of the race and had a 1.6 second advantage over Bottas after the opening tour. Kvyat dropped to ninth place, while his team-mate Vergne fell from fifth to eighth in the space of two laps after dropping behind Magnussen, Vettel and Ricciardo.
The gap between the top two was 2.7 seconds after eight laps, with Button dropping back and into the clutches of Alonso. At the back of the pack, Rosberg had moved up to 16th place.
After several laps stuck behind his team-mate, Ricciardo took to the pit lane at the end of lap 11 for a new set of medium compound tyres. Chilton's race came to an early end after he retired with a mechanical issue.
Rosberg and Massa had progressed to 12th and 13th by lap 15 after moving ahead of Hulkenberg. Hamilton's lead over Bottas had increased to 4.7 seconds by lap 16, with Button 13.1 seconds further back.
Kvyat and Grosjean pitted for the first time on lap 20. As Rosberg reported tyre degradation, the race leader said his tyres and car balance were "all good". Button was the first of the top five to pit, changing to the prime Pirelli compound.
Alonso suffered a slow first stop with a problem on the front-right tyre, losing time in his battle with Button and Magnussen for the final podium position. Bottas pitted at the end of lap 25 from second place and emerged ahead of Rosberg in fifth place.
Hamilton took to the pit lane on the following tour, emerging in clean air without losing the lead. Massa stopped on the same lap for the second time, switching to the soft compound. The yellow flags briefly emerged after Sutil was pitched into a spin by Grosjean at turn two.
Rosberg and Bottas went wheel-to-wheel into turn two on lap 30, with the German exiting the corner ahead. Meanwhile Vettel pitted and emerged behind his team-mate in eighth. Kobayashi quietly exited the race, although the Japanese driver didn't know why.
Gutierrez pitted at the end of lap 39 after an impressive first stint on the soft compound tyres. Hamilton's lead over Rosberg was 19 seconds by lap 47, with Bottas closing in on them both and Button holding on to fourth.
Lewis Hamilton wins the 2014 Russian Grand Prix
The 2008 world champion secured the inaugural Russian Grand Prix victory and his ninth of the season, extending his advantage in the drivers' championship to 17 points. He put in a faultless and dominant drive to the win, coasting to the chequered flag in the closing stages.
Rosberg had a more eventful 53-lap race. His first lap mistake cost him the chance of the win and he spent the rest of the event recovering ground. The German did well to go to the end without a second pit stop and put in some strong overtakes.
The result means Mercedes has won the 2014 constructors' championship. Bottas put in a mature race to finish third, setting the fastest lap on the final tour. Button and Magnussen came home in fourth and fifth, giving McLaren its best result since the season opener in Australia.
Ricciardo finished seventh, with Vettel, Raikkonen and Perez completing the top 10. Massa, Hulkenberg, Vergne and Kvyat were next up, with the home hero suffering a disastrous race. Gutierrez, Sutil, Grosjean, Maldonado and Ericsson completed the finishers. Kobayashi and Chilton both retired.
Full race results can be found here.
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| © Red Bull/Getty Images |
My thoughts, as well as those of the entire motorsport community, continue to be with Bianchi, his family and friends at this difficult time. #ForzaJules
Marussia confirmed before first practice on Friday morning that the team would field one car in Russia, out of respect for the Frenchman.
FP1
First practice for the Russian Grand Prix got off to a busy start, with Fernando Alonso, Nico Hulkenberg and Kimi Raikkonen being the first to take to the Sochi Autodrom.
 |
| © Mercedes AMG Petronas |
Drivers were keen to sample the 18-turn circuit for the first time. Track conditions were tricky, with very low grip. There were plenty of lock-ups, off-track excursions and even a few spins during the session.
Nico Rosberg ended practice one on top with a best time of 1:42.311. Lewis Hamilton finished just 0.065 seconds down in his team-mate, with Button dropping to third. Alonso and Kevin Magnussen completed the top five.
Sergio Perez, home favourite Daniil Kvyat, Raikkonen, Jean-Eric Vergne and Valtteri Bottas - who was forced to sit out of the final 35 minutes after a tyre blanket malfunction damaged his tyres - rounded out the top 10.
Sergey Sirotkin made it two Russian drivers in FP1 after replacing Esteban Gutierrez at Sauber. He finished four tenths down on Adrian Sutil in 17th. Roberto Merhi was at the wheel of Kamui Kobayashi's car during the session and was 19th.
FP2
Second practice at the Sochi Autodrom got off to a quiet start, with Chilton, Gutierrez and Bottas being the only drivers to take to the track in the opening two minutes of the session.
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| © Mercedes AMG Petronas |
Hamilton only managed to go fourth on his first lap, before moving to the top of the timesheets with his second attempt and improving further on the following tour. With attentions changing to longer runs on the soft tyre, the Briton remained fastest. His fastest time of 1:39.630 was over eight tenths faster than Magnussen's best effort.
Alonso was third, with Rosberg in fourth. Bottas and Button, who both showed strong race pace, were next up. Massa, Kvyat, Vettel and Vergne completed the top 10. Raikkonen was 11th and Ricciardo finished down in 13th. The Red Bull driver brought out the red flag with seven minutes remaining after stopping at turn 12 with a mechanical issue.
FP3
Hamilton topped final practice for the Russian Grand Prix. It was an eventful session, with Chilton and Grosjean being the first to take to the track.
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| © Williams Martini Racing |
There were plenty of off-track excursions as drivers continued to search for the limits of the Sochi Autodrom. Magnussen hit the newly-installed speed bumps at the exit of turn two and exited the session with a driveshaft problem. He did well to keep his MP4-29 out of the wall.
The red flag emerged with 42 minutes remaining to enable marshals to recover his car. After completing running on the medium tyre, drivers switched to the option compound for the final 15 minutes. Hamilton set the pace with a 1:38.726.
The 2008 world champion looked set to go faster before spinning at turn 17. Rosberg was second fastest, three tenths further back, with Bottas, Ricciardo, Massa, Kvyat and Raikkonen next up. Alonso, Vergne and Vettel completed the top 10.
Qualifying
Q1
The opening segment of qualifying eliminated the slowest five drivers from the fight for pole position. The session kicked off under clear and sunny skies, with Grosjean, Chilton, Sutil and Vergne being the first to take to the track.
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| © Caterham F1 Team |
Chilton put in the opening timed lap, a 1:44.455, but he was quickly displaced by the Mercedes duo of Rosberg and Hamilton, who both went straight onto the soft compound tyre.
The two title contenders traded fastest times early on, with Hamilton ending the session on top with a 1:38.759. Rosberg was second with Bottas, Magnussen, Button, Kvyat, Raikkonen, Alonso, Hulkenberg and Vergne completing the top 10.
Vettel and Ricciardo finished 11th and 12th for Red Bull Racing, with Perez, Sutil, Gutierrez and Grosjean just making it through to the second session. Ericsson was the first driver in the drop-zone. He was joined by Massa, who suffered a power-unit issue, Kobayashi, Maldonado and Chilton.
Q2
The second session saw 16 drivers battle for a place in the top 10 shoot-out, with Perez, Gutierrez and Hulkenberg being the first to emerge from the pit lane.
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| © Sahara Force India F1 Team |
Perez set the first timed lap with a 1:40.163, but the Force India driver quickly fell down the order as Hamilton, Bottas and Rosberg jumped to the top of the timesheets.
Rosberg moved up to second place, before the Mercedes duo returned to their pit garages for the final part of the session. Hamilton's 1:38.338 was the fastest time of Q2, with Rosberg, Bottas, Magnussen and Kvyat completing the top five.
Button, Ricciardo, Alonso, Raikkonen and Vergne also progressed to the top 10 shoot-out. Vettel was dramatically eliminated from the fight for pole, with the four-time champion only managing 11th. Hulkenberg, Perez, Gutierrez, Sutil and Grosjean joined him in the drop-zone.
Q3
The final segment of qualifying decided the top 10 positions on the Russian Grand Prix grid. It was a busy start to the session, with Bottas, Magnussen, Button and Ricciardo being the first to take to the track.
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| © Mercedes AMG Petronas |
Ricciardo briefly held the top spot after slow opening laps for Bottas and the two McLaren drivers, before Rosberg moved to the front. A mistake for Hamilton at turn 10 saw him drop to sixth place after his first run in Q3.
However, the Englishman improved on his following two laps to snatch pole position. Rosberg could only manage second, two tenths down on his team-mate. A mistake on his final attempt limited Bottas to third, with Button qualifying fourth for McLaren.
Kvyat's last lap saw him jump to fifth place, securing his best ever starting position. Magnussen, Ricciardo, Alonso, Raikkonen and Vergne completed the top 10.
Full qualifying times and results can be found here.
The Race
Conditions were warm and dry for the 16th round of the 2014 Formula 1 season, with the inaugural Russian Grand Prix taking place at the new Sochi Autodrom.
The thoughts of the entire F1 world remained with Bianchi following his Suzuka accident. Forza Jules.
 |
| © Daimler |
Hamilton secured his seventh pole of the year on Saturday, with Rosberg rounding out the front row. Could the German take the fight to the championship leader? Could Mercedes secure the constructors' crown? Read on to find out...
The revs rose, the lights went out and the first F1 race in Russia got under way in Sochi. Off the line, Hamilton had a strong start and covered Rosberg into turn one. The German pulled alongside his team-mate into turn two and locked up, going straight on.
Bottas and Button held on to third and fourth, with plenty of drivers taking to the run-off areas in the first two sectors. Rosberg and Massa both pitted at the end of the opening tour, with the former complaining of tyre vibrations.
Hamilton re-took the lead of the race and had a 1.6 second advantage over Bottas after the opening tour. Kvyat dropped to ninth place, while his team-mate Vergne fell from fifth to eighth in the space of two laps after dropping behind Magnussen, Vettel and Ricciardo.
The gap between the top two was 2.7 seconds after eight laps, with Button dropping back and into the clutches of Alonso. At the back of the pack, Rosberg had moved up to 16th place.
After several laps stuck behind his team-mate, Ricciardo took to the pit lane at the end of lap 11 for a new set of medium compound tyres. Chilton's race came to an early end after he retired with a mechanical issue.
Rosberg and Massa had progressed to 12th and 13th by lap 15 after moving ahead of Hulkenberg. Hamilton's lead over Bottas had increased to 4.7 seconds by lap 16, with Button 13.1 seconds further back.
Kvyat and Grosjean pitted for the first time on lap 20. As Rosberg reported tyre degradation, the race leader said his tyres and car balance were "all good". Button was the first of the top five to pit, changing to the prime Pirelli compound.
Alonso suffered a slow first stop with a problem on the front-right tyre, losing time in his battle with Button and Magnussen for the final podium position. Bottas pitted at the end of lap 25 from second place and emerged ahead of Rosberg in fifth place.
Hamilton took to the pit lane on the following tour, emerging in clean air without losing the lead. Massa stopped on the same lap for the second time, switching to the soft compound. The yellow flags briefly emerged after Sutil was pitched into a spin by Grosjean at turn two.
Rosberg and Bottas went wheel-to-wheel into turn two on lap 30, with the German exiting the corner ahead. Meanwhile Vettel pitted and emerged behind his team-mate in eighth. Kobayashi quietly exited the race, although the Japanese driver didn't know why.
Gutierrez pitted at the end of lap 39 after an impressive first stint on the soft compound tyres. Hamilton's lead over Rosberg was 19 seconds by lap 47, with Bottas closing in on them both and Button holding on to fourth.
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| © Mercedes AMG Petronas |
Lewis Hamilton wins the 2014 Russian Grand Prix
The 2008 world champion secured the inaugural Russian Grand Prix victory and his ninth of the season, extending his advantage in the drivers' championship to 17 points. He put in a faultless and dominant drive to the win, coasting to the chequered flag in the closing stages.
Rosberg had a more eventful 53-lap race. His first lap mistake cost him the chance of the win and he spent the rest of the event recovering ground. The German did well to go to the end without a second pit stop and put in some strong overtakes.
The result means Mercedes has won the 2014 constructors' championship. Bottas put in a mature race to finish third, setting the fastest lap on the final tour. Button and Magnussen came home in fourth and fifth, giving McLaren its best result since the season opener in Australia.
Ricciardo finished seventh, with Vettel, Raikkonen and Perez completing the top 10. Massa, Hulkenberg, Vergne and Kvyat were next up, with the home hero suffering a disastrous race. Gutierrez, Sutil, Grosjean, Maldonado and Ericsson completed the finishers. Kobayashi and Chilton both retired.
Full race results can be found here.
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