F1 Russia

[Plasboy]

Looks like Mercedes is strong in practice.

[Plasboy]

The prancing horse couldn’t quite do it in qualifying.

[Bikerjulio]

No prizes for guessing who will be in the lead at the end of lap 1.

[Plasboy]

Well that’s no fun.

[Bikerjulio]

now lap 23. Even though I was wrong about lap 1, I don't believe that they can avoid team orders in this situation.

[Plasboy]

now lap 23. Even though I was wrong about lap 1, I don't believe that they can avoid team orders in this situation.

Lap 33, do they need to now.

[Bikerjulio]

No "I" in Team. Order was understandable and unavoidable.

VER was left out way too long. He could have come in many laps earlier, still maintained 5th, and have a lot more laps to work on RAI.

[Daviboss10]

Man those team orders were disgusting, understandable but still disgusting, its Austria 2002 all over again. Just takes away even more off the little respect I had left for Totto or Bottas. And even Hamilton (not that anyone respects him off the track anyway)... But overall I expected a duller race, and got to mention that sublime performance from Max.

[Bikerjulio]

Man those team orders were disgusting, understandable but still disgusting, its Austria 2002 all over again. Just takes away even more off the little respect I had left for Totto or Bottas. And even Hamilton (not that anyone respects him off the track anyway)... But overall I expected a duller race, and got to mention that sublime performance from Max.

Here's all Max's passes in a 3 minute vid.

[Daviboss10]

Here's all Max's passes in a 3 minute vid.

Yep I had already seen it. Shame he coudn't up his pace with the ultras to bring the fight to Kimi

[Bikerjulio]

Looking at this very geeky F1 site you can see that VER came for a pit stop on lap 43, 10 laps before the end.. https://www.racefans.net/2018/09/30/...mes-and-tyres/

A pit stop costs a little under 30 seconds in total at Sochi.

RIC who was behind him was more than 30 sec behind him as early as lap 36. This is while VER was in the lead but not gaining, just holding up HAM.

So, my point is that the team could have bought him in 7 laps earlier and he would have come back in 5th and had that much more time to work on RAI.

In the post race interviews it almost sounds like his only goal was 5th and once he got there, played it safe.