Mercedes retain F1 constructors' title as Raikkonen demoted

Defending champions Mercedes on Sunday retained their Formula One constructors’ title when Kimi Raikkonen was penalised for a last-gasp crash at the Russian Grand Prix.

Raikkonen was given a 30-seconds penalty which demoted him from fifth to eighth and handed Mercedes their second consecutive title with four races in hand.

Mercedes had needed to score three points more than Ferrari to take the championship again, but suffered a setback with the early retirement of Nico Rosberg after he had led from pole position.

Defending drivers champion Lewis Hamilton went on to win ahead of Sebastian Vettel in a Ferrari.

Raikkonen’s original fifth place finish meant that the Italian team had out-scored Mercedes by three points, but his penalty after a collision with Valterri Bottas' Williams reversed that outcome and handed the title to the German outfit.

Mercedes have secured 531 points to Ferrari’s 359.

"What an incredible moment for Mercedes-Benz! Congratulations to our team in Brackley and Brixworth who have worked so hard to make this achievement possible, winning a second world championship in a row," said Mercedes-Benz boss Dieter Zetsche in a statement.

"After winning in 2014, we raised the bar again to secure this year's title and we needed to because our rivals gave us plenty of headaches as they stepped up their performance. The work by our team is the perfect example of what drives Mercedes-Benz forward: the best technology.

"Most importantly, though, we must not forget the human factor… We have two exceptional sportsmen at the wheel, Lewis and Nico, and a fantastic team behind the scenes, who have delivered 12 wins in 15 races so this year."

Source: AFP