• Englishman takes advantage of
Ferrari meltdown in Sochi• Hamilton now leads teammate Valtteri Bottas by 73 pointsLewis Hamilton won the
Russian Grand Prix taking victory against the odds as Ferrari fell to internecine strife and mechanical failure. Valtteri Bottas was in second, with Charles Leclerc third. Max Verstappen finished in fourth place having started from ninth after a five-place grid penalty. Carlos Sainz impressed again with fifth for McLaren.
Sebastian Vettel, having disobeyed team orders, was forced to retire mid-race.
Hamilton executed perfectly once he had taken the lead, after Mercedes’ decision to start the race on the medium tyres paid off. Ferrari, who had the quicker car, face an awkward debrief as Vettel repeatedly ignored orders to let his teammate past after taking the lead early in the race and their strategy then cost Leclerc second.