Valtteri Bottas emerged victorious in the 2017 Formula One Russian Grand Prix. The event marked the second win of Mercedes AMG Petronas this season and the Finn’s first win in his F1 career. Bottas overcame four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari who was expected to win the race following his impressive showing during the practices in Sochi and in the qualifying race wherein he landed the pole position. Three-time world champion Lewis Hamilton sadly fell in the fourth place, failing to overtake the veteran and 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari. Bottas was elated in his triumphant finish after more than 80 career starts. His fellow drivers showed strong support in his achievement too. Vettel, despite being foiled by Williams’ Felipe Massa from a potential victory in the final leg of the race, congratulated Bottas and told in an interview, “He is the man of the race today.” On the other hand, the Finn’s partner, Hamilton, shook hands with him and both shared a hug. Bottas time in the race was 1:28:08.743. Vettel followed in 0.617 seconds. Raikkonen was 11 seconds behind the winner while Hamilton fell behind his teammate by 36.32 seconds. Vettel remains the leader in the 2017 F1 Driver Standings after the Russian GP with 86 points. Hamilton is second with 73 points. Bottas increases the gap between him and Raikkonen with his 63 points compared to his countryman’s 49 points. The fifth position belongs to Red Bull’s rising star Max Verstappen who has 35 points. For now, Ferrari and Mercedes each has two wins this season. The change in landscape is certainly a major treat to fans as the races are no longer just fought between two drivers with the same team, which was exactly the case since Mercedes started its dominance in the sport in 2014.
