Russian Grand Prix: Starting grid with penalties applied

The grid for the Russian Grand Prix is as mixed up as you could possibly imagine in the wake of four drivers taking a raft of power unit penalties.

F1 championship leader Max Verstappen will start from 20th at the Sochi Autodrom, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Nicholas Latifi in his Williams just ahead of him.

In a major tactical move, Mercedes has decided to hand Valtteri Bottas a new engine, turbocharger and MGU-H, and from seventh on the grid after qualifying, the Finn drops to 16th.

It is the second race in succession Mercedes has changed PU elements in Bottas' car, doing so for the Italian Grand Prix in which he rose from last on the grid to the podium.

It now remains to be seen how much of a thorn in Verstappen's side Bottas will prove to be as the Dutch driver will be seeking to replicate his charge through the field at this track in 2018 and score points.

On that occasion, Verstappen started 19th due to a PU penalty and finished fifth. Can he do the same again to negate as much as possible the damage Lewis Hamilton could inflict?

With Mercedes playing the tactical card with Bottas, it is over to Hamilton to play his part, with the seven-time champion starting fourth after a remarkable qualifying in which McLaren's Lando Norris claimed pole ahead of Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and George Russell in his Williams.

One other minor penalty to mention is that of a five-place drop for Antonio Giovinazzi, whose Alfa Romeo has taken a new gearbox, although he only officially drops two places behind Bottas and Nikita Mazepin in his Haas.

Here is your full grid...

#F1 - Final Starting Grid for the #RussianGP ⬇ pic.twitter.com/EPwnnLK1mj

— FIA (@fia) September 26, 2021

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