SOCHI REVIEW BY BEN STEVENS
Equally fascinating was the all-round
dismal weekend for Bottas’ teammate Lewis
Hamilton, who arguably was the most “off
his game” of any race in his Mercedes career.
Whether it was struggling with rear grip,
brake temperature or what, he couldn’t touch the
Ferraris, let alone his teammate. This is one he’ll
probably want to forget, although that shouldn’t
be hard when he’s probably got a hotel room full
of Russian supermodels.
A few quick hits:
Daniel Ricciardo wasn’t kidding when he
called Sochi Red Bull’s “bogey” track. Max
Verstappen’s P5 was all they could muster, that
after he suffered a pre-race water leak, while
Ricciardo’s race finished prematurely with his
brakes more overcooked than Christmas lunch
at my grandma’s place. Forget wings, Red Bull
need a defibrillator if they’re to get back in the
constructor’s battle.
Nico Hulkenberg getting 40 laps out of his
ultrasoft tyres seems a bit much, no? Is it possible
the Pirellis are too durable?
Jolyon Palmer. Nuff said.
I’m not sure what’s more impressive – that
McLaren-Honda keep finding new ways to
embarrass themselves, or Fernando Alonso keeps
finding new levels of misery. I’m sure it’ll all be
fine by 2018 for Sauber, right? RIGHT???
Anyway, onto Barcelona we go, and with it
the first round of major updates to the cars. Sochi
may not have been exactly a thriller, but it’s only
served to heighten a 2017 season that is already
shaping up to be a corker.