Since the inception of the Russian Grand Prix in 2014, Mercedes reigned supreme and taken home the checkered flag at every race, with four-time winner Lewis Hamilton being the most successful driver.

And fans were surely expecting yet another victory for the Briton at Sochi Autodrom. With Max Verstappen starting from the pits, Hamilton would’ve been full of confidence to win the race and regain his lead in the drivers’ championship. But so far, things are not going the Knight’s way.

The seven-time world champion had a crash-stricken practice and qualifying session at the Russian GP; he made several mistakes this weekend, which even cost him the pole position for the race.

And now, Hamilton will be starting from a rather unusual second row of the grid, behind a set of young aggressive drivers; one of them being his soon-to-be-teammate, George Russell, as well.

Hence, there is a significant probability that Hamilton will involve himself in another mishap on Sunday, as most of the drivers ahead of him have pretty much nothing to lose and will most likely defend their life out against Hamilton.

But, before that, let’s do a recap on the Briton’s poor outing in Russia so far.

Watch Story: From Shocking Lewis Hamilton Crash to Ferrari Pit Stop Blunder: Most Sensational Moments in Bahrain GP History

Lewis Hamilton knocked down Mercedes crew member in FP2

Mercedes duo dominated the Friday free practice sessions, finishing 1-2 in both the sessions. Valtteri Bottas, who opted for a new power unit at Monza, shone yet again at Sochi after topping both the sessions.

Unfortunately, Lewis failed to top his Finnish teammate’s lap times and will now start from P4.

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Apart from the Mercedes duo tussle, the Russian GP practice will also be remembered for a pitlane incident involving Hamilton.

During FP2, Lewis Hamilton entered the pit lane a bit too fast and hit the front jack holder. The seven-time world champion forgot to switch off the ‘magic brake’ and send the Mercedes crew member flying as he prepared to lift up the Silver Arrows car.

Disappointing qualifying session from Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton, who was favorite to secure the pole position, crashed twice at the end of qualifying and ended up finishing fourth on Saturday.

The Briton was on provisional pole going into the last laps of Q3, but Hamilton then hit the pit wall as he came in to change for soft tires. This ultimately contributed to the seen-time world champion for failing to fight for the pole, as he was forced to change his front wing.

Then on his final flying lap, the Briton spun and failed to improve his time. As a result, Lando Norris secured his maiden pole position and Scuderia Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz achieved his first front-row start.

WATCH: Norris Goes Beserk After Stealing Pole as Hamilton Crashes at Russian GP Qualifying

Can Lewis Hamilton secure his much-awaited 100th Formula 1 victory at the Russian Grand Prix? What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below.