Russian Formula 1 Grand Prix 2014: Results, Times for Practice and Qualifying

A sobering week in the world of Formula One concludes with the excitement of a brand new track, as the season travels to Sochi, Russia, with four races remaining.

The sport is currently pulling together in support of Jules Bianchi, who sustained serious head injuries at last Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix. The Marussia driver was injured after hitting a recovery vehicle in soaked conditions at Suzuka, an occurrence which has rightly overshadowed the build-up to Sochi's inaugural event.

In fact, Marussia confirmed it will only run one car in Russia "out of respect" for its injured colleague. Max Chilton, Bianchi's team-mate who will appear on track, revealed he is "truly devastated" by the situation and that "it is going to be a very emotional weekend for the whole team."

Championship points do need to be settled, however, as Lewis Hamilton's 10-point advantage over Nico Rosberg ensures the latter needs an improved performance.

Hamilton claimed his third straight victory in Japan and finished first to Rosberg's second for the sixth time this season. It has now been six races since Rosberg last claimed top spot on the podium—stretching back to July 20's race round the Hockenheimring—meaning an end-of-season victory is needed.

The two Mercedes drivers are destined to go down to the final race before the title is settled. Hamilton can afford Rosberg to win one race if he finishes second, but the gap remains precarious in its current state.

Sochi is a weekend for the adaptable, as the true feel of the track isn't going to become apparent until Sunday's race begins.

It is something of an unknown entity, ensuring each driver must adequately utilise practice and qualifying to gain experience of the debut track. Rosberg has lost some of his early season spark in recent weeks, but he needs to find an extra burst of speed and control now only four chances to gain points remain.

Qualifying: Lewis Hamilton Takes Pole After Stunning Drive

Luca Bruno/Associated Press

Lewis Hamilton took his seventh pole of the season in the Russian Grand Prix qualifying on Saturday, as he edged two-tenths of a second in front of Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg.

The Englishman dominated the final two practice sessions in Sochi, and picked up from where he left off with an excellent performance on the Autodrom.

His form in the first two knockout stages of qualifying was exemplary, but Rosberg was given a glimmer of hope in the opening lap of Q3 after a mistake from Hamilton.

However, the German’s window of opportunity was shut pretty soon afterwards, as Hamilton romped round to eventually post a time of 1:38:513, 0.2 seconds ahead of Rosberg.

The 29-year-old just looks totally at home on the Sochi track, and he revealed after taking pole that he’s really enjoying himself in Russia, but was quick to praise his team’s effort—per BBC Sport:

"

Pole is a great place to start. It's an amazing job done by the team who are constantly improving and moving forwards this year.

It's great to come here, it's a beautiful place, the weather had been amazing and I'm really enjoying driving this track.

The track surface is great, very smooth but it's got a lot of grip. The kerbs are done nicely and the surroundings, being around the Olympic Park is quite an incredible place.

"

Hamilton, currently 10 points ahead of Rosberg in the World Championship standings, is looking to cement his dominance at the top by winning the inaugural Russian Grand Prix, and if he takes his form from Saturday into the race then it’s looking a safe bet.

Hamilton produced an excellent drive, but the performance of the day has to go to Williams’ Valtteri Bottas, who’ll start in third.

The Finn came close to upstaging the big two, having set a faster time than Hamilton through the first two sectors of the final lap, but sliding wide on the final corner cost him pole.

Qualifying was something of a mixed bag for Williams, though, as Felipe Massa was eliminated in Q1 after his car suffered an engine problem.

However, Bottas’ brilliance is enough to give the team plenty of hope heading into Sunday’s race.

Elsewhere, Jenson Button recovered from miserable practice sessions to take fourth, while Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo finished over a second back of Hamilton in seventh.

Here’s a look at the complete qualifying times:

Pos	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	McLaren	1:39.560	1:39.381	1:39.121
5	Daniil Kvyat	STR	1:40.074	1:39.296	1:39.277
6	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull	1:39.735	1:39.022	1:39.629
7	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	1:40.519	1:39.666	1:39.635
8	Kimi Raikonnen	Ferrari	1:40.255	1:39.786	1:39.709
9	Jean-Eric Vergne	STR	1:40.098	1:39.838	1:39.771
10	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull	1:40.354	1:39.929	1:40.020
11	Kevin Magnussen	McLaren	1:40.382	1:40.052
12	Sergio Perez	Force India	1:40.273	1:40.058
13	Esteban Gutierrez	Sauber	1:40.723	1:40.163
14	Adrian Sutil	Sauber	1:41.159	1:40.536
15	Romain Grosjean	Lotus	1:40.766	1:40.984
16	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	1:42.526	1:41.397
17	Felipe Massa	Williams	1:42.648
18	Kamui Kobayashi	Caterham	1:43.064
19	Pastor Moldanado	Lotus	1:43.166
20	Max Chiltdon	Marussia	1:43.205

A win for Mercedes at the Russian Grand Prix will secure the Constructors’ Championship, and with Hamilton and Rosberg clear of the field once again, that much is looking inevitable.

What’s less certain, though, is which of them will be standing top of the podium come Sunday. Will Hamilton edge closer to World Championship glory, or can Rosberg close the gap?

P3: Lewis Hamilton Remains in Control over Nico Rosberg

Luca Bruno/Associated Press

Formula One championship leader Lewis Hamilton picked up from where he left off in the third practice session of the Russian Grand Prix on Saturday, finishing 0.29 seconds clear of Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg in Sochi.

The Englishman set a searing pace on the Sochi Autodrom, recording a phenomenal time of 1:38:726, though it could have been even better.

On the final lap, which was set to be his best of the day, Hamilton under-braked on the penultimate corner and was treated to a bit of spin for his troubles, but the damage was already done.

Only Rosberg and Valtteri Bottas finished within a second of the 29-year-old, who’ll head into Saturday afternoon’s qualifying full of confidence at securing pole position.

And Mercedes think that’ll happen, too, as co-team boss Toto Wolff said after the session that there’s simply no stopping Hamilton—per BBC Sport:

“It was a tremendous lap, he seems to extract the maximum out of the car at the moment.”

Meanwhile, McLaren had a session to forget, with Kevin Magnussen bringing out the red flag just 20 minutes in and Jenson Button complaining about balance throughout.

Where they faltered, Williams succeeded, as Bottas' performance combined with a fifth-place finish for Felipe Massa gives them a good platform from which to build heading into the qualifying.

As always, though, it’s all about the Mercedes one-two.

With the world championship clock ticking, whoever secures pole in Saturday afternoon’s qualifying will hold a big advantage in Sunday’s race. And based on P3’s evidence, Hamilton is still very much in the driving seat.

Here’s a look at the full results:

Pos	Driver	Team	Time/Retired	Gap
1	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:38.726
2	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:39.016	0.290
3	Valtteri Bottas	Williams-Mercedes	1:39.097	0.371
4	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing-Renault	1:39.755	1.029
5	Felipe Massa	Williams-Mercedes	1:39.954	1.228
6	Daniil Kvyat	STR-Renault	1:40.009	1.283
7	Kimi Raikkonen	Ferrari	1:40.011	1.285
8	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	1:40.151	1.425
9	Jean-Eric Vergne	STR-Renault	1:40.205	1.479
10	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull Racing-Renault	1:40.338	1.612
11	Jenson Button	McLaren-Mercedes	1:40.355	1.629
12	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India-Mercedes	1:40.669	1.943
13	Sergio Perez	Force India-Mercedes	1:40.699	1.973
14	Adrian Sutil	Sauber-Ferrari	1:41.146	2.420
15	Esteban Gutierrez	Sauber-Ferrari	1:41.520	2.794
16	Romain Grosjean	Lotus-Renault	1:41.915	3.189
17	Kevin Magnussen	McLaren-Mercedes	1:42.436	3.710
18	Marcus Ericsson	Caterham-Renault	1:43.109	4.383
19	Kamui Kobayashi	Caterham-Renault	1:43.975	5.249
20	Max Chilton	Marussia-Ferrari	1:44.737	6.011
21	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus-Renault	No time

P2: Lewis Hamilton Asserts Control as Daniel Ricciardo's Power Unit Fails

Luca Bruno/Associated Press

Lewis Hamilton responded to Nico Rosberg's first practice marker by claiming the top time during Friday's second stint ahead of the Russian Grand Prix.

The Englishman, who leads Rosberg by 10 points atop the drivers' championship, finished 0.864 seconds ahead of Kevin Magnussen in a session which was halted with a red flag after Daniel Ricciardo suffered a power unit failure.

Rosberg loitered in fourth, producing further questions as to whether he will be able to maintain pace with Hamilton when the Sochi race begins.

Jenson Button was unable to repeat his podium-teasing form of the morning. He dropped from third to sixth between practices, but will be hoping he can shave off valuable time during qualifying. Below Hamilton, only a quarter of a second separates Magnussen in second and Massa in seventh.

Red Bull's lack of competitiveness is alarming. Ricciardo's unfortunate unit failure happened as the session entered its last three minutes, while Sebastian Vettel just couldn't find the speed needed for a top finish.

Team boss Christian Horner was flummoxed by the lack of pace, saying, "The drivers are not saying there's anything particularly wrong with the car, but it doesn't seem quite quick enough," per Lawrence Barretto of BBC Sport.

Hamilton certainly takes the edge heading into qualifying. Rosberg was nearly a second behind his team-mate during the later practice session and needs to find a sharper route if he's going to make up points on the weekend.

Here's a look at the full standings, courtesy of the official Formula One website:

Pos	No	Driver	Team	Time/Retired	Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:39.630		27
2	20	Kevin Magnussen	McLaren	1:40.494	0.864	32
3	14	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	1:40.504	0.874	32
4	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:40.542	0.912	30
5	77	Valtteri Bottas	Williams	1:40.573	0.943	33
6	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	1:40.718	1.088	32
7	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	1:40.731	1.101	30
8	26	Daniil Kvyat	STR	1:41.108	1.478	32
9	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull	1:41.396	1.766	30
10	25	Jean-Eric Vergne	STR	1:41.531	1.901	33
11	7	Kimi Raikkonen	Ferrari	1:41.630	2.000	24
12	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	1:41.677	2.047	27
13	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull	1:42.061	2.431	25
14	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	1:42.090	2.460	29
15	99	Adrian Sutil	Sauber	1:42.233	2.603	31
16	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus	1:42.892	3.262	30
17	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus	1:42.905	3.275	33
18	21	Esteban Gutierrez	Sauber	1:43.055	3.425	33
19	9	Marcus Ericsson	Caterham	1:44.135	4.505	22
20	4	Max Chilton	Marussia	1:44.530	4.900	29
21	10	Kamui Kobayashi	Caterham	1:44.952	5.322	27

P1: Nico Rosberg Sets the Early Pace in Sochi Opening Session

Paul Gilham/Getty Images

Nico Rosberg set the early pace during the first practice session at the Russian Grand Prix. The German finished ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton by 0.065 seconds, seizing the initiative like he did during the opening exchanges in Japan.

Hamilton fought back at Suzuka where he reasserted his dominance during the second practice session. Although these advantages are somewhat minimal, the psychology of finishing ahead at this stage cannot be downplayed. Rosberg has lacked a spark when chasing, unlike Hamilton, whose confidence appears to grow during moments of catch-up.

"I'd like to sacrifice one of my long run laps, please," said Hamilton in his attempt to gain time, per Lawrence Barretto of BBC Sport, a request ultimately denied by the Mercedes race control.

McLaren enjoyed a solid practice, despite Jenson Button's spin as the session came to a close. He overpowered on Turn 8 and headed off track, but he came to a safe stop on the sidelines. Button finished third, ahead of Fernando Alonso, who was subject to a McLaren-sandwich with Kevin Magnussen claiming fifth.

Roberto Merhi also span in his Caterham during an interesting first showing on the new track. Incidentally, Max Chilton finished slowest on the day it was announced Marussia would only race one car in honour of Jules Bianchi, who remains in hospital after his unfortunate crash at the Japanese Grand Prix.

You can see the full results for first practice below, courtesy of the official Formula One website:

Pos	No	Driver	Team	Time/Retired	Gap	Laps
1	6	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:42.311		29
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:42.376	0.065	25
3	22	Jenson Button	McLaren	1:42.507	0.196	28
4	14	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	1:42.720	0.409	27
5	20	Kevin Magnussen	McLaren	1:43.026	0.715	28
6	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	1:43.129	0.818	26
7	26	Daniil Kvyat	STR	1:43.164	0.853	29
8	7	Kimi Raikkonen	Ferrari	1:43.212	0.901	23
9	25	Jean-Eric Vergne	STR	1:43.327	1.016	24
10	77	Valterri Bottas	Williams	1:43.542	1.231	9
11	19	Felipe Massa	Williams	1:43.741	1.430	22
12	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull	1:43.821	1.510	25
13	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	1:43.976	1.665	21
14	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull	1:44.506	2.195	30
15	99	Adrian Sutil	Sauber	1:44.625	2.314	26
16	13	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus	1:44.876	2.565	26
17	37	Sergey Sirotkin	Sauber	1:45.032	2.721	22
18	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus	1:45.190	2.879	25
19	45	Roberto Merhi	Caterham	1:46.782	4.471	18
20	9	Marcus Ericsson	Caterham	1:46.922	4.611	18
21	4	Max Chilton	Marussia	1:47.284	4.973	26