F1 Russian GP, ​​Hamilton mess, Bottas triumphs over Verstappen. Ferrari, Leclerc is sixth

Even adults can make mistakes. With a simulated start at the end of the acceleration lane, Lewis Hamilton’s Russian GP is practically over before starting. The world champion, who today in Sochi hoped to equal Michael Schumacher in 91 victories, thus took a penalty of 10 seconds that was sentence in his career, since he was forced to fulfill them in the pits at the time of the pit stop . and was 11th on his return to the track.

For Valtteri Bottas, who evidently has a special relationship with the Black Sea track, where he won his first F1 GP in 2017, it was child’s play to take home the ninth victory of his career. Not even Max Verstappen managed to break the chain of successes of Mercedes, even today too superior. For him, at least a good second place confirming its value and a fact: as soon as a Mercedes gets into trouble, it is ready to scratch.

What a mistake Lewis

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This time Hamilton made a mistake: unless there are other explanations, the mistake appears to be entirely his and not the team’s. And if you can be lenient in the closed pit lane that is not respected at Monza in the race (it really is a matter of milliseconds to decide), this time it is almost embarrassing to comment on what happened on the line-up lap, after the race did not even has started. Lewis was pinched during the start test at the end of the acceleration lane, not in the designated area just after the pit lane exit traffic light, but later in the danger zone. Why? Underestimation? It seems incredible that someone like Lewis could compromise a career like that, but it happened. The stewards could only penalize him and thus the possibility of winning vanished in the pit stop, while all the rivals fled and he remained stopped to complete the 10 seconds that became a mountain.

Emotions only at the beginning

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For the rest, it was a GP in which only emotions were seen at the start, with an accident by Lance Stroll that crashed in a contact with Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari and a bang by Carlos Sainz that was diverted and in the resumption Hit the wall on the left. The Ferraris finished with Leclerc’s sixth place behind Sergio Pérez’s Racing Point (fourth) and Daniel Ricciardo’s always-positive Renault. Sebastian Vettel finished 13th ahead of the Alfa Romeo of Kimi Raikkonen, holder of the F1 record with his 323 appearances made today. Highlight the good performance of Antonio Giovinazzi, good when he finished 11th at the foot of the points with his Alfa Romeo. Well the two AlphaTauri with eighth and ninth places from Dani Kvyat and Pierre Gasly. Seventh Esteban Ocon with Renault. McLaren was a bit disappointing, with Lando Norris only 15th place. Next round in Germany in two weeks.