Hamilton slip aids Bottas

A RARE mistake by Lewis Hamilton allowed his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas to take pole position for the Russian Grand Prix.

Hamilton appeared on course to claim the 80th pole of his career at the Sochi Autodrom. But the British driver, three tenths up on his team-mate in the opening sector on his final hot run, ran wide at the right-handed seventh turn and was forced to abort his lap.

Hamilton finished 0.145 seconds down on Bottas while Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, 40 points behind Hamilton in the championship race, qualified a distant third.