Russian GP Thread - Contains Spoilers of Qualifying & Race

[Fernando]

For those who don't know what it looks like plus those who play the video game


The 2014 Russian GP preview: Everything you need to know about this weekend's race!

F1 heads to the Sochi Autodrom for the inaugural Russian Grand Prix around the site of this year’s Winter Olympics.

So read on below as Sky Sports Online provides your one-stop shop for everything you need to know about the grand prix weekend. You can also watch a virtual flyover of the brand-new circuit in the video above.

The 2014 Russian GP in a nutshell

Track: Sochi Autodrom. Temporary Circuit.

Designer: Hermann Tilke


Race start time: 12pm UK time Sunday (3pm local).

Laps: 53.

Track length: 5.853 km (the third longest of the season after Spa & Silverstone).

Corners: 12 right and six left-handers.

Predicted average lap speed: 215 kph

Tyre allocation: Medium (white) and soft (yellow).

DRS Zones: TBA.

Driver steward: TBA.

Sebastian Vettel, who drove the circuit in a road car in August, said: "Having driven the full circuit for the first time in the Infiniti Q50, it’s an interesting layout with a good mix of high speed corners and technical sections. It’s going to be a huge challenge in a Formula 1 car for sure and I’m really looking forward to coming back in October.”

Sergio Perez: “The location of the track inside the Olympic park is very unusual. If I get the opportunity I will definitely explore a bit. From the photographs I’ve seen it looks to be a very impressive facility. There are some long straights, some tight corners, and I think it will feel like a street circuit because the walls are close to the track in a lot of areas."

Nico Hulkenberg: “It’s hard to look at a track on paper and really get an understanding of how it will feel to drive. I prefer to go there and experience things before I make judgements and talk about track characteristics. So in that sense it’s too early for me to compare it with another circuit. What is clear is that there are some really quick sections and a lot of right-angled corners."

Ferrari Technical Director James Allison: "The dominant corner is a really quite aggressively fast long flowing left-hander, shortly after the start-finish straight. So you can see just by a casual look that this is going to be a track where there is going to be a competition between what you want on the straights and what you want for that series of slow speed corners. The slow speed corners are going to be crying out for downforce, the straights, the opposite."

Tyre allocation

Pirelli will bring the white-marked medium and the yellow-banded soft to Russia this weekend after carrying out “advanced computer simulations in collaboration with the teams to prepare for the demands of a new venue and predict the likely strategies”.

“Russia is a key territory for Pirelli, along with all the major automotive companies in the world, so we are very much looking forward to Sochi and the first Russian Grand Prix, which is a significant milestone in the sport’s history,” said Pirelli Motorsport Director Paul Hembery.

“From a tyre perspective it should be an interesting challenge; we’ve got a wide variety of corners that should test every aspect of performance. As has been the case at every grand prix this year, we’re aiming for between two and three pit stops per race and the nomination we have made reflects this. In terms of overall tyre energy demands, Russia is somewhere in the middle, and measurements also indicate low-abrasion asphalt.

“Regarding the weather, initial forecasts suggest that conditions will be temperate. Going to a new circuit is always exciting and it’s only when we get there that we will have a complete idea of what to expect, so the work done in free practice will be particularly important for everyone.”

[sportform]

Willy Scholl, a German driving for (Mercedes) Benz, won the last Russian Grand Prix back in 1914.

[Fernando]

[Guest]

Alonso to McLaren was signed last Thursday, if you believe Lauda.

[dyrewolfe]

Looks an interesting circuit - just hope the weather is decent and we don't have to worry about ice on the track or anything...

Alonso to McLaren was signed last Thursday, if you believe Lauda..

I'm sure the old boy has his sources. Plus the rumours that have been gong round the paddock make it virtually a fact anyway. Only thing we're waiting for is to hear it from the horse's mouth, as it were.

I expect McLaren are keen to make sure they can get a full close-season of testing with him.

[Gerry SA]

According to Maurice Hamilton, not related to Lewis, Vettel has a contract with McLaren and Alonso has a contract with Honda...

Seems a little fishy that Ferrari has offered no comments on either Alonso or Vettel...

[Gerry SA]

Track looks rather decent, in relation to the video game footage, should suit Mercedes and Williams with the long straightaways.

[Guest]

Vettel/Alonso at McLaren You must be joking. Maurice Hamilton is just an old bore nowadays. Both of them in the same team, two of the best three drivers, risking moves to a mid-table outfit, with no guarantee of success with Honda. Hamilton would be licking his lips at the prospect of taking down Rosberg & Ricciardo for major titles next year. Vettel is at Ferrari & Alonso is only heading to McLaren because he's fallen out with the Italian outfit & the ships have set sail on every other competitive seat. Alonso isn't the 'big' name in F1 nowadays, he's a fading force & time is against him, hence, this desperation to move now & demanding one year contracts.

[Guest]

Yeah, don't see it either. Media getting frustrated at the lack of confirmation, that's all.

Alexander Rossi confirmed as Jules Bianchi's replacement for this weekend.

[GSC]

If Marussia run a 2nd car.

Vettel to Ferrari and Alonso to McLaren are both done, probably refusing to officially comment for legal reasons

[GSC]

To no great surprise, Lotus replace McLaren with merc engines

[Guest]

Should definitely have sleeping policemen at Turn 2.

Rosberg quickest in FP1 & Marussia only running one car this weekend.

[GSC]

Looks an alright track. Flows alright.

Not sure theres anything particularly special about it, visually it looks pretty bland

[dyrewolfe]

Vettel/Alonso at McLaren You must be joking. Maurice Hamilton is just an old bore nowadays. Both of them in the same team, two of the best three drivers, risking moves to a mid-table outfit, with no guarantee of success with Honda. Hamilton would be licking his lips at the prospect of taking down Rosberg & Ricciardo for major titles next year. Vettel is at Ferrari & Alonso is only heading to McLaren because he's fallen out with the Italian outfit & the ships have set sail on every other competitive seat. Alonso isn't the 'big' name in F1 nowadays, he's a fading force & time is against him, hence, this desperation to move now & demanding one year contracts.

It'll be hilarious if Honda turns out to be the must-have engine next season.

Of course, thats BIG if - but you never know...

[dyrewolfe]

Looks an alright track. Flows alright.

Not sure theres anything particularly special about it, visually it looks pretty bland

Looks like large sections of it were designed with a geometry set...your classic Tilke-drome. That said, it looks better than some. Lets just hope its conducive to good racing.

[GSC]

Teams not messing around, straight to the soft tyre. Rosberg with the early edge in Q1, Williams look best of the rest

[GSC]

Bottas loses pole in the last corner. Gutting

[Guest]

Think it will be a tricky, stop-start race today, all the other formulas have seen safety car periods but there has been some great racing. Turn 2 looks tasty, especially at the start, can see the Mercedes been slipstreamed down to that corner by Bottas possibly. Hopefully Lewis can do the business though.

[GSC]

Eh, maybe. Walls surround but its not nearly as tight as Monaco or Singapore. Plenty of run off under braking too

[mystiroakey]

Rosberg went ultra aggressive. Got the lead but didn't break fast enough. Cut the corner, flat spotted this tyre and all ready pitted. He is losing it. He should have chilled out and waited for drs like LH did last race .

[Guest]

Amateurish from Rosberg

[GSC]

Eh, he had a legitimate chance for an overtake and overshot it, small margins.

There goes all the intrigue from this race.

[GSC]

This really is a boring circuit. Not condusive for overtakes until you breeze past with DRS on the finish straight.

[Bull]

This sucks.

[mystiroakey]

A mistake is a misyake.. Anyway Loads of intrigue left.. Can rosbergs tyres stay good. Can he still get a podium . a lot going on still.

[GSC]

None of it particularly interesting at this stage

Hopefully we can have a legitimate title fight between multiple teams next year

[mystiroakey]

Yep and I hope one of them is Williams.

[GSC]

Would be nice.

The dominance of Red Bull, and the greater dominance this season of Mercedes has kinda turned me off the sport.

[GSC]

Very conservative tyres from Pirelli. Can understand why, but expect the red tyres next year

[GSC]

Interesting from Williams, dumping the mediums after 1 lap and running on 2 soft sets

[GSC]

Rosberg into P2. Sums up this season

[mystiroakey]

Will his tyres deg or not?

No one knows. This track is so tyre friendly.

[GSC]

Its a new surface and been rubbered in this weekend. Was always a conservative choice.

[mystiroakey]

Respect the beeps

And

Use setting 11...


Ermmmmm.

[GSC]

Thats fuel related, the engine beeps at 12k rpm to shift up, but can rev to 15k at the cost of more fuel.

[mystiroakey]

Yep I know. Still the grey area we were disscusing . are they violations or not?

[GSC]

What grey area?

[mystiroakey]

I can't be bothered to get into it to much. On my phone.

But those messages could be considered telling the drivers how to drive. They are not messages to help 'clear' known issues .

[GSC]

Oh right. You're allowed to advise on fuel aren't you?

[mystiroakey]

It wasn't mentioned in the rules set out.

[mystiroakey]

Bottas isn't gaining at all. Rosberg has done a decent job so far.

[GSC]

Bernie sitting with Putin in the stands.

Make your own jokes

[mystiroakey]

Commentators just mentioned that they must have discussed that they are allowed to talk about fuel. Although that rule hasn't been made public.

[GSC]

It'll be a safety thing rather than performance.

[Bull]

Most boring race since India.

[GSC]

Yes, this is fairly dire

[mystiroakey]

Yep... I thought we would get a fight for 2nd and 3rd but no. Rosberg has either done an amazing job or the track is just too good on tyres... I would go for a bit of both .

Well done to the top 4 , but that was pretty boring.

[GSC]

Comfortable win for Hamilton post turn 2.

Decent recovery from Rosberg.

Good drive from Bottas.

Roll on 2015

[Guest]

Shocking race, due to the tyre allocation. Hamilton with a good win, nine wins this season, four on the bounce again & with reliability is dominating the error prone Rosberg. Hamilton deserves this title as Coulthard has just stated

[Guest]

Shocking race, due to the tyre allocation. Hamilton with a good win, nine wins this season, four on the bounce again & with reliability is dominating the error prone Rosberg. Hamilton deserves this title as Coulthard has just stated

Agree. With reliability Rosberg is no match for Lewis. Boring race. Roll onto the farce, which will be Abu Dhabi & see undeservedly Rosberg win the title.

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