Russia – Race: Hamilton, Tsar of the Day, and Rosberg’s Comeback Secure the Title for Mercedes

Before the race, the drivers observe a moment in support of Jules Bianchi.

At the start, Nico Rosberg makes a move on Lewis Hamilton, locking his wheels and going very wide. Behind them, drivers take to the run-off areas to avoid various contacts. Nico Rosberg then yields the position back to Lewis Hamilton, reporting significant vibrations in his car: the German heads to the pits to change the tires damaged during his wheel locking. The new strategy for the Mercedes driver is now to go to the end of the race, which is 52 laps. Great start from Jean-Eric Vergne, in 5th at the end of the first lap, while his teammate drops to eighth position, ahead of the two Red Bulls, who soon overtake him.

In the 3rd round, Jean-Eric Vergne and Kevin Magnussen engage in a fierce battle for fifth place, and the Frenchman manages to hold off the McLaren driver for a few corners with superb maneuvers. Unfortunately for him, the Toro Rosso seems very slow on the straight, costing him many positions as the laps go by. The battle between the two Red Bulls, reignited after their overtakes on Jean-Eric Vergne, rages on for the gain of sixth position, while Valtteri Bottas does not let himself be completely distanced by Lewis Hamilton, the race leader. The Finn himself widens the gap on the third: Jenson Button ahead of Fernando Alonso.

On the 10th lap, Jenson Button widens the gap over Fernando Alonso for 3rd place, while Daniel Ricciardo grows impatient behind Sebastian Vettel: « I’m losing a lot of time ». In the pack, Nico Rosberg climbs up the rankings, accompanied by Felipe Massa, in 15th and 16th positions. The German must adapt his driving style to preserve his tires in order to finish the race. Max Chilton, meanwhile, enters the pit lane and stops his car: the Englishman suffers from suspension problems and retires.

As Daniel Ricciardo started to let Sebastian Vettel slip away, the Australian pitted to switch to medium tires. In the pack, Kimi Räikkönen overtook local favorite Danill Kvyat for eighth position. At McLaren, Jenson Button was asked about the ideal time to change tires based on their wear; when he was told that Nico Rosberg plans to go to the end, his response was direct: he won’t make it.

In the 20th lap, Nico Rosberg and Felipe Massa are inseparable: both drivers are behind Sergio Perez, the current holder of the tenth position, which means a point. The Mexican doesn’t resist the Mercedes for long. In the Silver Arrows team, the German is asked to accelerate a bit to regain time on Jenson Button, in 3rd place. Tire changes are becoming more frequent, as the soft tires are expected to last between 20 and 30 laps in the race. Between the two Mercedes drivers, the conditions are completely opposite: while Lewis Hamilton has no issues with tire degradation, Nico Rosberg is starting to complain about it.

Jenson Button stops on the 23rd lap to switch to medium tires and comes out behind Nico Rosberg: the German’s strategy worked following his personal best lap, raising questions about his previous statements. Jean-Eric Vergne, then 6th, also comes into the pits. During his stop, Fernando Alonso sees his mechanics struggling: the jack fell, costing the Spaniard a few seconds. He is then followed by Valtteri Bottas and Kevin Magnussen.

On the 28th lap, it’s Lewis Hamilton who comes into the pits for his stop, while Felipe Massa makes a second one: his stop on the first lap, although planned by his strategy, had him switch to soft tires. A first yellow flag is deployed following a collision between Adrian Sutil and Romain Grosjean, sending the German into a spin, but the Sauber driver is able to continue, though the incident is under investigation. The Frenchman will be penalized with a 5-second penalty, which will be added to his race time unless he makes a second stop.

Second place, held by Sebastian Vettel, is contested in a three-way battle between the Red Bull driver, Valtteri Bottas, and Nico Rosberg. But the world champion pits and comes out in eighth position, while Nico Rosberg overtakes the Finn a few corners later.

On the 35th lap, Daniil Kvyat is battling against Sergio Perez and Felipe Massa for the twelfth place, who overtake him one after the other, while Nico Rosberg is informed to switch to plan B. The German is relentlessly attacking and setting record after record with tires that are 36 laps old. In the pack, Esteban Gutierrez finally makes his pit stop, while Daniel Ricciardo threatens Fernando Alonso for the sixth position. At Caterham, Kamui Kobayashi retires.

At the front, it’s Valtteri Bottas who starts attacking and the Finn gains time on Nico Rosberg: a 5-second gap with 10 laps to go should, however, be enough for the German to maintain his second place.

On the 45th lap, Valtteri Bottas gains a few tenths of a second lap after lap on Nico Rosberg, but the German is out of reach. There’s a great battle for sixth position between Fernando Alonso and Daniel Ricciardo, while the McLarens are well placed in 4th and 5th positions. The gaps are no longer really changing, as Lewis Hamilton sets the fastest lap in the race, but Valtteri Bottas takes it back on the following lap.

It is therefore an imperial Lewis Hamilton who wins this first Russian Grand Prix. It’s his 31st victory, equaling Nigel Mansell. Nico Rosberg, guilty of a massive tire lock-up at the start and a tire change right after, makes a fantastic comeback to secure a one-two for Mercedes, which mathematically gives the title to Mercedes AMG F1 for the first time in its history! The third man in this race is Valtteri Bottas, who climbs to fourth place in the world championship.