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With only 6 races to go for the completion of what has once again been a tumultuous F1 season, we are hours away from the start of the 2018 Russian Grand Prix with the qualifying results having been announced.
With 20 cars going all out in a bid to notch up some competitive positions on the grid it's all to play for, at Sochi, the home to the Russian Grand Prix, for round 15 of the 2018 F1 season.
In what'll be an exciting run at Sochi, a track where Ferrari have been denied a win ever since the Russian Grand Prix featured on the roster again, it remains to be seen what Vettel and his Ferrari teammate can do, given that the Mercs have locked out the front row?
Having said that, let's quickly dive into some predictions for the race.
Bottas wins ahead of Hamilton
One reckons, there's something special about Sochi that appeals to the character of Mercedes' famous Finn, Valtteri Bottas.
Last year, Bottas was the winner at Sochi. And this year, he's secured another pole, which is, his second of the year.
Interestingly, while Bottas has finished three-tenths of a second behind Hamilton in every single qualifying run ever since the resumption of the season, post the summer break, for a refreshing change the calm driver has put his Mercedes ahead of his teammate.
The prediction for 2018 Russian Grand Prix is that he'll win the race ahead of Hamilton and Vettel and will finally break the unceremonious jinx of having not won a single race until now. This will be one of the rare races where Hamilton, a usual figure at the front of the grid would have to settle for a second- is that lowly for his standards- while Vettel would do no better than third, having not really gone flat out in the qualifying.
Alonso shall set the fastest lap
Back in 2017, at the Hungaroring, it was Fernando Alonso who set the fastest lap, that too in a recalcitrant and barely drivable McLaren. There are certain things that only 'El Nino' can do.
Having said that, at Sochi, which will be Alonso's final appearance at the Russian Grand Prix, he will excite fans by setting the fastest lap of the race, breaking the previous lap record and that too, in the penultimate lap.
In so doing, Alonso will astonish his critics who've bemoaned his presence in a dubious car and also finish inside the top ten.
Max will finish inside top five for a strong finish on his bday
Birthday boy Max Verstappen and the future teammate of Pierre Gasly will collect a handy fifth, despite being constricted right at the start.
In so doing, the Flying Dutch will battle amazingly with the likes of the Racing Point Force India and the two Haas and Renault' to collect a valuable finish at Sochi where he hasn't even been close to the podium as far as the last 2 races go.
Raikkonen will register a DNF
The Iceman, who's registered a podium finish consecutively at Putin-land ever since the Russian Grand Prix of 2016 will undergo a mechanical fault in that underwhelming Ferrari of his.
This will be Raikkonen's second heartbreak since the fiasco witnessed earlier at Spa-Francorchamps.
What'll also not help Kimi's fortunes would be that his place on the Driver's Standings' will take a beating and he will be left with the onerous task of reclaiming the third position from Bottas that he'd yielded at the conclusion of the Singapore Grand Prix.
If not a mechanical DNF, Raikkonen will suffer from a collision which would sadly have nothing to do with him being at fault.
Ocon will prove he's worth the salt by grabbing a sixth or seventh
Last year, driving in only his maiden Russian Grand Prix, French driver Esteban Ocon collected a feisty seventh.
This year, he'll either finish on seventh or collect a respectable sixth. The reason to believe that is because he's already starting from sixth.
In so doing, going fast as he possibly can, while battling the likes of Hulkenberg and Max, Ocon will prove to the F1 paddock that just how big a mistake is everyone making by not signing him for the next season.
