Formula 1 GP Russia: Hamilton takes pole again

The first Formula 1 race on Russian soil started today in bright weather. The idyllic location directly on the sea created a vacation atmosphere. Sochi, which attracted positive attention at the last Winter Olympics, is now following suit.

As far as the starting grid is concerned, it was also clear in Sochi what has been clear all year: Mercedes clearly has its nose in front, the strong dominance of the German Constructors' Team is still unbroken. The two Silver Arrows were closely followed by the other teams with Mercedes engines, such as Williams and Mc Laren.

Russian shines in Russia
The only Russian driver, Daniil Kvyat, shone in qualifying with a 5th place. No doubt the big hype in Russia and the strong interest of the media and the public in the young Russian driver were partly responsible for this, as he wanted to impress his homeland with a brilliant result. The motivational boost helped the somewhat more conservatively seeded Toro Rosso car to even get ahead of its big brothers from the Red Bull stable.

Out for Vettel in Q2
Sebastian Vettel was all the more unlucky with his Red Bull car. He complained of severe oversteer and problems with stability, which were obviously the reason why he didn't make it into Q3. His teammate Daniel Ricciardo also complained about problems with the tires and oversteer, but he managed to save himself in 7th place despite the problems. Joy looks different.

Valtteri Bottas almost takes the pole
A near-surprise was achieved by the Finn Valtteri Bottas on his Williams: In his personal last lap, which was also the last lap of the other drivers, he was ahead of the clear leader Hamilton until before the last corner before the finish, to the great surprise of everyone. But his driving skills were not to be matched by his car, as he was carried out of the corner in the last turn, what a shame! Tomorrow's start will be all the more exciting to watch, with Bottas able to start the race from car number 3. Will he overtake the Silver Arrows at the start?

Hülkenberg transferred with penalty
With full effort, the Force India drivers were able to advance to 12th and 13th place. The team has unfortunately lost something in contrast to the beginning of the season. It is unfortunate that Hülkenberg is penalized 5 places back due to the gearbox change and has to start tomorrow's race from position 17. It's almost a bit unfair for the likeable German, who always manages even difficult situations with a touch of humor.

Apart from the constant dominance of the Mercedes drivers, it will probably be a tire poker tomorrow and the right strategy will decide where you end up. Tire wear in particular will be a problem for some teams, as today's qualifying showed, which should make the outcome of the race all the more exciting.

Qualifying - Russian Grand Prix 2014

Rank	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3
1	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:38.759	1:38.338	1:38.513
2	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:39.076	1:38.606	1:38.713
3	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	1:39.125	1:38.971	1:38.920
4	Jenson Button	Mc Laren	1:39.560	1:39.381	1:39.121
5	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	1:40.074	1:39.296	1:39.277
6	Kevin Magnussen	Mc Laren	1:39.735	1:39.022	1:39.629
7	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull	1:40.519	1:39.666	1:39.635
8	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	1:40.255	1:39.786	1:39.709
9	Kimi Raikkonen	Ferrari	1:40.098	1:39.838	1:39.771
10	Jean-Eric Vergne	Toro Rosso	1:40.354	1:39.929	1:40.020
11	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull	1:40.382	1:40.052
12	Sergio Perez	Force India	1:40.723	1:40.163
13	Esteban Gutierrez	Clean	1:41.159	1:40.536
14	Adrian Sutil	Clean	1:40.766	1:40.984
15	Romain Grosjean	Lotus	1:42.526	1:41.397
16	Marcus Ericcson	Caterham	1:42.648
17	Nico Hülkenberg	Force India	1:40.273	1:40.058
18	Felipe Massa	Williams	1:43.064
19	Kamui Kobayashi	Caterham	1:43.166
20	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus	1:43.205
21	Max Chilton	Marussia	1:43.649