2017 F1 Russian Grand Prix, Round 4 race – Bottas passes both Ferraris at the start for maiden victory

The Russian Grand Prix took place at the Sochi Autodrom on 30 April 2017. Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas started third, passed both Ferraris ahead of him at the start and quickly took the lead. He ultimately beat Sebastian Vettel by 0.617 seconds to claim his first Formula 1 victory.

Vettel started from pole with Kimi Räikkönen alongside him. Bottas seized his opportunity through his reaction at the start and acceleration down the straight, moving to the front before the first corner. Räikkönen held third and Hamilton remained fourth, leaving Ferrari and Mercedes with two cars each in the leading quartet after the opening lap.

The race was scheduled for 53 laps, but Alonso’s McLaren suffered a power problem on the formation lap and stopped beside the track, preventing him from taking the start. The start was consequently delayed and the race shortened to 52 laps. It was another weekend of power-unit trouble for Alonso, who was listed as DNS in the official classification.

Palmer and Grosjean both retired after colliding on the opening lap, prompting a three-lap safety-car intervention. Bottas pulled away again after the restart. Ricciardo retired with a rear-brake problem after completing five laps, leaving Verstappen as Red Bull’s sole remaining points contender.

Around the mid-race pit stops, Ferrari tried to change the pursuit by extending Vettel’s first stint. The pit-stop cycle briefly put Vettel ahead, but Bottas regained the lead once the relevant drivers had changed tyres. Räikkönen remained third, and the battle for victory became a question of whether Vettel could catch the Mercedes over the remaining laps.

Vettel gradually reduced the gap in the latter stages, and Bottas’s advantage briefly narrowed substantially after he locked a tyre at Turn 13. Only a few seconds separated them as they entered the closing phase. Vettel kept up the pressure, but Bottas held his line while defending and negotiating lapped traffic, denying Ferrari a direct overtaking opportunity.

Bottas won in 1 hour 28 minutes 08.743 seconds, with Vettel second, 0.617 seconds behind, and Räikkönen third, 11.000 seconds adrift. Hamilton finished fourth after suffering overheating problems. Verstappen was fifth, followed by Pérez and Ocon in sixth and seventh.

Bottas took his maiden victory on his 81st Grand Prix appearance, also helping Mercedes move ahead of Ferrari in the constructors’ standings. The table below lists all 20 drivers according to the official classification. Ricciardo, Palmer and Grosjean are recorded as retirements, Alonso as a non-starter, and drivers who did not complete the full distance retain their positions according to laps completed.