Lewis Hamilton Makes History While Weather Turns the Race Upside‑Down
Big win for Hamilton – the 21‑year‑old British driver not only secured his 100th Grand Prix victory but also surged that championship gap to two points after a rain‑shrouded showdown in Russia.
Max Verstappen’s Seemingly Impossible Comeback
Red Bull’s Dutch star Max finished a solid second, leaping from 20th place at the start because of last‑minute engine penalties. He whispered one more win for the season, his fifth since opening the year, but kept a tight hold on the lead.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Joins the Victors, McLaren Struggles
Spain’s Carlos Sainz closed out the podium for Ferrari. Meanwhile, McLaren’s Lando Norris had a frosty day: a late shower dashed his hopes for a first Formula One triumph. He drove on slicks even while Hamilton switched to intermediates at the team’s cue.
Lewis Starts Strong, but the Weather is the Real Playmaker
Lewis had a wild start – leaping from pole, gathering a heavy pace, and catching Sainz about 13 laps in. The drizzle opened a more significant gap as the top two stayed comfortable ahead of everyone else.
Norris stayed out on slicks to keep pace. Unfortunately, a track slip in the final three laps forced him to pit, sending him plummeting from first to seventh.
“What a race the weather provided. It’s taken a long time to get to 100 and I wasn’t sure it would come,” Hamilton mused.
He’s the first F1 driver ever to cross the 100‑win threshold, beating the legend Michael Schumacher’s 91‑win record.
Max’s Rally and Hamilton’s Team‑wise Strategy
“Max must have done a really great job to come up to second from last. We’ve got our work cut out,” Hamilton observed, noting he was five points behind after the stormy Sochi finish.
Hamilton fell to seventh at the very end of the first lap, spinning out of the initial grid, but judicious early pitting helped him claw back positions. Despite a 25‑second lag behind Norris after his last stop, the Mercedes team nailed the weather tempo – the treads read like a script, catching up and overtaking his compatriot.
“The team made a great call right at the end. I didn’t want to let Lando go and I didn’t know what the weather was doing,” Hamilton explained.
“It would’ve been tough to get past Lando unless we came up to some traffic or he made a mistake, which he hasn’t been doing, so then the rain came and it was very opportunistic.”
Mercedes’ Russian Dominance Stays Intact
While Hamilton celebrated his personal landmark, the Mercedes group kept a pristine record in Sochi – claiming victory in every Russian Grand Prix since 2014, with Hamilton emerging triumphant in five editions.
For anyone watching from the sidelines, it’s a clear case that skill, strategy, and a dash of weather can make a championship night unforgettable.
Ricciardo fourth
Monza’s Chaotic Finale: Ricciardo, Bottas, and the Rest of the F1 Shuffle
Daniel Ricciardo, fresh off a victory in Italy’s Monza track, sputtered into a solid fourth for McLaren. Valtteri Bottas, after starting on the 16th spot, finished comfortably in fifth for Mercedes. Both guys hit the pit stop a tad early, trading in their worn gear for new tyres and hoping that’s a good enough strategy.
Key Finishers
- 6th place: Fernando Alonso in a Renault‑owned Alpine, double world champ but not looking too dazzly on the track today.
- 8th place: Kimi Raikkonen, back at Alfa Romeo after skipping two races because he caught COVID – talk about a comeback!
- 9th place: Sergio Perez from Red Bull, wearing Mexico’s flag on the podium.
- 10th place: George Russell for Williams – started from third, finished 10th, only his fourth points finish in the last five races for a team that hadn’t seen a points score in the previous two years.
What’s Noticeable
Lewis Hamilton doesn’t get a lot of attention this time around – only brakeers cashed in a bonus point for fastest lap. Mercedes, however, is playing the long game and pushed the Red Bull gap in the constructors’ chart up to 33 points. If you’re looking for drama, the next race in Istanbul Park on October 10 will be the place to be. The adrenaline-fueled storm that followed Hamilton’s record‑equalling seventh title back in November is still on the horizon.
Room for the Standouts
Mick Schumacher (Haas), the son of legendary Michael, was the only driver to spin out of the event, showing the unpredictability of the sport in every twist and turn.
