F1 Russian Grand Prix 2015: Mercedes seal Constructors' Championship as Kimi Raikkonen hit with 30-second penalty

Raikkonen hit Valterri Bottas on the final lap and dropped from fifth to eighth which gave Mercedes their second straight Constructors' Chmapionship

Mercedes celebrate after Lewis Hamilton wins the Russian Grand Prix (Getty Images)

Mercedes have clinched a second consecutive Constructors’ Championship after Lewis Hamilton won the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi after the race result went to the stewards.

Hamilton eased to victory ahead of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel in a race that was twice interrupted by the safety car, with the first occurring on the opening lap after crash involving Nico Hulkenberg, Marcus Ericsson and Max Verstappen and the second after a heavy accident for Lotus’ Romain Grosjean.

Mercedes went into the race knowing they could clinch the constructors’ title if they bettered Ferrari’s haul by three points or more. However, Hamilton’s teammate and nearest championship rival, Nico Rosberg, was forced to retire early in the race due to a throttle failure, and with Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen coming home in second and fifth respectively the constructors’ battle looked to be heading to at least the next race in the United States at the end of the month.

However, Raikkonen crashed into the Williams of Valterri Bottas on the final lap moments after they had both passed Sergio Perez in a Force India on much older tyres in a battle for third. With Bottas forced to retire and Raikkonen’s Ferrari damaged, Perez reassumed the position and came home for a fantastic rostrum finish for the team.

The stewards immediately began looking into the incident between Raikkonen and Bottas, while the calculators came out to determine that in the event of a penalty he would have to drop to at least eighth for Mercedes to claim the championship.

Lewis Hamilton celebrates victory in the Russian Grand Prix (Getty Images)

After two hours of deliberation, the news came through that Raikkonen had been hit with a 30-second time penalty, dropping the Finn to eighth and giving Mercedes the required result to retain their constructors’ crown.

McLaren also suffered at the hands of the stewards, as their double-points finish was taken away from them with Fernando Alonso receiving a five-second time penalty for exceeding track limitations. The result saw the Spaniard drop out of tenth place and behind Toro Rosso’s Max Verstappen, although teammate Jenson Button held on to his ninth-place finish.