Qualifying analysis – so near, yet so far for Bottas and Williams
Yet again it was Valtteri Bottas in the Williams who represented Mercedes’ greatest challenge in qualifying in Sochi, where the track’s grip and smoothness ensured minimal tyre degradation. As a result, one-stop strategies look like a distinct possibility for Sunday’s race, especially as the narrowness of the pit lane has led the FIA to reduce the speed limit there to 60km/h. We take a team-by-team look at Saturday’s form in Russia