Valtteri Bottas won the Russian Grand Prix like a rocket at the start and like a limpet at the finish. In doing so he poured a can of worms all over Lewis Hamilton’s head.
The victory was established at the first couple of corners, where the Finn charged bravely on the outside of pole-sitter Sebastian Vettel through the gentle first curve and, travelling at 220mph, was far enough in front by the tight second bend to zip across and cover the racing line.
It was a bravura display from the 27-year-old from Nastola, southern Finland, where he cuts holes in the ice to bathe in the long cold days of winter. Ice veined, one might say.
He needed those qualities as Vettel piled on the pressure towards the end, just after Vladimir Putin arrived in the sun-kissed complex. It got nervy, edgy out there on the Tarmac, but Bottas held on to win by half-a-second.
Bottas became the first Finnish grand prix winner since Kimi Raikkonen in Melbourne just over four years ago and is the ninth of his countryman ever to achieve the feat. The idea that he is a patsy at Mercedes no longer holds up to scrutiny.
Instead, it was Hamilton who finished a struggling, miserable fourth on a weekend to forget and on a day when he had several borderline fractious exchanges with his pit wall. Why was he overheating? Why this, why that? He asked for updates. Every inquiry, bar a Freedom of Information request.
Everything he tried, and he tried hard, was unavailing.
So at the end of the race – the fourth of the season – Vettel, who finished second, a place ahead of his Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, has a lead of 13 points over Hamilton in the drivers’ standings. Bottas comes next, 10 further points behind.
In truth this race on the Black Sea had languorous phases. The outcome was secured in those opening moments. But for pit stops the top four remained in their positions throughout.
Jolyon Palmer’s race ended through no fault of his own on that self-same second corner, home of drama caused by heavy braking going into the right-hander.
Romain Grosjean’s Haas caught him and Palmer then collected his destroyer as they both spun out of the race. Palmer, who started 16th after a crash in qualifying, could hardly believe luck was running so cruelly against him as he tried to salvage his weekend.
‘He jumped the kerb and ended up going into the side of me,’ said the Brit. ‘He was too ambitious. If you come in from the inside, it always bunches on the apex. I had cars outside me. I had to turn the corner and hope he used his brain.’
It was another dire day for McLaren, who seem unable to start both cars. It was Stoffel Vandoorne who missed out in Bahrain a fortnight ago, and this time Fernando Alonso conked out during the formation lap and had to walk back to the paddock.
This is beyond an embarrassment for McLaren. Heads might have to roll.
Alonso, who later watched glumly from a virtually empty McLaren hospitality area, said: ‘It’s obviously frustrating. Four races into the championship, four DNFs. This time we did not even make the start. That’s sad but there’s nothing we can do.
‘I come here, drive as fast as I can to try to help the team. We just hope the next race will be better.
‘I’m just a driver. I help the team but the team have to look at the bigger picture.’
Source: Valtteri Bottas wins first ever F1 race at Russian GP | Daily Mail Online
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