Lewis Hamilton crashes into pit wall and damages car as Lando Norris takes shock pole for Russian Grand Prix
LANDO NORRIS took his first ever Formula One pole position at the Russian GP after a nightmare session for Lewis Hamilton.
The young Brit will start on the front row alongside Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz with George Russell third on the grid for Williams.
Hamilton made a costly mistake as he hit the pit-lane wall during Q3 as he starts fourth on the grid.
Torrential rain eased in Sochi and as the session progressed the track dried out in the dying minutes of Q3.
As the field dived into the pits for dry tyres, Hamilton clipped the pit-lane wall putting himself and Mercedes on the back foot.
The mid-field pounced on his error as Norris, Sainz and Russell dramatically improved their times.
Hamilton was struggling to get heat into his tyres and as he pushed on his final lap, he spun out and bumped the barriers.
A dejected Hamilton said: “Twice in the wall… that’s very rare for me.
“I’m really sorry to all the team because that’s not what you expect from a champion.”
Russian GP - Top 10
1) Norris
2) Sainz
3) Russell
4) Hamilton
5) Ricciardo
6) Alonso
7) Bottas
8) Stroll
9) Perez
10) Ocon
Norris continued McLaren’s stunning form in Sochi after he finished second behind his teammate Daniel Ricciardo who took the team’s first win since 2010 at the Italian GP.
After clinching pole, Norris said: “Oh boy. It feels amazing. Manic session. We made the decision to go slicks, you never think you will get pole until you get it. Extremely happy, big thanks to the team. They have done an amazing job.
“It was tough. I am going to make myself sound good but it was tricky. The lap before I was two seconds down and I was not confident we would improve. I kept the tyres warm, I risked quite a bit but it paid off.
“We are in the best position we can be in. I am happy, it is my first pole position and hopefully the first of many.”
