Hamilton calls for different Sochi direction

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton believes that the Sochi track must be altered to improve the quality of racing, suggesting that the direction gets reversed.

Hamilton clinched his third Russian Grand Prix on Sunday on a track that has been criticised for being "boring" with not too many overtaking opportunities.

The world champion discussed a bold idea with Autosport: "It's a really beautiful place here. On a single lap, when you're on your own it's cool, but it's not very good at all for racing.

"You've got the really long straight but the characteristics of the circuit mean the first two sectors are quite fast. The last sector, the rear tyres are so hot, it's impossible to follow another car, so you can't even get close to have a run.

"I was saying in the changing room, they should do it in reverse. Go backwards, so you have the slow section first and then the fast sections. I don't know if it'll make a difference. But otherwise they've got to change the track to make it more racing-like."

Hamilton's controversial win on Sunday meant that the Mercedes man extended his advantage at the summit of the drivers' standings to 50 points clear of Sebastian Vettel, who is Lewis' closest competitor.