Russian Grand Prix (2014): RESULT

With Lewis Hamilton once again on pole, can the first F1 Grand Prix in Russia see Hamilton take a win from mercedes and extend his lead over Nico Rosberg?

Lewis Hamilton has seemed unassailable in recent races, and the deficit he had in the Drivers Championship has turned in to a small lead over team mate Nico Rosberg. But can he continue to increase his lead in the first Russian F1 Grand Prix in Sochi?

In fact, Hamilton won the race in style, leading from start to finish after Nico Rosberg attempted an overtake at the first corner, went in too deep and locked up and had to pit for new tyres – effectively gifting Hamilton the race almost before it started.

That put Rosberg to the back of the pack and created the only real interest in a fairly mundane race as he scythed his way back through the field as Bottas in second and Button in third progressed through the race behind Hamilton.

But after the leaders made their pit stops Rosberg had driven his way in to third place, and a dive inside Bottas on turn two took him in to second place and, despite worries over his tyres, that’s where he stayed.

That meant Mercedes had yet another one-two and enough points to take the 2014 Constructors Championship.

Behind the Mercedes it was the Williams of Bottas in third with Jenson Button grabbing a very good fourth place for McLaren after he got the better of a challenge from Alonso, who slipped back behind McLaren’s Magnussen after a poor pit stop to finish in sixth place with Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo in seventh, Sebastian Vettel in eighth, Kimi Raikkonen in ninth and Sergio Perez in the Force India in tenth.

Mercedes may have won the constructors title in Russia, but the first Russian Grand Prix will probably be best remembered as a very average race that gave Vladimir Putin a golden opportunity to get plenty of exposure on TV worldwide for the estimated $50 million Russia has paid to host a Grand Prix.