Lewis Hamilton led a processional Russian Grand Prix after both a new track design and uninspired tyre choices suffocated any potential for spectacle on the inaugural race weekend.
A botched over-taking attempt by teammate Nico Rosberg on the opening lap provided a rare highlight.
Carrying much more speed into the second corner, Rosberg did all the right things by ducking into Hamilton’s slipstream, using the tow to pull past him on the inside of the following corner and positioned himself beautifully to take the lead.
Or at least that would have happened if he hadn’t slammed on the breaks with both feet, sending the car into a slide that thrust him off the track and flat-spotting the tyre so badly the team decided to pull him directly into the pits without passing ‘Go’ or collecting his $200.
Now unexpectedly on the harder compound, Rosberg could run until the end, however finding himself in last place the German had to rely on a combination of brave overtaking and competitor pitstops. These allowed him to climb back into second place and complete 52 laps on the same tyres with ease, highlighting a serious organisational flaw.
Fans have called the racing dull, and it’s not just the disappointment of yet again being denied a satisfying battle for the lead to blame. Anecdotal evidence suggested that the softer compound would easily last half the race distance, suggesting to this amateur sleuth that Pirelli’s choice to bring the Soft and Medium compounds was ill-advised.
Soft and Super-soft tyres would have livened up the team strategies and spiced things up in the mid-field.
Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembrey denied the tyre choice was to blame for the lack of action and reminded audiences that only last year the company were being blamed for drastically degrading tyres.
“I think people just have short memories, and that is one of the problems. It puts us in an impossible situation, as you can imagine,” he said.
While there were fundamental issues with the tyre compounds last year, the selection of compounds varies from race to race. In this case there were other options readily available and I can’t help but feel that Hembrey knows this all too well and, frankly, doth protest too much.
On a new track that did little to bunch up the field, offering the correct tyre options was essential. More pitstops alone would have broken up the monotony of the race. As it was all we could rely on was the occasional shot of Vladimir Putin looking uninterested, or intensely focused – I’m not sure how you tell.
Williams driver Valterri Bottas was a quiet achiever, rounding out the podium, again impressing without the blistering pace that the car teased us with during his final lap of qualifying. Were it not for some understeer in the final corner the Finn could have found himself on pole, a tantalising prospect before the race.
While Hamilton’s victory dampens Rosberg’s hopes in the drivers’ championship, their one-two finish was enough to deliver Mercedes the 2014 constructors’ championship, ending Red Bull’s reign at the top of the sport.
And while I’m all for healthy competition between the drivers, Lewis Hamilton posting a photo of Rosberg locking up while celebrating the team’s achievement was perhaps uncalled for.
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