Following a decidedly drab first trip to Russia, the second race around the 2014 Winter Olympic Park was in stark contrast. Sochi played host to a thrilling event in 2015. Lewis Hamilton’s victory was admittedly comfortable – as was Sebastian Vettel’s second place – after mechanical woes struck Nico Rosberg once again. However, it was the titanic duel for the final step on the podium which provided the most compelling thread, ending in highly dramatic fashion.
Having secured his second consecutive pole position, Rosberg was determined not to concede the lead to his teammate Hamilton early on. Mission accomplished by Turn 2, where Nico Hulkenberg and Marcus Ericsson’s afternoons came to an abrupt halt when the two tangled. The incident prompted the first of two safety car appearances.
Immediately after the restart, Kimi Raikkonen was demoted to third by Valtteri Bottas’ Williams, whom he had managed to jump on the opening lap. This was a duel which provided a key plot point during the race and ultimately led to its exciting climax.
Not able to travel the distance was the unfortunate Rosberg who, having executed the perfect start and then restart, had his race curtailed on lap six. The German suffered a sticking throttle pedal, evidenced by his W06 running deep into corners as the brakes were overwhelmed by an element of throttle which would not close.
“It all went well until the Safety Car came out,” Rosberg stated. “My throttle pedal came into my direction. At one point I wasn’t able to steer anymore as I had to lift my foot too much and touched the steering wheel with my knee.”
His retirement left Hamilton with a golden opportunity to extend what was already a healthy 41 point lead in the championship. The Briton was untroubled for the remainder of the afternoon, managing the second safety car restart well.
A safety car period prompted on lap 12 by a nasty accident for Lotus’ Romain Grosjean at the challenging Turn 3. In just two years, the corner has developed a reputation as one of the sport’s best. For Grosjean, it was late into the 180 degree right turn that he was caught out by the turbulent air sent courtesy of Jenson Button’s McLaren ahead. A snap of oversteer, forcing the Frenchman onto the marbles meant that he was reduced to passenger status as his E23 slammed into the Tecpro barriers. Fortunately, Grosjean escaped unhurt.
While Hamilton controlled proceedings expertly out front, Raikkonen was once again caught out as the race resumed. This time, it was teammate Vettel who carved a way past the Finn, as the duo came close to contact at the apex of Turn 2.
However, the biggest storyline to unfold after the second Safety Car period was the implications it had on the strategic element of the race. Sergio Perez and Daniel Ricciardo, who both made pit-stops and switched to the durable prime compound, were aiming to run until the end of the race. It was a high-risk strategy, placing both on the limit of tyre life, but afforded them track position and eventually placed them third and fourth behind the dominant Hamilton and Vettel.
While Renault unreliability took Ricciardo out of the equation, Perez put up a valiant defence against Bottas and Raikkonen who only managed to pass the Force India on the penultimate lap. Perez’s tyres had reached the cliff of performance, meaning that the Mexican was unable to mount a response.
Race engineer Dave Greenwood informed Raikkonen that it was “all or nothing” on the final lap, as he looked to demote his compatriot Bottas off of the podium. An ambitious lunge at turn four saw the two collide, with the Williams finding the barriers while Raikkonen limped home fifth. He was eventually handed a 30-second penalty for his part in the dramatic accident.
Disaster for the Finn’s handed the final step on the podium back to Perez. The occasion marked the team’s first podium appearance since the 2014 Bahrain Grand Prix and having yet again manufactured a result from a bold strategy, Perez certainly deserved his taste of champagne.
Raikkonen’s ill-fated lunge and subsequent penalty also meant that Mercedes put the Constructors’ Championship mathematically beyond the reach of their rivals. For the second consecutive season, the Brackley squad had sealed the title in Russia.
Meanwhile, with his championship lead standing at 66 points heading to Austin, Hamilton had established a golden opportunity to claim a historic third Drivers’ Title in the USA. An opportunity which the Briton would convert.
