Russian GP – Mercedes makes it 2-2 with Bottas, a "sweet" defeat for Vettel and Ferrari [VIDEO]

Only on the podium did the impassive clay pigeon shooting enthusiast Valtteri Bottas break into a shy smile, as if he had freed himself from a pain he had brought with him from Bahrain, where he had been condemned to step aside several times in name of the "reason of State". In two weeks the Mercedes Finn, who arrived in the paddock in Sochi with a dark face and the label of second driver, unexpectedly reversed the situation, interpreting the narrow Russian curves and straights much better than the dull Lewis Hamilton.

The Nordic big jaw won the GP at the start, exploiting all the power of the Mercedes engine; an excellent starting point, which allowed him to overtake the two reds and fly towards the first solo of his career, with a race controlled by a veteran. Always an excellent "long-distance runner", Bottas if anything lacks the imagination of a champion, but once in the lead he demonstrated that he knows how to coolly handle even the return of an indomitable Vettel. The world turned upside down, with Mercedes forced to celebrate the 2-2 draw against Ferrari with the "precarious" driver, the wingman with the contract already expiring, discovering however that the young man from Nastola has an unexpected hunger for victory.

Sochi was supposed to be a Mercedes track, all about engines, but instead for long stretches of the weekend it seemed like the hunting ground of a Ferrari that was once again very fast and perfect in traction. Since Friday, the Red has shown itself to be perfectly at ease among the sharp curves of this anomalous semi-city circuit. Unmatched in tire use, with Vettel and Raikkonen both on the ball. Mercedes, however, was unable to immediately get in tune with the track, even paying in qualifying, with an all-red front row that made one think of a Sunday of bells in Maranello. The SF70H was overall the best car on the track, Vettel finished in the wake of Bottas and Raikkonen excellent third with the fastest lap. The Cavallino, overlooked at the start by Bottas, wasted a wonderful opportunity to send a disruptive message to the world championship, but the defeat has never had a sweet aftertaste like this time, which could be seen in the smiles of Sebastian Vettel himself.

It can happen - especially on tracks where races are decided at the start because it is then impossible to overtake - losing a race, especially against a Mercedes that until a few months ago was hoarding one-two finishes. This is why the six points earned over Lewis Hamilton's faded stunt double are pure gold. While Vettel strengthened his world leadership, honoring it with an attacking race, trying to win at all costs, the Anglo-Caribbean challenger ran into one of his existential crises, when he lost his bearings and let himself go, amidst mistakes driving (many, too many for someone like him), lack of trust in the team (my car doesn't go like his, a classic), set-up problems and nerves on edge. Thus leaving room for an old and recurring doubt: that of a Hamilton with probably unique talent, but also a fragile champion, often insecure, prone to dangerous blackouts.

Lewis was loudly and boldly asking for an equal challenge with Vettel. Instead, he risks finding a new "Rosberg" at home, another driver capable of beating him and reducing a greatness that goes by fits and starts, like a light that goes intermittently, while Vettel's star shines without interruption, charismatic, fast , mocked yet smiling in Russia, aware of the enormous potential of the package at his disposal. There are defeats that are half victories, the ball now returns to midfield, for the Barcelona round, where Ferrari flew in the winter tests, but where the most important match will be played on the development front. We'll see some good ones.

Antonino Rendina

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