Valtteri Bottas has won the Russian Grand Prix from third on the grid, benefitting from Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton being handed two five-second penalties for performing practice starts outside of the designated area of the pitlane.
Bottas, who qualified third on Saturday, got himself up into second position after overtaking Max Verstappen on the run into turn two on the opening lap and took the lead when Hamilton pitted and served his ten-second penalty.
READ: Lewis Hamilton Is Very Close To Getting A Race Ban After Russian GP
Hamilton finished in P3, behind Verstappen, who was happy with the result off the back of two DNFs due to technical failures on his RB16.
The win means Bottas has closed the gap to Hamilton in the F1 Championship to 44 points, so there’s still all to play for with seven rounds to go.
Meanwhile, Sergio Perez bagged valuable points for Racing Point by finishing fourth despite not running the upgraded version of the RP20.
Team-mate Lance Stroll retired on the opening lap after a collision with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc put him in the wall.
The Monegasque’s car was undamaged and he went on to finish in sixth position, beating several drivers in cars more competitive than his Ferrari SF1000.
Team-mate Sebastian Vettel only managed P13, but he played an important role in holding other drivers up to help Leclerc score much-needed points for the Scuderia.
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