Formula 1 returned to action at the Sochi Autodrom in Russia for the fourth round of the 2016 season.
The race, which debuted in 2014, moved to an early-season slot and followed on from a dramatic, busy Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai.
FP1
Mercedes hit the ground running by setting the pace in first practice for the Russian GP, with Nico Rosberg putting in a 1:38.127.
His team-mate Lewis Hamilton was seven tenths further back, with Sebastian Vettel a further three tenths behind for Ferrari. Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa completed the top five.
The biggest story to emerge from FP1 was Daniel Ricciardo completing a lap with Red Bull's 'aeroscreen' canopy device. The Australian briefly ran the team's cockpit protector before normal service resumed. He finished sixth.
Track conditions were tricky, with a whole host of drivers spinning and taking to the run-off area. Valtteri Bottas, Daniil Kvyat, Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz Jr rounded out the top 10. Sergey Sirotkin and Alfonso Celis Jr replaced race drivers in first practice and were 15th and 22nd.
FP2
Hamilton moved to the front of the field in second practice at the Sochi Autodrom, leading Vettel by six and a half tenths of a second.
While the pace on the super-soft tyre was positive, Vettel lost crucial track time after an electronics problem caused him to miss the final 40 minutes of the session. He also picked up a five-place gearbox change penalty.
Rosberg was third, ahead of Raikkonen, Ricciardo, Bottas, Kvyat, Jenson Button, Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso. Drivers continued to struggle for grip and plenty of mistakes were made.
Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen took over their cars after sitting out of FP1, finishing 13th and 15th respectively. Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez were 16th and 17th for Haas, while Pascal Wehrlein was 21st despite a late issue.
FP3
The gap between Hamilton and Rosberg at the end of final practice in Russia was just 0.068 seconds, with the two looking to be closely matched ahead of qualifying.
Hamilton's late 1:36.403 was good enough for first place in FP3, but only just. Vettel and Raikkonen were next up, with Massa and Bottas completing the top six for Williams.
Max Verstappen, Button, Sainz and Perez - who was one of several drivers to go off at the end of the back straight - rounded out the top 10. Grip levels remained low, causing plenty of off-track excursions.
Ricciardo, Alonso and Kvyat were 11th, 12th and 13th respectively. Hulkenberg, Gutierrez and Magnussen were next on the timesheets, ahead of Grosjean, Jolyon Palmer, Rio Haryanto, Wehrlein and the Sauber duo.
Qualifying
Rosberg stormed to pole position for the Russian GP, after his Mercedes team-mate Hamilton hit engine problems.
The British driver was unable to take part in Q3 due to the same power unit problem his car suffered in qualifying at the last round in China.
This opened the door for Rosberg to take a clear pole position with a 1:35.417, seven tenths clear of Vettel, who has a gearbox penalty. Bottas was third quickest but will line up on the front row.
Raikkonen was fourth in Q3, ahead of Massa, Ricciardo, Perez, Kvyat, Verstappen and Hamilton, who failed to set a lap. Red Bull's Kvyat just managed to squeeze through to the final session, causing Sainz to be eliminated.
The Toro Rosso driver was joined in the Q2 drop-zone by Button, Hulkenberg, Alonso and the Haas F1 duo of Grosjean - who struggled and went off track several times - and Gutierrez.
The two Renault cars were eliminated in Q1, with Magnussen 17th and Palmer 18th. It was a disappointing session for the team. They were joined in the drop-zone by Felipe Nasr, Wehrlein, Haryanto and Marcus Ericsson in the second Sauber car.
The Race
Rosberg lined up on pole position, with Hamilton in 10th after his qualifying woes. Could the triple world champion fight back?
The revs rose, the lights went out and the 2016 Russian GP got underway. Off the line, Rosberg had a strong start to lead the field down to Turn 2. Raikkonen challenged Bottas and stormed into third, while there was contact between several drivers further back.
Vettel was hit by Kvyat and picked up a puncture. At the back of the field, Gutierrez collided with Hulkenberg and spun the Force India into Haryanto's Manor, with both drivers exiting the race. Vettel was then hit by Kvyat again at Turn 3 and lost control, hitting the wall and retiring.
Kvyat, Ricciardo, Gutierrez and Perez all pitted for repairs at the end of the first lap. The safety car was deployed to clear the debris and cars. Rosberg led Raikkonen, Bottas, Massa and Hamilton behind the Mercedes AMG GT-S. The race resumed at the end of lap three, with Bottas immediately moving ahead of Raikkonen on the run to the second corner.
Behind, Hamilton displaced Massa for fourth and set about chasing down the Ferrari. Rosberg had a three second lead by lap seven, while Raikkonen and the second Mercedes were all over the back of Bottas. Running slightly wide opened the door for Hamilton to move up to third place.
Kvyat and Gutierrez were handed penalties for their actions on the opening lap, the former getting a 10-second stop/go and the latter picking up a drive-through. Hamilton quickly caught up to Bottas but he struggled to make a move. Meanwhile the battling helped Rosberg extend his advantage to 10 seconds on lap 14.
Bottas was the first front-runner to pit on lap 17, going onto the soft compound tyre. Mercedes reacted by stopping Hamilton on the following tour, with the Brit emerging just behind the Williams. However, he made a move and passed Bottas into Turn 2 on the next lap.
Raikkonen eked out his super-soft tyres until lap 21 and exited the pits ahead of Bottas, despite a slightly slow stop. Rosberg was next to change Pirelli compounds and went onto the yellow-marked softs on the following lap. His lead was so great, he managed to pit and return to the track without losing a position.
Sainz picked up a 10-second time penalty for forcing Palmer off track. Things calmed down on track as drivers settled into their second stints. Ricciardo struggled on the medium tyre and was soon caught by Magnussen. Meanwhile Nasr, Kvyat and Wehrlein battled hard for 16th place.
Perez pitted at the end of lap one and stopped for a second time on lap 28, earlier than expected. Nasr was handed a five-second time penalty for cutting the track at the second corner while battling with Wehrlein. Ricciardo ditched the medium compound on the following lap.
The gap between the two Mercedes cars was nine and a half seconds by the 33rd tour of the Sochi Autodrom. Verstappen was the fourth driver to retire after an engine issue, stopping at the second corner on lap 34. Just as Hamilton started to close on Rosberg, he was warned about a potential water pressure issue and dropped back slightly.
The gaps stabilised as the chequered flag approached, with the biggest battles on track being over the final spots in the top 10. Rosberg continued to increase his lead over Hamilton, while Raikkonen and Bottas remained third and fourth. Massa stopped late on to switch to the super-soft tyre with seven laps to go.
Button would have moved ahead of Sainz at the final results anyway, due to the Spaniard's penalty, but he wanted 10th place on merit and overtook the Toro Rosso at the penultimate corner. Ricciardo's recovery resumed by passing Palmer for 12th.
Rosberg crossed the line in first place to win his fourth race of the 2016 season, with Hamilton 25 seconds further back in second. Raikkonen was third for Ferrari, with Bottas and Massa a distant fourth and fifth. Alonso and Button gave McLaren a double points finish with sixth and 10th.
Magnussen scored Renault's first top 10 of the year with seventh, ahead of Grosjean and Perez. Ricciardo was 11th, ahead of Sainz, Palmer, Ericsson, Kvyat, Nasr, Gutierrez and Wehrlein. Both Sainz and Nasr had time penalties for incidents during the race. There were four retirements - Verstappen, Hulkenberg, Haryanto and Vettel.
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| © Red Bull Content Pool |
FP1
Mercedes hit the ground running by setting the pace in first practice for the Russian GP, with Nico Rosberg putting in a 1:38.127.
 |
| © Mercedes |
His team-mate Lewis Hamilton was seven tenths further back, with Sebastian Vettel a further three tenths behind for Ferrari. Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa completed the top five.
The biggest story to emerge from FP1 was Daniel Ricciardo completing a lap with Red Bull's 'aeroscreen' canopy device. The Australian briefly ran the team's cockpit protector before normal service resumed. He finished sixth.
Track conditions were tricky, with a whole host of drivers spinning and taking to the run-off area. Valtteri Bottas, Daniil Kvyat, Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz Jr rounded out the top 10. Sergey Sirotkin and Alfonso Celis Jr replaced race drivers in first practice and were 15th and 22nd.
FP2
Hamilton moved to the front of the field in second practice at the Sochi Autodrom, leading Vettel by six and a half tenths of a second.
 |
| © Mercedes |
While the pace on the super-soft tyre was positive, Vettel lost crucial track time after an electronics problem caused him to miss the final 40 minutes of the session. He also picked up a five-place gearbox change penalty.
Rosberg was third, ahead of Raikkonen, Ricciardo, Bottas, Kvyat, Jenson Button, Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso. Drivers continued to struggle for grip and plenty of mistakes were made.
Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen took over their cars after sitting out of FP1, finishing 13th and 15th respectively. Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez were 16th and 17th for Haas, while Pascal Wehrlein was 21st despite a late issue.
FP3
The gap between Hamilton and Rosberg at the end of final practice in Russia was just 0.068 seconds, with the two looking to be closely matched ahead of qualifying.
 |
| © Mercedes |
Hamilton's late 1:36.403 was good enough for first place in FP3, but only just. Vettel and Raikkonen were next up, with Massa and Bottas completing the top six for Williams.
Max Verstappen, Button, Sainz and Perez - who was one of several drivers to go off at the end of the back straight - rounded out the top 10. Grip levels remained low, causing plenty of off-track excursions.
Ricciardo, Alonso and Kvyat were 11th, 12th and 13th respectively. Hulkenberg, Gutierrez and Magnussen were next on the timesheets, ahead of Grosjean, Jolyon Palmer, Rio Haryanto, Wehrlein and the Sauber duo.
Qualifying
Rosberg stormed to pole position for the Russian GP, after his Mercedes team-mate Hamilton hit engine problems.
 |
| © Mercedes |
The British driver was unable to take part in Q3 due to the same power unit problem his car suffered in qualifying at the last round in China.
This opened the door for Rosberg to take a clear pole position with a 1:35.417, seven tenths clear of Vettel, who has a gearbox penalty. Bottas was third quickest but will line up on the front row.
Raikkonen was fourth in Q3, ahead of Massa, Ricciardo, Perez, Kvyat, Verstappen and Hamilton, who failed to set a lap. Red Bull's Kvyat just managed to squeeze through to the final session, causing Sainz to be eliminated.
The Toro Rosso driver was joined in the Q2 drop-zone by Button, Hulkenberg, Alonso and the Haas F1 duo of Grosjean - who struggled and went off track several times - and Gutierrez.
The two Renault cars were eliminated in Q1, with Magnussen 17th and Palmer 18th. It was a disappointing session for the team. They were joined in the drop-zone by Felipe Nasr, Wehrlein, Haryanto and Marcus Ericsson in the second Sauber car.
The Race
Rosberg lined up on pole position, with Hamilton in 10th after his qualifying woes. Could the triple world champion fight back?
 |
| © Mercedes |
The revs rose, the lights went out and the 2016 Russian GP got underway. Off the line, Rosberg had a strong start to lead the field down to Turn 2. Raikkonen challenged Bottas and stormed into third, while there was contact between several drivers further back.
Vettel was hit by Kvyat and picked up a puncture. At the back of the field, Gutierrez collided with Hulkenberg and spun the Force India into Haryanto's Manor, with both drivers exiting the race. Vettel was then hit by Kvyat again at Turn 3 and lost control, hitting the wall and retiring.
Kvyat, Ricciardo, Gutierrez and Perez all pitted for repairs at the end of the first lap. The safety car was deployed to clear the debris and cars. Rosberg led Raikkonen, Bottas, Massa and Hamilton behind the Mercedes AMG GT-S. The race resumed at the end of lap three, with Bottas immediately moving ahead of Raikkonen on the run to the second corner.
Behind, Hamilton displaced Massa for fourth and set about chasing down the Ferrari. Rosberg had a three second lead by lap seven, while Raikkonen and the second Mercedes were all over the back of Bottas. Running slightly wide opened the door for Hamilton to move up to third place.
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| © Ferrari |
Kvyat and Gutierrez were handed penalties for their actions on the opening lap, the former getting a 10-second stop/go and the latter picking up a drive-through. Hamilton quickly caught up to Bottas but he struggled to make a move. Meanwhile the battling helped Rosberg extend his advantage to 10 seconds on lap 14.
Bottas was the first front-runner to pit on lap 17, going onto the soft compound tyre. Mercedes reacted by stopping Hamilton on the following tour, with the Brit emerging just behind the Williams. However, he made a move and passed Bottas into Turn 2 on the next lap.
Raikkonen eked out his super-soft tyres until lap 21 and exited the pits ahead of Bottas, despite a slightly slow stop. Rosberg was next to change Pirelli compounds and went onto the yellow-marked softs on the following lap. His lead was so great, he managed to pit and return to the track without losing a position.
Sainz picked up a 10-second time penalty for forcing Palmer off track. Things calmed down on track as drivers settled into their second stints. Ricciardo struggled on the medium tyre and was soon caught by Magnussen. Meanwhile Nasr, Kvyat and Wehrlein battled hard for 16th place.
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| © McLaren |
Perez pitted at the end of lap one and stopped for a second time on lap 28, earlier than expected. Nasr was handed a five-second time penalty for cutting the track at the second corner while battling with Wehrlein. Ricciardo ditched the medium compound on the following lap.
The gap between the two Mercedes cars was nine and a half seconds by the 33rd tour of the Sochi Autodrom. Verstappen was the fourth driver to retire after an engine issue, stopping at the second corner on lap 34. Just as Hamilton started to close on Rosberg, he was warned about a potential water pressure issue and dropped back slightly.
The gaps stabilised as the chequered flag approached, with the biggest battles on track being over the final spots in the top 10. Rosberg continued to increase his lead over Hamilton, while Raikkonen and Bottas remained third and fourth. Massa stopped late on to switch to the super-soft tyre with seven laps to go.
Button would have moved ahead of Sainz at the final results anyway, due to the Spaniard's penalty, but he wanted 10th place on merit and overtook the Toro Rosso at the penultimate corner. Ricciardo's recovery resumed by passing Palmer for 12th.
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| © Mercedes |
Rosberg crossed the line in first place to win his fourth race of the 2016 season, with Hamilton 25 seconds further back in second. Raikkonen was third for Ferrari, with Bottas and Massa a distant fourth and fifth. Alonso and Button gave McLaren a double points finish with sixth and 10th.
Magnussen scored Renault's first top 10 of the year with seventh, ahead of Grosjean and Perez. Ricciardo was 11th, ahead of Sainz, Palmer, Ericsson, Kvyat, Nasr, Gutierrez and Wehrlein. Both Sainz and Nasr had time penalties for incidents during the race. There were four retirements - Verstappen, Hulkenberg, Haryanto and Vettel.
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