If there were any lingering doubts about Valtteri Bottas' ability to be a contender in this year's title fight, the Finn's maiden win in Sochi did a lot to silence them.
One race after being asked to move over for Lewis Hamilton as he struggled for pace in Bahrain, Bottas was the stronger of the two Mercedes drivers for the whole. The Finn had arrived in Russia fielding -- and brushing off -- questions about the possibility of becoming No.2 driver behind Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes. Hamilton and Mercedes played down the prospect of team orders becoming a regular feature of the 2017 campaign but the feeling in the paddock ahead of the weekend was that Bottas needed to come out swinging in Russia.