We’re just five races away from crowning the 2015 Formula One champion, and there seems to be no letting up from current leader Lewis Hamilton. However, the upcoming Russian Grand Prix – only in its second running – has proven to be quite a nuance to Hamilton and Team Mercedes.
Can any of the other drivers, like Hamilton’s fellow Silver Arrow racer Nico Rosberg, put a dent into the Brit’s seemingly insurmountable lead and make a late run for the title at season’s end? Let’s take a closer look at the top drivers heading into Sochi Autodrom this Saturday.
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2015 Russian Grand Prix Preview
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Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
A 48-point lead over the next racer in the drivers’ standings has Lewis Hamilton sitting pretty in the top spot. And race after race, the chances of him falling from the summit becomes more and more unlikely.
[sc:Other240banner ]Not counting his retirement from the Singapore Grand Prix this September, Hamilton has won all three of his past races and has eight first-place finishes out of 14 events for the year. Furthermore, the Singapore GP and his sixth-place finish at Spa in July are the only two races this season where Mercedes’ golden boy has failed to reach the podium.
It would take an epic collapse on Hamilton’s part and superb performances for the remainder of the year for the next two names on this list for the two-time F1 World Champion to fall from grace.
Strong word yet again from Nico Rosberg, Hamilton’s fellow Mercedes cohort, who has played second-fiddle to the Silver Arrows’ main attraction for what seems like forever now. And Similar to Hamilton, the 30-year-old German has made it to the podium in 12 times this season, including a nice bounce-back win at the Japanese GP just this past Sunday.
With just five rounds left for the season, the desperation within Rosberg should add fuel to the fire of his eternal clamoring of becoming the head honcho when all is said and done, especially since he’s been pegged as the season runner-up for the past two years.
Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
A deserving win at the Singapore Grand Prix and a solid fourth-place finish at Suzuka still has Sebastian Vettel well-within shouting distance of Rosberg’s second-place spot, trailing by just 11 points.
Gaining ground on Mount Hamilton may be too little, too late, but Ferrari’s top dog can still count on some reliability issues from the Mercedes crew to possible make a surprising comeback in the standings. Vettel even has three wins for the season to boot, making him a threat on any given race day.
Sleepers
Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
The soon-to-be 36-year-old Kimi Raikkonen’s days of glory may be well behind him, but he still puts his best effort into every race. In the 11 races this season that he has not retired in, Raikonnen had finished in the top 10 in all of them.
And although he only has two podium finishes this year, the track in Sochi is just in its second year in F1 competition, which could have the crafty veteran pull off a surprise win to teach the current stars a thing or two about how to adapt with unfamiliar courses.
Valtteri Bottas (Williams)
There’s still a lot more fight left in Valtteri Bottas, who just overtook his fellow Williams teammate Felipe Massa for fifth-place in the drivers’ standings behind three-straight top 5 finishes in September.
And while the Finnish has basically just been hovering around the border of the top 5 in almost every race this season, there’s still no irrefutable reason why we shouldn’t counting out Bottas, who’s still hankering for his first career win in 53 tries, to come out on top in Sochi this weekend.
Long Shot – Daniil Kvyat (Red Bull)
Daniil Kvyat’s 2015 has not been one to marvel by any measure, but the 21-year-old Russian sensation may just pull off a huge upset in front of his motherland. His average finish position of 7.83 (sans his retirement in China in April) for the season shows that he is on the up-and-up as one of the F1 circuit’s future stars.
But as much as he’d want to put on a show for his home country, last year’s result is not too comforting for those who want to take a shot at the youngster. He laid a big egg at the inaugural run in Sochi last season, finishing in just 14th place.
2015 Formula One Drivers’ Standings
Rank
Driver
Constructor
Points
1
Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes
277
2
Nico Rosberg
Mercedes
229
3
Sebastian Vettel
Ferrari
218
4
Kimi Raikkonen
Ferrari
119
5
Valtteri Bottas
Williams
111
6
Felipe Massa
Williams
97
7
Daniel Ricciardo
Red Bull
73
8
Daniil Kvyat
Red Bull
66
9
Romain Grosjean
Lotus
44
10
Sergio Perez
Force India
39
2015 Constructor Standings
Rank
Constructor
Points
1
Mercedes
506
2
Ferrari
337
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Upcoming Races
Race Number
Date
Race
16
October 25
United States Grand Prix
17
November 1
Mexican Grand Prix
18
November 15
Brazilian Grand Prix
19
November 29
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Writer’s Prediction
There’s no stopping Hamilton as he goes on to win his ninth race of the season.
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