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Norris, Perez and Leclerc worst affected by rain in Russia

12:51, 27 Sep 2021

byGPblog.com

The rainy final stage of the Russian Grand Prix made many happy faces afterwards, but there were also drivers who were closer to tears than to laughter. We made an overview of the drivers who have benefited the most and the least from the cloudburst over the circuit of Sochi.

On lap 46 Max Verstappen tells Gianpiero Lambiase on the radio that it is just starting to drizzle a bit. Carlos Sainz however says half a lap later that Ferrari should get ready for the intermediates. On lap 48 it really starts to rain and that's the moment for many drivers to go get different rubber in the pitlane.

George Russell (eleventh at that moment), Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen are the first who dare to take the gamble, after which Mazepin follows. Then the front of the field passes the pit lane. Lewis Hamilton enters, unlike Lando Norris. Sergio Perez, Fernando Alonso and Charles Leclerc do not go in. Verstappen, Carlos Sainz and Daniel Ricciardo do on lap 49.

Winners and losers in Sochi

Lap 49 would have been the moment to go in. The drivers who did not. Norris, Perez, Leclerc and to a lesser extent Alonso lost a lot of positions and lost a handful of World Championship points because of it. In the overview below the order of finishing is shown within brackets the number of positions gained or lost due to the rain from lap 48.

The biggest winners are Verstappen, Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen. They timed their pitstop perfectly with their team and moved up many positions.

Which drivers benefited or not from the rain?

1. Hamilton (+1)
2. Verstappen (+5)
3. Sainz (+1)
4. Ricciardo (+2)
5. Bottas (+8)
6. Alonso (-1)
7. Norris (-6)
8. Räikkönen (+7)
9. Perez (-6)
10. Russell (+1)
11. Stroll (-1)
12. Vettel (-3)
13. Gasly (-1)
14. Ocon (-2)
15. Leclerc (-7)
16. Giovinazzi (-)
17. Tsunoda (+1)
18. Mazepin (+1)
19. Latifi (-2)
20. Schumacher (DNF)