The 2018 Russian Grand Prix yielded a surprising amount of excitement and drama as the 2018 Formula 1 season nears its conclusion.
Formula 1 made its stop to the Sochi Autodrom, where the racing is normally quite dry and lacking in overtakes and excitement. This was not the case for the 2018 Russian Grand Prix from Sochi, Krasnodar Krai, Russia.
Battles took place from the tail to the head of the pack, with Mercedes’s use of team orders serving as the crescendo of drama. Regardless of perspectives, the Russian Grand Prix had its share of winners and losers to be looked at.
Winners
Charles Leclerc and his Ferrari drive
With the dust from the Ferrari PR-fueled nightmare about who will be playing second fiddle to Sebastian Vettel in the future just about settled, the focus has been back on Charles Leclerc and his ability to score points in a car that has no business being outside of the bottom brackets.
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Coming into the Russian Grand Prix, Leclerc had experienced a bit of a rough patch, as he had five consecutive races during he did not score any points before he scored points in the Singapore Grand Prix two weeks ago.
Leclerc began the event strong by qualifying in seventh place in a Racing Point Force India sandwich with Esteban Ocon in sixth and Sergio Perez in eighth. Leclerc capitalized during the start to jump past Ocon, and he put on a dazzling display to get past the Haas of Kevin Magnussen for fifth. He ultimately finished in seventh as the “best of the rest” behind the six Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull Racing drivers.
I know Ferrari fans are upset over Kimi Raikkonen getting his walking papers, but the prospect of someone with the calm demeanor of Leclerc in a competitive car is wildly exciting.
Valtteri Bottas
As a fan of the underdog, it hurt to watch as Valtteri Bottas was given team orders to let Lewis Hamilton pass him before going on to take the way. It amazes me that Bottas has been so loyal to a team that regard him as a glorified security blanket.
Bottas was magic in qualifying and beat Hamilton to claim the pole position for the Russian Grand Prix. He carried that show of pace over into the race when he led from the start and managed a gap of over one second for the time that he was in front.
Then came the call that many people, including myself, were waiting for. It came on lap 25 and happened without hesitation at turn 13. Bottas pulled to the right and allowed his championship-leading teammate through. He showed skill to qualify on pole and lead from the first lap, and he showed another act of “taking one for the team”.
Losers
Team orders
I know what you’re thinking; time to rant about Mercedes using team orders. It was actually Force India’s use of team orders that caused more confusion and disruption to the overall outcome of the race.
Once the race got settled into its rhythm, a battle between Kevin Magnussen and Force India teammates Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez broke out, and it lasted for the majority of the race. Magnussen did not have the pace that he had shown in qualifying and was passed by Charles Leclerc before coming under pressure from Ocon and Perez.
Ocon managed to get within DRS range of Magnussen multiple times, but he was unable to complete the overtake. Force India then decided to ask Ocon and Perez to swap positions so that Perez could have a chance to pass Magnussen while also making it clear that if he also couldn’t make the pass, the positions would be reversed again before the conclusion of the race. If there was ever a definition of gross micromanaging, this is it.
I have always believed that if a driver is faster than the car ahead, he will get by. That said, I understand the reason behind the orders, as Ocon and Perez have had a history of running into each other.
Sebastian Vettel and his championship hopes
After the conclusion of the Singapore Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel’s championship hopes were in doubt. At the Russian Grand Prix, these hopes were looking no better with Mercedes coming into the race weekend with a host of upgrades that proved to have a significant advantage over the package that Ferrari brought.
Vettel did not go down without a fight, though. The German fought hard off the starting grid to nearly move past Hamilton, which would have been a small step in the right direction and would have broken up the Mercedes one-two running order. However, this did not happen.
With the current driver standings being what they are, Lewis Hamilton could literally not participate in two races and still be in contention for the championship. If Ferrari have any car updates stored away for a well-timed season-ending push, now is the time to use them. But the writing is on the wall. Hamilton has the pace, consistency and teammate to help him out.
Formula 1 takes no breaks as it races on to the 2018 Japanese Grand Prix, which is set to take place at Suzuka Circuit and be broadcast live by ESPN2 beginning at 1:10 a.m. ET on Sunday, October 7. Will the drama continue?