Verstappen on the back foot with three-place grid-drop as Hamilton looks to capitalise at the Russian Grand Prix

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After Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton collided once more, this time at the Italian Grand Prix, the Red Bull driver was punished by the stewards with a grid-drop ahead of this weekend’s Russian Grand Prix at the Sochi Autodrom.

The two championship protagonists collided at Monza as the duo ran side by side on the way down to turn one. Verstappen jumped over the sausage kerb and landed on Hamilton’s car as the duo retired from the race.

After the incident, the duo were summoned to the steward’s office with the Red Bull driver penalised with a three-place grid penalty for the upcoming race weekend at Sochi.

With the Italian Grand Prix one to forget for the two front runners, it was a different story for Daniel Ricciardo and McLaren.

The Australian driver capitalised on Verstappen starting the race from the dirty side of the grid as he took the lead of the race at turn one.

From that point onwards, Ricciardo was unchallenged as he crossed the line first to claim his first victory for his new team. McLaren completed a fantastic one-two with Lando Norris finishing second and Valtteri Bottas completing the rostrum after he made his way up to third from 19th on the grid.

This weekend will be another new challenge for the teams as Sochi provides unpredictability but is a Mercedes dominated circuit.

Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Bottas are the only three drivers that have won the Russian Grand Prix with the seven-time world champion appearing on the top step of the podium on four occasions.

Last year’s race was won by Valtteri Bottas as a series of penalties, due to practice starts, saw Hamilton out of contention for the race victory.

This time around, providing he stays out of trouble, the Brit could be on course to winning the race at Sochi and regaining his championship but it won’t be easy as Verstappen will look to make his way through the field after he serves his grid penalty.

Top 10 Predictions

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1. Valtteri Bottas

Bottas will be brimming with confidence after his spectacular weekend at Monza last time out. As he nears the end of his Mercedes career, the Finn will look to secure his third victory at the Sochi Autodrom, and after battling his teammate throughout the race, he will come across the line first to claim his 10th F1 win.

2. Lewis Hamilton

His clash with Verstappen was less than ideal but the seven-time world champion will look to bounce back and finish ahead of the Dutchman to put more pressure onto his young championship contender. Hamilton needs to capitalise on the Red Bull man’s grid drop to claw his way closer to the top of the drivers’ standings.

3. Max Verstappen

A grid penalty will not help his cause but a podium finish must be the aim for Verstappen. It is another track where it is hard to overtake, however, the Dutchman will look to make the best of a bad situation in securing third-place.

4. Lando Norris

The McLaren man has been a consistent performer throughout the season and a one-two finish for the team at Monza was a sign of the ongoing progress at the Woking-based outfit. Norris will battle for the podium as he looks to claim another trophy and continue his battle for third in the championship.

5. Daniel Ricciardo

It was a glorious weekend for Ricciardo at Monza as he won his first race since the Monaco Grand Prix back in 2018. The Aussie driver has finally unlocked his race-winning potential and regular points finishes must be the aim from now on.

6. Carlos Sainz

Another driver that has performed well at his new team is Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard has been consistently in the points and he’ll need to back teammate Leclerc as they continue their battle with McLaren for third-place in the constructors’ championship.

7. Sebastian Vettel

After missing out on the points in Monza, Vettel will look to score his first points finish since the very short Belgian Grand Prix. The German is a confirmed Aston Martin driver for 2022 but he needs to prove to the team owners why it was the right decision after only four points finishes this season.

8. Fernando Alonso

The Spaniard will be in the points once more as he surpasses his eclipses his points tally from 2018 with a handful of races to go. Alonso has been inside the top 10 in the last two rounds and he will look to make it three-in-a-row as he hopes to finish the season on a positive note.

9. Esteban Ocon

Ocon has been another consistent driver, and especially after his Hungarian Grand Prix win, a lot of fans have noticed that. After his points-scoring draught at the start of the season, the Frenchman has hit top form and points finish is inevitable.

10. Charles Leclerc

Leclerc and Ferrari are locked in a tight battle with McLaren, and after their fantastic Italian Grand Prix, the Maranello-based team have fallen behind. The Monegasque driver will finish 10th after his grid-drop forces him into a charge through the field.

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