Sochi: British Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) emerged victorious on Sunday at the Russian Grand Prix, extending his overall lead.
Mercedes extended its winning streak at the 5.848-kilometer Sochi Autodrom to six triumphs in as many races, since the return of the Russian GP to the F1 calendar in 2014, Efe news reported.
"It's incredible to have this result today given how fast (Ferrari) were off the start. It was hard just to keep up," Hamilton said after the race.
Mercedes' Fin driver, Valtteri Bottas, came in second, a spot ahead of Ferrari's other driver Charles Leclerc who completed the podium despite starting the race from pole.
Five-time world champion Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari), who started the race from P3 behind Hamilton, had to retire from the race in lap 28 due to a mechanical issue that came up just after his pit stop.
It was an unlikely one-two win for Mercedes this year in Sochi, as the German team's two drivers were not in the lead in the early going of the race nor Saturday's qualification.
It was the Ferrari duo who took the lead since the opening lap, with Vettel in first spot and Leclerc in second, ahead of Hamilton and Bottas.
At the outset it looked like the Scuderia was going to achieve the Italian team's fourth successive F1 race this one season, a rare event indeed.