Google+ Jack Leslie F1: 2015 Russian Grand Prix Weekend Report

9 October 2015

2015 Russian Grand Prix Weekend Report

Formula 1 reconvened at the Sochi Autodrom in Russia for round 15th of the 2015 season.
© Mercedes AMG Petronas
It was only the second Russian Grand Prix in F1 history, after the race debuted on the calendar in 2014.


Lewis Hamilton entered the weekend with a 48-point lead over Nico Rosberg in the drivers' standings, while Mercedes needed to out-score Ferrari by just three points to take the constructors' crown.

FP1
First practice got off to a delayed start following a large diesel spill on the circuit, which needed to be cleaned up. The 90-minute session was cut down to one hour, with running eventually getting underway in Sochi.
© Sahara Force India F1 Team

Nico Hulkenberg ended FP1 fastest for Force India after moving to the top of the timesheets with a 1:44.355 in the final moments of the session. He finished just 0.052 seconds clear of Rosberg's Mercedes.


Sebastian Vettel, Sergio Perez and Daniel Ricciardo were next up. Carlos Sainz Jr was sixth, with Lewis Hamilton seventh. He was one of several drivers to spin in practice one, while many others took to the run-off areas in the tricky conditions.

Early running was completed on the wet and intermediate tyres due to the spill but drivers did manage some dry compound running towards the end. Valtteri Bottas, Max Verstappen and Kimi Raikkonen - who along with Fernando Alonso was the busiest driver of FP1 - completed the top 10. 

FP2
After limited running in practice one, things didn't get any better in the second session at the Sochi Autodrom. Heavy rain meant just eight drivers set timed laps and saw Felipe Massa snatch the fastest time away from team-mate Bottas.
© Williams Martini Racing

The Brazillian moved to the front of the field in the final moments of FP2, putting in a 2:00.458 on the wet tyre compound. Vettel jumped to second place, two tenths further back, with Bottas slipping to third.

Toro Rosso's Verstappen was fourth, with Alonso in fifth for McLaren. Unusually the Spaniard set the pace early on, but soon dropped down the field. Daniil Kvyat, Sainz Jr and Jenson Button completed the order.

Championship rivals Hamilton and Rosberg did take to the track but failed to set lap times. Conditions were treacherous, with several off-track excursions and wild moments. Six drivers in total, including Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean, failed to appear at all.

FP3
Dry conditions for final practice at the Sochi Autodrom meant it was a busy start to the 60-minute session, with Kvyat first on track for Red Bull. Bottas led the way early on before Rosberg moved to the top of the timesheets.
© Mercedes AMG Petronas

The Mercedes driver was running the super-soft tyre and went on to improve, lowering the benchmark to a 1:38.561. However, with 25 minutes to go, Carlos Sainz Jr crashed heavily at Turn 13. The session was red flagged and did not restart.

Rosberg ended FP3 fastest from Bottas, Hamilton and Perez. Massa was fifth, ahead of Hulkenberg, Button, Pastor Maldonado, Alonso and Felipe Nasr. With low grip levels, several drivers took to the run-off area and track temperatures were low.

Kvyat was 11th, with Raikkonen and Vettel in 12th and 16th. Both Ferrari drivers failed to appear on track until the 15-minute mark. Grosjean, Ericsson and Sainz Jr were 13th, 14th and 15th. Verstappen, Ricciardo, Roberto Merhi and Will Stevens completed the leaderboard. 

Qualifying

Rosberg stormed to pole position for the Russian Grand Prix after setting the pace in the top 10 shoot-out. The German driver put in a 1:37.113 mid-way through the session to secure first place on the grid.
© Mercedes AMG Petronas

Hamilton was three tenths further back in second place. Both drivers failed to improve their times and the British driver went off at Turn 13, before pitting and bringing the pole position fight to an end.

Bottas was third fastest and will share the second row of the grid with Vettel. Raikkonen, Hulkenberg, Perez and Grosjean were next up. Verstappen and Ricciardo completed the top 10 in Q3.

A scruffy final part of his last lap saw Kvyat fall into the elimination zone in the final seconds of Q2, qualifying in 11th place. Nasr was 12th and Button was 13th for McLaren, ahead of his team-mate.

Maldonado also failed to make it through and was 14th, just ahead of Massa. The Williams driver went off on a quick lap earlier in the session, got caught up in traffic and failed to improve on his final run, finishing 15th.

In Q1, Alonso was the first driver in the drop-zone, but the McLaren has a 35-place grid penalty and will start from the back of the grid. Ericsson was 17th fastest and was also eliminated, joining Stevens and Merhi.

Just 19 drivers competed in the opening segment of qualifying. Sainz Jr was airlifted to hospital after his heavy FP3 crash but was uninjured, with Toro Rosso confirming he was okay in a statement. 

The Race
20 drivers lined up on the grid for the race start, after Sainz Jr was given permission to compete in the Russian Grand Prix. Rosberg was on pole position, but could Hamilton fight back?
© Mercedes AMG Petronas

The revs rose, the lights went out and round 15 of the 2015 season got underway. Off the line, Rosberg and Hamilton had equal launches from the line. The championship leader picked up a slipstream and attempted to go side-by-side but had to back off.

Bottas and Vettel dropped behind Raikkonen, but the Safety Car was deployed following contact at the first chicane. Hulkenberg spun on the exit of the corner and tagged Verstappen, who was forced to limp around with a left-rear puncture.

Hulkenberg's Force India was then collected by Ericsson's Sauber, with both drivers being eliminated. Grosjean also pitted for repairs following lap one contact. Perez jumped up to sixth, while Kvyat made up several positions in the chaos and Button moved into the top 10.

The Safety Car pitted at the end of lap three, with Rosberg pulling out a small lead. Bottas passed Raikkonen for third with an easy move on the run to Turn 2, while his team-mate Massa overtook Maldonado for 11th.

Rosberg had a scare early on when he reported a problem with his throttle. Asking what happens if it sticks, he was told by Mercedes that it kills when brake pressure is applied. His lead was just one second by the start of the sixth tour.

A few positions further back, Vettel went side-by-side with Raikkonen on the run to the sector one chicane but had to back off. Rosberg went wide and clipped the kerb at Turn 2, slowing and losing the lead to Hamilton in dramatic fashion.

The German as struggling and went off at Turn 13 later in the lap, falling behind Bottas. He soon started to slow and crawled into the pits to retire with a reliability problem, shattering his title hopes. In the midfield Button dropped from ninth to 11th and had to fend off Sainz Jr.

The Safety Car made another appearance after a big crash for Grosjean on lap 12 at Turn 3. The Frenchman was running behind Button when he lost the rear of his car and spun into the barrier. He was okay and walked away from the heavily damaged E23 uninjured.

The race resumed on lap 17, with Hamilton pulling out a comfortable advantage. Vettel and Raikkonen went into battle, with the latter going straight on at Turn 2 and maintaining third. However, he fell behind his team-mate a few corners later.

A few moments later Ricciardo and Sainz Jr battled closely through the opening sequence of turns, with the Australian moving ahead of the Toro Rosso. Verstappen reported on lap 20 that his tyres were "no good anymore", having pitted at the end of the opening tour. 
© Mercedes AMG Petronas

Vettel started to close in on Bottas at the mid-way point of the race, with the gap down to 1.2 seconds by lap 25. The Finn was the first front-runner to pit, switching to the soft tyre on lap 27. He emerged in traffic and Vettel was told to push hard. 

The four-time world champion stopped on lap 31 and emerged ahead of Bottas. Raikkonen pitted on the following tour but couldn't move ahead of the Williams. Hamilton enjoyed a rather calm first pit stop on the 33rd lap, re-joining the circuit in clean air.

Bottas and Raikkonen's battle resumed, with Ricciardo holding up the two Finnish drivers. The Ferrari attempted a move on lap 36 but ran wide and quickly lost the position. Meanwhile at the front of the field, Hamilton's lead over Vettel was 12.2 seconds.

Perez was running in third but Force India warned him to conserve his tyres more. Ricciardo also looked to be struggling more, falling into the clutches of Bottas and Raikkonen on lap 43. Massa passed Kvyat for eighth, while Button lost a place to Maldonado.

Bottas displaced Ricciardo for fourth on lap 45, using DRS on the run to the second corner. Raikkonen tried to do the same on the following tour but went off and had to give the place back, losing more time when he ran wide a coupel of corners later.

Sainz Jr picked up a brake issue and spun twice, with the second off-track excursion causing him to hit the Turn 13 wall. He retired a few corners later. Raikkonen passed Ricciardo at the chicane, but the Australian pulled off track with a suspension issue shortly after.

Bottas passed Perez at Turn 13 on the penultimate lap, with Raikkonen following him through. However, the two collided on the last tour, with Bottas retiring and Raikkonen limping across the finish line in fifth.

Hamilton stormed to his 42nd career win, with Vettel 5.9 seconds further back and Perez in third. Massa was fourth, while Kvyat finished behind Raikkonen in sixth. Nasr, Maldonado, Button and Alonso completed the top 10. Verstappen was 11th, with Bottas classified in 12th. Merhi and Stevens rounded out the finishers.

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