2021 Russian GP: Hamilton wins 100th race as Norris slips out of the lead

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamliton has notched up his 100th F1 win, as Lando Norris’ gamble on slick tyres in the final wet laps of the race ended in disaster.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has won a thrilling Russian Formula One Grand Prix in Sochi – with fastest qualifier, McLaren driver Lando Norris, skidding out of contention during a sudden downpour three laps from the finish after leading for most of the race.

Despite Hamilton notching up his 100th F1 victory, he still trails title leader, Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, in the championship points (246.5 versus 244.5) after the Dutchman put in a stellar performance finishing second after starting last, in 20th place.

It is the first time Hamilton has come from fourth to first since the Hungarian F1 GP in 2009.

Meanwhile, it is the first time Verstappen has finished so high up the order after starting from the back of the grid.

“It’s taken a long time to get to a hundred (F1 race wins) … the team made a great call right at the end (to change to intermediate tyres),” Hamilton told Sky Sports.

“It would have been tough to have got past Lando … unless we caught some traffic or he made a mistake … then the rain came and it was opportunistic.”

Although Verstappen didn’t expect to make it on the podium in Sochi after starting from the back of the grid, a gritty drive and good tyre strategy in the final laps of the race elevated him to second place.

“With the penalty we had and to lose only one spot basically is definitely not too bad,” Verstappen said in a post race interview. “When I woke up this morning I definitely didn’t expect this result.”

Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz finished third after leading the first 13 laps, getting the edge on Norris before the first turn.

Norris put in the best drive of his F1 career to date, leading for 30 of the 53 laps – with his teammate, Australian F1 ace Daniel Ricciardo, a close second for much of the race.

Norris seemed certain to win – putting in consistent lap times despite concerns over tyre wear – until rain started to affect parts of the circuit five laps from the finish.

However, while there was still a dry racing line, the 21-year-old gambled on a decision to continue on slick tyres. Three laps from the finish, that proved to be a mistake, as Norris skidded off the track twice before coming in for a tyre change.

Other drivers had already made the switch to wet-weather “intermediate” tyres, and Norris quickly slipped to seventh place.

“Devastated in a way. I guess we made a call to stay out and I think we stand by the call. It was the wrong one in the end of the day,” Norris told Sky Sports.

“I made a decision just as much as the team. In fact, it was more that they thought I should box and I decided to go out.”

Ricciardo was unable to repeat his race-winning form from the Italian F1 GP in Monza last weekend, and finished fourth after a slow pit stop.

After the race, Ricciardo said in a TV interview: “Some good moments, some not good but I’m keen to keep working on it … still eager to find the speed in the car.”

The fastest lap of the race was recorded by Norris, who was also voted driver of the day, according to an online poll of race fans.

Other interesting statistics to come from the Russian F1 GP: It was the first time since 1975 that the first three starters on the grid had never won an F1 race.

Although victory escaped him, had Norris won in Sochi he would have been the third youngest driver to win in F1.

With the Russian Grand Prix completed, there are seven rounds remaining in the 2021 F1 season. The next round – the Turkish F1 Grand Prix is scheduled for 8-10 October, replacing the Singapore F1 GP.

The Turkish GP was a part of the F1 schedule between 2005 and 2011, returning in 2020. In last year’s Turkish F1 GP, Lewis Hamilton took the chequered flag ahead of Sergio Perez and Sebastian Vettel.

Results

Postion	Driver	Team
1	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes-AMG
2	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing-Honda
3	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari
4	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren-Mercedes
5	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes-AMG
6	Fernando Alonso	Alpine Renault
7	Lando Norris	McLaren-Mercedes
8	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari
9	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing-Honda
10	George Russell	Williams-Mercedes
11	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin-Mercedes
12	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin-Mercedes
13	Pierre Gasly	AlphaTauri-Honda
14	Esteban Ocon	Alpine Renault
15	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari
16.	Antonio Giovanazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari
17.	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri-Honda
18.	Nikita Mazepin	Haas-Ferrari
DNF	Mick Schumacher	Haas-Ferrari
DNF	Nicholas Latifi	Williams-Mercedes

2021 Driver Standings

Pos	Driver	Team	Pts
1.	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing-Honda	246.5
2.	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes-AMG	244.5
3.	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes-AMG	151
4.	Lando Norris	McLaren-Mercedes	139
5.	Sergio Perez	Red Bull Racing-Honda	120
6	Carlos Sainz	Ferrari	112.5
7.	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	104
8.	Daniel Ricciardo	McLaren-Mercedes	95
9.	Pierre Gasley	AlphaTauri-Honda	66
10.	Fernando Alonso	Alpine Renault	58
11.	Esteban Ocon	Alpine Renault	45
12.	Sebastian Vettel	Aston Martin-Mercedes	35
13.	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin-Mercedes	24
14.	Yuki Tsunoda	AlphaTauri-Honda	18
15.	George Russell	Williams-Mercedes	16
16.	Nicholas Latifi	Williams-Mercedes	7
17.	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari	6
18.	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari	1
18.	Mick Schumacher	Haas-Ferrari	0
19.	Nikita Mazepin	Haas-Ferrari	0

2021 Constructor Standings

Pos	Team	Pts
1.	Mercedes-AMG	397.5
2.	Red Bull Racing-Honda	364.5
3.	McLaren Mercedes	234
4.	Ferrari	216.5
5.	Alpine-Renault	103
6.	AlphaTauri-Honda	84
6.	Aston Martin Racing-Mercedes	59
8.	Williams-Mercedes	23
9.	Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari	7
10.	Haas-Ferrari	0

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