F1 2016 Russian Grand Prix - Race Chart and Driver Battlemaps

From the perspective of race winner ROS, the on-track race history chart shows a relatively straighforward race, other than having to cope with traffic around lap 30 and then again from laps 43 to 46 or so.

There chart also shows a significant battle for 7th place throughout the race.

Despite a miserable Saturday, HAM got the opportunity to battle with the Williams of BOT and the Ferrari of RAI for the first third of the race, before getting passed BOT and breaking clear of RAI. Around lap 35 he look as if he might be able to make gains on ROS, but then ROS managed to pull away again, other than when he got caught in traffic.

RAI started to make a comeback towards the end of the race bit was never going to be a real threat...

Or was he? From RAI's perspective, the race looks as if it could have ben on - if only it had been a bit longer!

Second place on the grid BOT was never going to be able to keep ROS honest, although he did manage to fend off HAM for most of the first twenty laps, but then he lost out to both HAM and RAI, with RAI pulling away into the distance at a rate of knots from lap 40. Behind, teammate MAS could make no ground for the middle third of the race, and then fell further back over the last laps.

Indeed, for the last to thirds of the race, MAS was largely on his own...

ALO doesn't look as if he has much chance to race once he managed to pull away from GRO. VES was pulling away with ease ahead until his race came to an unfortunate end. 

MAG had quite an eventful race - after an early battle with GRO, with PAL fighting and then falling of behind, MAG took the place from GRO and began to chase down RIC at a rate of knots. After 5 laps of close fighting, MAG took the position but then failed to make any further progress against ALO a few seconds further up the road, whilst still having to fend off GRO behind.

After and early battle with ALO ahead and MAG behind, ALO pulled ahead to leave GRO still having to defend himself from MAG, and then losing out, spending the remaining 35 laps just out of DRS range ahead, and PER nipping at his heels behind.

PER certainly got a lot of close fought racing in throughout the day; caught between RIC and GUT for the first few laps, he then battled to get passed BUT whilst WEH and then ERI fell off behind. Passing BUT, all he could do was see MAS pull away ahead, but then following a brief battle with SAI he got stuck in a sandwich with GRO ahead and SAI behind, with last few laps free of an immediate threat from behind as SAI fell off and his place taken by BUT.

SAI's start to the race saw his wing mirrors filled with the likes of NAS and BUT, as PAL managed to pull away ahead, only to be pulled back in and passed a few laps later. SAI then got caught in a range of tussles with GRO, PER and BUT, and ended his race with everything falling away as BUT pulled away and RIC started to charge him down from behind.

BUT was back in the thick of the midfield, fending off WEH to start as he fought to pass NAS ahead, then challenging SAI as PER took over the offensive behind. The middle of the race saw him charge down, and pass, PAL, before getting stuck behind SAI until SAI's race went off in the last 5 laps.

Although fighting with various cars ahead for the first 10 laps, ERI spent the first 20 laps fending of RIC behind. After being passed by ALO midway through the race, there was no-one to focus on ahead, but there was RIC on a charge from behind, who then continued to charge on ahead. Behind, KVY posed no threat, but the race was on the last few laps as PAL looked increasingly like he could be caught.

 

I'm not sure how much RIC was grinning, but I can imagine his teeth were gritted as he chased ERI for two thirds of the race, and then cut down and passed PAL at the end of the race. Behind, MAG was held off for a few laps after charging from behind mid-race, and in the final third, ERI could only go backwards behind.

After a close convoy ahead and behind at the start of the race, VAN had some chances at chasing and cutting down cars ahead, first GUT and then WEH. Following a brief mid-race battle with NAS, the rest of the race was spent watching his mirrors as the leading cars came up to lap him.

(All the above readings are based  solely on what's depicted in the charts.)