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
Hadjar explains what makes Verstappen such a tough driver
What is the weather forecast for the Bahrain Grand Prix?
What time is the 2026 Bahrain GP and how can I watch it?
Why there’s still hope for Russell in the 2026 title race
Facts, stats and trivia ahead of the 2026 Bahrain GP
Where does Russell’s Baku win rank in the closest F1 finishes?