2019 Russian Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Lewis Hamilton led a Mercedes one-two at the 2019 Russian Grand Prix after Ferrari‘s early advantage disappeared in a dramatic sequence of pit stops and interruptions. Charles Leclerc took third at the Sochi Autodrom, while Sebastian Vettel‘s retirement proved the turning point of the afternoon.

Pole position
Driver	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari
Time	1:31.628
Fastest lap
Driver	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Time	1:35.761 on lap 51
Podium
First	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Second	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes
Third	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
27 September 2019	Practice 1	11:00 – 12:30
27 September 2019	Practice 2	15:00 – 16:30
28 September 2019	Practice 3	12:00 – 13:00
28 September 2019	Qualifying	15:00 – 16:00
29 September 2019	Race	14:10

All times are local (UTC+03:00). The race time is the scheduled start.

Championship background

Ferrari had won the previous three races, but Lewis Hamilton still held a 65-point lead over Valtteri Bottas in the 2019 F1 World Championship. Mercedes had won every Russian Grand Prix since the event joined the calendar in 2014, giving it a strong record to defend.

Race entries

The regular 20-driver line-up remained unchanged. Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso faced power-unit penalties, affecting Max Verstappen, Alexander Albon, Pierre Gasly and Daniil Kvyat, while Robert Kubica also required additional components for his Williams.

Free Practice

Charles Leclerc led FP1 in 1:34.462, with Max Verstappen only 0.082 seconds behind and Sebastian Vettel third. Ferrari began the weekend with the pace that had carried it through the preceding rounds.

Max Verstappen moved to the top in FP2, recording 1:33.162 ahead of Charles Leclerc and Valtteri Bottas. The result suggested Red Bull Racing had competitive speed despite the grid penalties its drivers faced.

Charles Leclerc restored Ferrari to first place in FP3 with a 1:32.733. Sebastian Vettel was second and Lewis Hamilton third. Daniil Kvyat‘s engine failure left Toro Rosso with repairs that prevented him from taking part in qualifying.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2019 Russian Grand Prix FP1, 27 September 2019

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:34.462	20
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.082s	25
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.543s	20
4	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.736s	28
5	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.949s	22
6	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	+1.022s	22
7	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+1.278s	21
8	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	+1.825s	20
9	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	+1.859s	27
10	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+2.054s	23
11	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	+2.061s	28
12	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	+2.076s	25
13	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+2.134s	21
14	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	+2.252s	26
15	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.308s	22
16	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+2.382s	30
17	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.866s	18
18	63	George Russell	Williams	+4.058s	27
19	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	+4.088s	5
20	88	Robert Kubica	Williams	+4.208s	29

Free Practice 2 Classification

2019 Russian Grand Prix FP2, 27 September 2019

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:33.162	29
2	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.335s	33
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.646s	22
4	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.798s	32
5	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+1.039s	32
6	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	+1.809s	26
7	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	+1.836s	31
8	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+1.864s	33
9	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	+2.014s	31
10	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	+2.054s	18
11	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+2.061s	33
12	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	+2.175s	38
13	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+2.189s	26
14	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	+2.208s	28
15	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.212s	34
16	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+2.431s	31
17	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	+2.473s	29
18	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.842s	29
19	63	George Russell	Williams	+3.623s	38
20	88	Robert Kubica	Williams	+4.676s	36

Free Practice 3 Classification

2019 Russian Grand Prix FP3, 28 September 2019

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:32.733	14
2	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.316s	15
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.396s	19
4	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.621s	18
5	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+1.494s	12
6	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+1.575s	17
7	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	+1.638s	21
8	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+1.688s	13
9	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	+1.794s	15
10	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+1.813s	15
11	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	+1.831s	16
12	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	+1.853s	14
13	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	+1.874s	18
14	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.033s	15
15	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	+2.127s	7
16	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	+2.165s	16
17	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	+2.981s	19
18	63	George Russell	Williams	+3.278s	18
19	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	+3.348s	4
20	88	Robert Kubica	Williams	+4.209s	19

Qualifying

Charles Leclerc claimed his fourth consecutive pole with a 1:31.628. Lewis Hamilton split the Ferraris in second, ahead of Sebastian Vettel, while Max Verstappen set the fourth-fastest time before his grid penalty was applied.

Alexander Albon crashed at Turn 13 in Q1 and later had to start from the pit lane after changes to his car. Daniil Kvyat recorded no time, while Carlos Sainz and Nico Hülkenberg produced strong midfield performances. Ferrari had the fastest car over one lap, but Hamilton’s position on the front row kept Mercedes firmly in the contest.

Qualifying Classification

2019 Russian Grand Prix Qualifying, 28 September 2019

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:33.613	1:32.434	1:31.628	18
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:33.230	1:33.134	1:32.030	19
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:33.032	1:32.536	1:32.053	22
4	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:33.368	1:32.634	1:32.310	15
5	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:33.413	1:33.281	1:32.632	18
6	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	1:34.184	1:33.807	1:33.222	20
7	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	1:34.236	1:33.898	1:33.289	15
8	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	1:34.201	1:33.725	1:33.301	20
9	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	1:34.283	1:33.643	1:33.517	19
10	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	1:34.138	1:33.862	1:33.661	18
11	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	1:34.456	1:33.950	—	13
12	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	1:34.336	1:33.958	—	14
13	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:34.755	1:34.037	—	14
14	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	1:33.889	1:34.082	—	13
15	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	1:34.287	1:34.233	—	14
16	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	1:34.840	—	—	8
17	63	George Russell	Williams	1:35.356	—	—	8
18	88	Robert Kubica	Williams	1:36.474	—	—	8
19	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	1:39.197	—	—	4
—	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	No time	—	—	0

Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly both received a five-place grid penalty for exceeding their quota for power unit components.

Robert Kubica was required to start from the back of the grid for exceeding his quota for power unit components.

Alexander Albon initially received a five-place grid penalty for exceeding his quota for power unit components, but due to crashing in qualifying he was required to start the race from the pit lane for changing the floor.

Daniil Kvyat was initially required to start from the back of the grid for exceeding his quota for power unit components, but he did not take part in qualifying and was allowed to race at the stewards’ discretion.

What happened in the 2019 Russian Grand Prix?

Sebastian Vettel used the slipstream on the long run to Turn 2 to move from third into the lead, passing Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. Behind them, contact involving Antonio Giovinazzi, Romain Grosjean and Daniel Ricciardo sent Grosjean into the barriers and brought out an early safety car.

Ferrari had discussed using the tow at the start and restoring Charles Leclerc to the lead afterwards. Sebastian Vettel, however, built a gap and argued that slowing to exchange positions risked allowing Lewis Hamilton closer. The conversation continued over the radio as the Ferraris ran first and second.

Ferrari eventually brought Charles Leclerc in before Sebastian Vettel, giving Leclerc the undercut. Vettel rejoined behind his team-mate, but his race then ended almost immediately with a hybrid-system problem. He stopped on track, triggering a virtual safety car at precisely the moment Mercedes could benefit.

Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas made their pit stops under the reduced-speed conditions. Hamilton emerged in the lead, and a subsequent crash for George Russell brought a full safety car. Ferrari stopped Charles Leclerc again for soft tyres, dropping him behind Bottas into third.

When racing resumed, Lewis Hamilton controlled the front while Valtteri Bottas kept Charles Leclerc behind. The Ferrari driver could not turn his fresh tyres into a pass, and Mercedes completed its first one-two since the British Grand Prix. Hamilton also collected the fastest-lap point.

Max Verstappen finished fourth, with Alexander Albon recovering from the pit lane to fifth. Carlos Sainz took sixth ahead of Sergio Perez, Lando Norris, Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hülkenberg. Magnussen’s five-second penalty for failing to follow the prescribed route after running wide dropped him behind Norris in the final classification.

Lewis Hamilton extended his lead over Valtteri Bottas to 73 points. Ferrari had shown enough speed to threaten another victory, but Vettel’s retirement and the timing of the neutralisations handed Mercedes the decisive opportunity. The team’s unbeaten Russian Grand Prix record remained intact.

2019 Russian Grand Prix race results

The 2019 Russian Grand Prix was held on 29 September 2019, with a scheduled start of 14:10 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	53	1:33:38.992	26
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	53	+3.829s	18
3	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	53	+5.212s	15
4	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	53	+14.210s	12
5	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	53	+38.348s	10
6	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	53	+45.889s	8
7	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	53	+48.728s	6
8	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	53	+57.749s	4
9	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	53	+58.779s	2
10	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	53	+59.841s	1
11	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	53	+60.821s	0
12	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	53	+62.496s	0
13	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	53	+68.910s	0
14	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	53	+70.076s	0
15	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	53	+73.346s	0
Ret	88	Robert Kubica	Williams	28	Withdrew	0
Ret	63	George Russell	Williams	27	Wheel/Accident	0
Ret	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	26	Power loss	0
Ret	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	24	Collision damage	0
Ret	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	0	Collision	0

Lewis Hamilton earned the additional point for fastest lap.

Kevin Magnussen originally finished 8th, but received a five-second time penalty for leaving the track and not re-joining as instructed.

2019 Russian Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	51	15:43:51	1:35.761	219.847
2	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	52	15:45:34	1:36.193	218.860
3	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	50	15:42:19	1:36.316	218.580
4	23	Alexander Albon	Red Bull Racing	50	15:42:51	1:36.762	217.573
5	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	47	15:37:36	1:36.937	217.180
6	55	Carlos Sainz	McLaren	53	15:47:52	1:38.020	214.780
7	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point	49	15:41:22	1:38.043	214.730
8	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	53	15:48:00	1:38.130	214.539
9	26	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	52	15:46:30	1:38.228	214.325
10	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	16	14:42:24	1:38.245	214.288
11	4	Lando Norris	McLaren	52	15:46:26	1:38.301	214.166
12	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	53	15:48:06	1:38.519	213.692
13	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Alfa Romeo Racing	51	15:44:57	1:38.589	213.541
14	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	51	15:44:58	1:38.606	213.504
15	18	Lance Stroll	Racing Point	53	15:48:07	1:38.611	213.493
16	99	Antonio Giovinazzi	Alfa Romeo Racing	51	15:45:02	1:38.696	213.309
17	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Renault	22	14:53:39	1:41.284	207.859
18	63	George Russell	Williams	18	14:46:49	1:41.705	206.998
19	88	Robert Kubica	Williams	24	14:57:29	1:42.327	205.740

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear in this table. Time of Day is local time; average speeds are in km/h.

2019 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings for drivers and teams after the 2019 Russian Grand Prix.

2019 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Lewis Hamilton	GBR	Mercedes	322
2	Valtteri Bottas	FIN	Mercedes	249
3	Charles Leclerc	MON	Ferrari	215
4	Max Verstappen	NED	Red Bull Racing	212
5	Sebastian Vettel	GER	Ferrari	194
6	Pierre Gasly	FRA	Red Bull Racing / Toro Rosso	69
7	Carlos Sainz	ESP	McLaren	66
8	Alexander Albon	THA	Red Bull Racing / Toro Rosso	52
9	Lando Norris	GBR	McLaren	35
10	Daniel Ricciardo	AUS	Renault	34
11	Nico Hulkenberg	GER	Renault	34
12	Daniil Kvyat	RUS	Toro Rosso	33
13	Sergio Perez	MEX	Racing Point	33
14	Kimi Räikkönen	FIN	Alfa Romeo Racing	31
15	Kevin Magnussen	DEN	Haas	20
16	Lance Stroll	CAN	Racing Point	19
17	Romain Grosjean	FRA	Haas	8
18	Antonio Giovinazzi	ITA	Alfa Romeo Racing	4
19	Robert Kubica	POL	Williams	1
20	George Russell	GBR	Williams	0

2019 Post-Race F1 Constructors’ Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Mercedes	571
2	Ferrari	409
3	Red Bull Racing	311
4	McLaren	101
5	Renault	68
6	Toro Rosso	55
7	Racing Point	52
8	Alfa Romeo Racing	35
9	Haas	28
10	Williams	1

2019 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2019 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit , Melbourne	17 March
2	2019 Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	31 March
3	2019 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	14 April
4	2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix	Baku City Circuit, Baku	28 April
5	2019 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Montmeló	12 May
6	2019 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco , Monte Carlo	26 May
7	2019 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles Villeneuve , Montréal	9 June
8	2019 French Grand Prix	Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet	23 June
9	2019 Austrian Grand Prix	Red Bull Ring, Spielberg	30 June
10	2019 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit , Silverstone	14 July
11	2019 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	28 July
12	2019 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring , Mogyoród	4 August
13	2019 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	1 September
14	2019 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza , Monza	8 September
15	2019 Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore	22 September
16	2019 Russian Grand Prix	Sochi Autodrom, Sochi	29 September
17	2019 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	13 October
18	2019 Mexican Grand Prix	Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City	27 October
19	2019 United States Grand Prix	Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas	3 November
20	2019 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace , São Paulo	17 November
21	2019 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix	Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi	1 December