Lando Norris took a sensational maiden pole position in Sochi for the Russian Grand Prix – and though he was delighted, he did say this was the one circuit at which he'd perhaps prefer not to start from P1.
That's because of the very long run off the line down to Turn 2 – the first real braking zone on the track, and we saw why he was worried on the opening lap of the race when Ferrari's Carlos Sainz managed to slipstream Norris and nip ahead of him into the corner to take the lead of the race.
See how he did it in our race start replay video above – and see how Lewis Hamilton, who started fourth, dropped down the order, as well as Lance Stroll's lightning launch from seventh.
And tap here to follow the latest action from the race in our live blog.
Next Up
Related Articles
UnlockedHow an unraced Newey McLaren compares to Aston Martin’s car
Norris, Piastri and Fornaroli in action for McLaren at Portimao
Why Norris thinks he’s driving better than in his title season
UnlockedAsk Max Verstappen a question in our exclusive reader Q&A
Our writers reflect on the 2026 season so far
How F1 drivers recharge over the summer break