F1: Russian Grand Prix in pictures
Mercedes pilot Valtteri Bottas has won a thrilling Russian Grand Prix, finishing just 0.6 seconds ahead of Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel. It was the first F1 victory of Bottas' career.
Perfect start
Having begun the race third on the grid, Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas immediately took the lead with a superb manoeuvre to take the two Ferrari pilots Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen by surprise. Bottas, starting for Mercedes, kept Vettel at bay in a thrilling finish to seal his first ever F1 victory.
'Worth the wait'
The man who moved to Mercedes to replace retired world champion Nico Rosberg held his nerve to cross the line just 0.6 seconds ahead of Vettel for his maiden victory in 81 attempts. "Took quite a while, huh?," he told his team over the radio.
Vettel disappointed
Germany's Sebastian Vettel had been in pole position after a great performance in qualifying. The four-time winner was left chasing Bottas right from the start and with ten laps to go, looked poised to steal the win. With fresher tires in scorching temperatures, the Ferrari driver cut the lead to just one second at times, but could not find a way past.
Crash course
The safety car was called out on the first lap after Romain Grosjean and Jolyon Palmer crashed. Palmer's Renault car is pictured here being lifted off the track. Four cars failed to make it to lap seven after a chaotic start.
Race wide open
Despite trailing Bottas in Russia, Vettel (pictured left) still leads the way in the overall standings after four races. The German is on 86 points with Hamilton (73) and Bottas (63) hot on his heels.