It was Mercedes, Mercedes, Ferrari on the podium at Sochi – but the way in which each driver reached their respective position was the cause of much intrigue. Motorsport Week presents its conclusions from the Russian Grand Prix.
Why don’t you move on over, Valtteri?
The ‘team orders’ phrase has become a dirty one in Formula 1 parlance, inescapably associated with past events that were occasionally unnecessary or haphazardly executed. They are entirely legal but remain an uneasy talking point, due to the superior driver on the day losing out to the nominated team leader. In a sport of extreme science and technical wonder it remains one of human emotion and sentiment – even when it logically should not. It is a peculiarity of Formula 1 in that the result can in effect be fixed (and one wonders what the championship’s new betting partner makes of that) and it is difficult to argue with Toto Wolff’s view that he’d “rather be the baddie [in Sochi] than an idiot in Abu Dhabi”. Mercedes has been decisive and ruthless in its backing of Lewis Hamilton in recent races – a justifiable stance given Valtteri Bottas’ lowly ranking, owing to his own deficiencies and some desperate luck early on. Mercedes deserves credit for its clear and concise instruction to Bottas (just as it did in Germany), compared to the unclear manner in which Ferrari has dithered at stages this season (see Germany and Italy as prime examples). It does not enjoy employing team orders – and warranted much praise for largely allowing Hamilton and Nico Rosberg to race during its dominant phase – but it felt the need to do so. But how did it come to this?
The wrong Mercedes
There were some striking parallels between Sochi and Monza, two races previously, only with Mercedes taking the place of Ferrari. Mercedes clearly had a substantial advantage around the Sochi Autodrom, a circuit where it has historically been strong, allied to work undertaken in the aftermath of its Spa defeat that enabled it to be rapid through the final sector of the lap. It was a straight shootout between Hamilton and Bottas, and the former’s Q2 advantage was overturned by his team-mate in Q3, albeit to the tune of just 0.004s. Sochi was typically been something of a weaker circuit for Hamilton while conversely Bottas has thrived, taking his maiden win in 2017 and coming extraordinarily close to a pole position while with Williams in 2014. Bottas’ advantage was a slender 0.004s after the first Q3 push laps but Bottas’ pace through the second sector of the lap had taken Hamilton by surprise – and he tried to respond a lap later. Hamilton surged through the first sector in record time but dipped a wheel onto the Turn 5 exit kerb, and the smattering of dirt on his left tyres was enough to cause rear-end instability as he flicked the car into Turn 7. The lap was gone, and Bottas improved, just for good measure.
A good start – but a strategic blunder
The drag to the first braking zone at Turn 2 at Sochi is the longest of the season – allowing third-placed Sebastian Vettel a golden chance to slipstream his Mercedes rivals, just as Bottas had done to the Ferrari pairing in 2017. Vettel had been keen to point out to Bottas that a reversal was possible, but Mercedes executed the ideal first lap. Bottas nailed the initial getaway and hugged the inside approach exiting Turn 1, while Hamilton slotted in behind in order to pick up the slipstream, having initially been challenged by Vettel. Bottas preserved the inside for Turn 2, Hamilton slotted into second – albeit after a little think about trying to take the lead – leaving Vettel third. Done and dusted? Not so. Bottas came in first on lap 12 and surprisingly Mercedes kept Hamilton out next time around, prompting Ferrari to call in Vettel. The advantage of fresh Softs over worn Ultrasofts was clear to see by Bottas’ sector times and it meant Hamilton relinquished second when he stopped one lap after Vettel. There was understandable bafflement from Hamilton’s side as to how he was now a net third.
The strive for five
Formula 1 title rivals rarely actually battle tooth-and-nail for position, and so the sight of Hamilton reeling in Vettel was tantalising. A mistake from Vettel through Turn 13 allowed Hamilton to move closer, into DRS and slipstream range, and the closing speed was enormous as they raced towards Turn 2. Vettel jinked to defend the inside and gradually moved closer to the wall, prompting Hamilton to back out, and irately suggest his rival had moved twice. Stewards investigated and correctly cleared Vettel, who had simply executed a perfect defence, but the fight was far from done. In keeping a tight line into Turn 2 Vettel compromised his exit, while Hamilton’s wider angle gave him better traction into Turn 3. Hamilton hung on in behind Vettel’s dirty air and propelled his Mercedes up the inside into Turn 4’s right-hander.
“Ultimately, for me, he did move over to the inside and then he moved again and nearly put me in the wall,” said Hamilton. “I thought that was a double move. I guess they didn’t see that. Nevertheless, fortunately I was able to stay out of the wall and still get round the corner, and then it was a question of who was going to brake earlier in the next corner and I wanted it more at the time.”
Vettel summarised: “It was very difficult to see where he was. I couldn’t see him for a very very long time and then just saw his tyres and I knew that he was then somewhere there and I didn’t want to be a complete arse by pushing him into the dirt and potentially into the wall so I wasn’t quite sure where he was and then at some point I had to give in. I thought I could maybe get it back out of Turn 4 but I had to give him the entrance otherwise, you know, at some stage it just becomes silly.”
The call…
The spanner in the works came in the form of Max Verstappen. On his 21st birthday Verstappen emerged into the lead courtesy of running long on Softs, and was still some way off pitting by the time he was caught by Bottas and Hamilton, the gap between the pair rapidly reducing in the process. In pushing so hard immediately post-stop to overhaul Vettel Hamilton had picked up a small blister on the left-rear tyre that had Mercedes concerned. It was also wary that Vettel would re-emerge in striking distance if Verstappen acted as an unintentional road block. Wolff reached for the ‘tactics’ button and James Vowles issued the clear instruction. Bottas dutifully moved over, remained behind Hamilton for the remainder of the race, and sealed a Mercedes 1-2. Bottas enquired late on whether their positions would be reversed, as they were in Hungary last year when Hamilton was afforded the chance to attack Kimi Raikkonen, but his hopes were dashed.
Was it fair?
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In the context of a title fight that has swung dramatically towards Mercedes in recent races it may appear excessive to hand Hamilton a victory. But there are still five Grands Prix to go and anything can happen. It would never forgive itself if Vettel mounted a comeback that resulted in the Ferrari driver snatching the crown by less than seven points. Hamilton is the only Mercedes driver (realistically, if not mathematically) who can win the 2018 title. Its execution was clinical and precise, though perhaps a DRS-assisted slipstream manoeuvre along the main straight would have been slightly more palatable, even if the result would have been the same. In an emotional context it was difficult not to feel sympathy towards Bottas’ plight, particularly given his failure to win this year and the missed chances, but in the same vein he is an employee of Mercedes – and will have known pre-weekend that such an outcome was likely. He deserved credit for his conduct post-race, exulting the right amount of being vexed without once openly criticising Mercedes. He is a complete team player. From a Mercedes viewpoint they were torn between head and heart, and ultimately the desire to cement both championships ruled the inner born racers.
The bigger issue
Team orders, especially when issued by the brand that goes on to win the race, will always be the primary talking point. It’s just the way Formula 1 is wired. But of greater intrigue was Ferrari’s relative lack of pace. Just three races ago it romped to victory in Belgium. In Monza it undoubtedly had the speed to win. But in Singapore its pace dissolved through qualifying – setting the tone for the race – and in Russia it was never a contender. Ferrari could often match Mercedes through Sectors 1 and 2 but fell substantially short in Sector 3, with Mercedes hinting that it was able to validate lessons it had learned through weaknesses it spotted at the slow-speed Bus Stop and La Source corners in Belgium. “Compared to the way we performed at other circuits, something was missing here and so we were unable to reduce the points gap,” said Ferrari boss Maurizio Arrivabene. “On paper, the next race in Japan should have very similar characteristics to the one at Silverstone, so in Suzuka, we will get a more precise indication as to the potential of our car.” Kimi Raikkonen, an anonymous fourth, hinted that Mercedes has “found something”, and his conclusion may be correct. The relative performance of the teams at Suzuka this weekend should indicate whether Russia was an aberration or the new standard.
Magic Max, debris Dan
On the day he turned 21 years old Max Verstappen put in a sublime display of driving, surging from the back of the pack to lead the most laps of the race. Of course, that was possible due to running the alternative Soft / Ultrasoft strategy, but it was also achievable courtesy of a stunning first eight or so laps. Even with his car advantage Verstappen made mincemeat of the lower half of the grid, stayed out of trouble, was decisive in battle, and was soon back into fifth position. Sometimes it ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it. Daniel Ricciardo’s miserable post-Monaco season continued as he whacked a chunk of debris – ostensibly from Carlos Sainz Jr.’s Renault after it was assaulted by Sergey Sirotkin – along the back straight, robbing Ricciardo of crucial front downforce. Having already failed to mirror Verstappen’s early progress it consigned the Australian to a lonely sixth.
King Charles
For the first time in 2018 it was Sauber which led the midfield contingent – and comfortably so. Charles Leclerc had never driven at Sochi Autodrom before Friday and struggled through practice, having suffered several wide moments as he tried to get on top of Sauber’s C37. But come Saturday he had revitalised his fortunes and fell just 0.004s shy of beating Force India’s Esteban Ocon. That deficit mattered little as he overhauled the Frenchman on the first lap and swiftly set about relegating Haas’ Kevin Magnussen, doing so in breath-taking fashion through the roundabout-esque Turn 3. It was not only a superb piece of racecraft but also highly intelligent; Leclerc realised he had to dispatch Magnussen early on else risk getting marooned behind the Haas driver for the rest of the race. He did so, and from there managed proceedings brilliantly to pick up a well-deserved seventh. It wasn’t his best result, but it was his most accomplished performance.
