2021 F1 Russian Grand Grand Prix: Those Who Shined (And Those Who Didn’t)

Who says you can’t have an exciting race at the Sochi Autodrom? The 2021 Formula One Russian Grand Prix had all the ingredients of an F1 classic: wheel-to-wheel battles, comeback drives, and surprise front runners, you had it all. And as if all these weren’t enough, the rains ensured a chaotic finish, helping Lewis Hamilton clinch his 100th win. 

In this report, we bring you all those who shone (and those who didn’t) in the Russian Grand Prix: 

Winners

Lewis Hamilton

 

It could have been quite the messy weekend for the seven-time world champion, but the Mercedes driver had other plans. Recovering from a poor start, Hamilton was shadowing McLaren’s Lando Norris for the race lead until rain struck with just three laps to go. Crucially, Hamilton decided to pit for the intermediate tyres and passed Norris to take his 100th F1 win. This catapulted him to the top of the drivers’ standings, however, he’s only two points clear of the Red Bull Honda of Max Verstappen.

Max Verstappen

 

With engine penalties putting the Red Bull Honda driver to the back of the grid, finishing second eventually was an excellent recovery drive. Of course, switching to the intermediate tyres towards the end of the race helped, but it was crucial for the title race. Despite Hamilton leading the drivers’ standings, Verstappen’s second-place finish has narrowed the gap to just two points. 

Carlos Sainz

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Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz had an under-the-radar performance to fly the flag for the team after teammate Charles Leclerc was at the back of the field due to engine grid penalties. The Spaniard took the lead early but couldn’t hold on to it, and was eventually passed by Lando Norris. Despite the pit stop errors, Sainz managed to take a third-place finish during the chaotic final few laps. 

George Russell

It was another spirited show by George Russell, qualifying a sensational third on the grid. Of course, the Williams driver began falling back against faster cars during the race, but Russell managed to hold on to 10th place to score yet another points finish.  

Losers

Lando Norris

It all seemed to be going smoothly for McLaren’s Lando Norris. He took his maiden pole position, and was managing a strong race to hold off Hamilton for the race lead. But when the rain came down, Norris gambled on staying out on slick tyres when Hamilton pitted for the intermediate tyres. In the end, that gamble imploded, costing him a maiden win and had to settle for seventh place at the chequered flag. While Norris’ performance was valid to be the driver of the day, it was crucially his call to stay out on slick tyres that cost him the win, and put him in the loser’s section.

Sergio Perez 

Another messy weekend for Red Bull Honda’s Sergio Perez began with a poor qualifying session in eighth position. While the Mexican did make up decent ground, and was up to third, crucial errors in the pit stop periods cost Perez plenty of positions. Perez, like Norris, was also one of the drivers to gamble on slick tyres towards the end, which dropped him down to ninth place at the finish line. 

Charles Leclerc

 

Leclerc was another driver aside from Max Verstappen who started lower down the field due to engine grid penalties. The Ferrari driver had made up a lot of ground, and was vying for a top five finish. But Leclerc too gambled on the slick tyre strategy towards the end, which dropped him all the way down to 15th place at the chequered flag. 

Aston Martin

It was another difficult weekend for the Aston Martin pair of Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll. While both drivers were in the points-paying position, the rain caused some chaos, which also included the two drivers colliding with each other. In the end, Stroll and Vettel had to settle for 11th and 12th at the chequered flag, losing more ground to Alpine in the constructors’ standings.

Formula One will have a week’s break before racing action resumes at the Turkish Grand Prix in Istanbul, scheduled from October 08-10.