1 Russian GP 2018: Hamilton Beats Bottas on Pit Strategy Bottas led off pole and Verstappen inherited the net lead from nineteenth on the grid, but every swing on the timing screen in Sochi came from the pit lane rather than the track, and Hamilton was the one still holding it when the chequered flag fell. Race 30 Sep 2018 6 MIN 2 Russian GP 2018: Bottas Beats Hamilton to Pole by 0.145s Valtteri Bottas beat Lewis Hamilton to pole by a tenth and a half at Sochi, while Red Bull chose to abandon the fight before it started. Qualifying 29 Sep 2018 4 MIN