adminSOCHI. — Lewis Hamilton took an easy win in the Russian Grand Prix to move to the brink of his third Formula One world championship yesterday.
Hamilton was running second to Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg when the German ran into problems with his throttle early in the race and had to retire.
Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel took second to move ahead of Rosberg in the title.
Force India’s Sergio Perez took a fine third after Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen dramatically collided with Williams’ Valtteri Bottas on the final lap.
Hamilton’s ninth win this season means he needs nine more points than Vettel and two more than Rosberg at the next race in the USA to clinch the title.
Kimi Raikkonen’s eventual fifth place means Mercedes must also wait until at least the race in Austin on 25 October before clinching their second consecutive constructors’ title.
However, there is a possibility Mercedes could clinch the championship if Raikkonen is penalised for causing the crash. Bottas retired after the incident.
With Russian President Vladimir Putin watching form the stands, and later greeting the drivers before they went onto the podium, the second running of this race was a dramatic contrast to the soporific first last year.
Two safety car periods – the second following a high-speed crash for Lotus’s Romain Grosjean in the long Turn Three – meant drivers went into the final part of the race on divergent tyre strategies.
The second safety car was introduced on lap 13, several laps before the window opened for the ideal pit stop on a one-stop strategy, but several teams decided to take the gamble of stopping for tyres and trying to make it to the end of the race. — BBC Sport.
Online Reporter