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• Lewis Hamilton is on pole for today's Russian GP.
• The championship leader is poised for the victory.
• Daniel Ricciardo has an putside chance of finishing on the podium.
• For more motoring stories, go to www.Wheels24.co.za
Today, 27 September, the 2020 edition of the Russian Grand Prix is on upon us.
The race, staged around the facilities that hosted the 2014 Olympics, will take place in front of a spectator total of 30 00, and it is predicted that Mercedes-AMG's Lewis Hamilton will walk to a record-equaling 91st F1 victory.
Here are a few of our predictions for the race.
Winner: Lewis Hamilton
Hamilton has been in a class of his own in 2020. Apart from the stumble in Austria when he tangled with Red Bull's Alex Albon, he's been pretty consistent and always in podium contention. Heck, he has won the most number of races of any driver this year.
During the practice sessions, it seemed as if Valtteri Bottas would get the better of his illustrious team mate during qualifying (and the race), but Hamilton turned the tables and took pole position with style and class.
With Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and Bottas behind him, Hamilton only has to keep these two men behind him, and victory is sure to be his. And with it, he will equal Michael Schumacher on the most number of wins in F1.
Podium finishers
Verstappen has had a bad run of races the last few outings. It would seem, though, that he can turn his fortunes around and register another strong result. If he can stay ahead of Bottas over the opening laps, he is in prime position to secure second place behind Hamilton.
Bottas, though, can also 'reclaim' second place from Verstappen; provided he does not stuff his start again like he's done so many times before in 2020.
Two wild cards for a podium finish is Sergio Perez (Racing Point) and Daniel Ricciardo (Renault). In Ricciardo's case, he's been on the pace throughout Friday and came close to starting the race from the second row on the grid. Perez, driving a car that lacks the team's most recent updates, is on his way out, but will want to prove something to other teams looking for a new driver in 2021.
