Lewis Hamilton took another step towards his fifth world championship with a victory in the Russian Grand Prix.
Hamilton benefitted widely from a team move as Mercedes ordered his teammate Valtteri Bottas to let him pass by half a distance and then to protect him against title rival Sebastian Vettel. It helped Hamilton increase his world championship lead to 50 points, with a maximum of 125 still available in the remaining five races.
Bottas had started on the pole and let his disappointment be known after Mercedes’ orders deprived him of what could have been a possible victory. He eventually finished second just 2.5 seconds behind Hamilton.
Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel finished third missing out another chance to stay in the hunt for a World Championshsip title. In between the 12 and 16 laps, Vettle had overtaken Hamilton and was just behind Vottas, but failed to Mercedes’ tactics.
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Kimi Raikkonen came fourth for Ferrari, while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, celebrating his 21st birthday, jumped to fifth after starting 19th on the grid.
Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo and Charles Leclerc of Sauber came sixth and seventh respectively. Kevin Magnussen of Haas finished eighth, while the Force India duo Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez completed the top 10.
Image Credit – The Guardian