Lewis Hamilton Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix Champion
Britain's Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) won his 100th Formula One world championship victory on Sunday in the Russian Grand Prix at Sochi, reclaiming the lead in the drivers' standings after a thrilling race that ended in rain.
Hamilton, the 7-time world champion, dropped Max Verstappen from the top of the drivers' standings after the Red Bull Honda driver came second, while Spaniard Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) snatched third place.
A few laps before the end of the race, Briton Lando Norris (McLaren-Mercedes) was in front of Hamilton, but the McLaren driver preferred to stick to the softer tyres, which led him to exit more than once on the track and thus finish the race in a disappointing seventh place.
The Mercedes team has continued its dominance at the Sochi circuit since 2014, as Hamilton imposed himself 5 times compared to once to his former teammate, German World Champion Nico Rosberg (2014) and twice to the current Finnish Valtteri Bottas (2017 and 2020).
In turn, Verstappen competed in the 15th round out of 22 in the World Championship and is at the top of the standings, 5 points ahead of his direct chaser Hamilton (226.50 compared to 221.50), but he started the race from the last line, penalized, after his team's decision to replace his engine.
