F1 Russian Grand Prix, 2019: 5 Talking Points

#4 Honda engine feeling the heat

All four Honda-powered cars undertook penalties making for a difficult race

The Red Bull Racing drivers Max Verstappen and Alexander Albon were already on the back foot because they began the race down in ninth place and from the pit-lane respectively. While they made a resurgence through the field, buoyed by two virtual safety cars and a safety car, they never managed to bring the fight to the leaders.

However, they easily picked off other drivers one by one to finish fourth and fifth. Verstappen jumped ahead of Romain Grosjean before the VSC came out, halting his progress momentarily. Later, he went hunting for the McLaren drivers and Nico Hülkenberg to finish the race 14 seconds behind Lewis Hamilton.

The Toro Rosso drivers, meanwhile, were caught up in a fight between themselves for the most of the Grand Prix, with Albon too being in the mix for a while. Pierre Gasly and Danil Kvyat kept swapping positions as neither was ready to relent.

Their pit wall surely had their hearts in their mouths as the two barely managed to avoid a collision. Despite providing entertainment, they finished outside the points.