[Official] Russian Grand Prix 2021: Grand Prix Weekend Thread - Round 15 of 22

[Born Racer]

The history

Russia is becoming an established nation in Formula 1, both in terms of the presence of its Grand Prix, now entering its eight year on the calendar, and its recent range of drivers – Vitaly Petrov, Daniil Kvyat, Sergey Sirotkin, and now Nikita Mazepin have now raced in the series.

Prior to the world championship, the first Grand Prix here was held in 1913 in Saint Petersburg, and was won by Russian driver Georgy Suvorin in a Benz, who came home almost three minutes ahead of his compatriot Ivan Ivanov in a green Russo-Balt – the car which was nicknamed the 'Russian Cucumber'. The following year, in the same city, the Benz of German Willy Scholl took victory. An F1 race was first run in the Olympic city of Sochi a century later, but in the intervening years, there were various proposals for a race. In 1983, a Grand Prix of the Soviet Union was even included on the provisional calendar, due to be run in Moscow. A Hermann Tilke-designed Moscow Raceway, opened in 2012, was never used for a Grand Prix.

Sochi is a Mercedes stronghold, with the team yet to be beaten by another team. In the inaugural event in 2014, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg came first and second, with Hamilton leading every lap, while future Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas completed the podium, his fifth visit to it that year. Rosberg had flat-spotted his front tyres on Lap 1 at Turn 2, attempting to pass Hamilton, and he had to pit for harder tyres and work his way through the field. Mercedes sealed the constructors' title.

The following year, Carlos Sainz had a big crash in practice, but was okay to start the race. Sergio Pérez was in 3rd, but lost the place on the final lap, only to reclaim it when Kimi Räikkönen and Bottas collided. Hamilton won from Sebastian Vettel, with polesitter Rosberg having already gone out early on with throttle problems.

In 2016, it was another one-two for Mercedes, as the event moved from Autumn to Spring, with the eventual world champion Rosberg ahead of Hamilton. Vettel was taken out by Daniil Kvyat after he came at him like a "torpedo", in the Ferrari driver's words. It was the second collision between the two in the race, and was also to be Kvyat's final race with Red Bull before returning to Toro Rosso.

The next year, Bottas, now with Mercedes, took his first ever win from the Ferraris of Vettel and Räikkonen, passing both of them by Turn 2, while in 2018 and 2019, Hamillton won from Bottas on both occasions. Vettel was 3rd in 2018 and had a notable moment when he came close to a marshal who had entered the track to retrieve some debris. Charles Leclerc was 3rd in 2019.

Last year, Lewis Hamilton received two 5-second penalties for practice starts outside the designated area, which has resulted in a rules clarification for this season. He came home 3rd, in the first non-Mercedes 1-2 since 2017. Bottas won from Max Verstappen.

In 2023, the Grand Prix will return to its Saint Petersburg roots, with a race 54km from the city, at the Hermann Tilke-designed Autodrom Igora Drive. It will feature some elevation change, although not on the level we have seen with Zandvoort.

The track

Winding its way around the Olympic facilities, Sochi is not exactly a street track in the traditional sense, smooth and not as tight as some. It’s almost a kilometre longer than Singapore's Marina Bay circuit, for instance, but the Sochi Autodrom throws up a quicker lap time.

At the end of the start-finish straight, drivers go into the gentle right-hand kink of Turn 1 before a tighter right at Turn 2, at which point the track almost immediately arcs left through the very long Turn 3. They spend around six seconds in this corner, at about 280kph before quickly switching right through the 90 degree Turn 4.

A short straight follows which is punctuated by another 90 right at 5, before a gentle kink at Turn 6. They exit the next right-hander at around 160kph before then going through the double corner of 8 and 9. Then, there is DRS Detection Zone 2. After the next right-hander, they enter Sector 2 and a long straight, Turn 11 being the slight right-hand bend (DRS Activation Zone 2 is here) before braking at around 330kph while taking a tiny left-hand kink at Turn 12, which switches right and approaches the slower Sector 3.

A left-hand curve at Turn 14 is followed by a slow left-hander at 15 and three slow right-handers at 16, 17 and 18 (the latter of which has DRS Detection Zone 1), the entries of which you have to attack, all of which brings the drivers into DRS Activation Zone 1 and the start-finish straight.

Trivia

Mercedes and Benz have won all the Russian Grands Prix.

A Russian Grand Prix has always featured a Russian driver, although Vitaly Petrov, the first, never competed there.

Last year, Lewis Hamilton entered the race with a chance to equal Michael Schumacher's record of 91 wins, a feat he did not achieve at the race. Now, he enters the 2021 Russian Grand Prix with a chance to become the first person to reach triple figures in Grand Prix wins.

Ferrari are the only team other than Mercedes to take pole in Sochi (Vettel in 2017 and Leclerc in 2019).



Circuit length: 5.848km
Number of laps: 53
Race distance: 309.745km
Race Lap Record: 1:35.761 (2019 – Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes)
Dry weather tyre compounds: C3, C4 & C5

First Russian Grand Prix: 1913
First Grand Prix at this circuit: 2014

Join the fun in the Predictions Contest and Fantasy F1:

https://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=156566

https://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=156053

[S griffin]

Mercedes have always won here, can they continue that trend going? We'll see how Max's grid penalty hampers him

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by S griffin

Mercedes have always won here,

Even including 1913 and 1914!

[S griffin]

Originally Posted by crmalcolm

Even including 1913 and 1914!

Amazing to think it was exactly 100 years between the second and third Russian GPs

[steve_r]

So, Verstappen will start from the back following an engine change. Should be an interesting charge through the field for him on Sunday.

[Born Racer]

Goodness me. We will certainly get some overtaking in this Sochi race.

[chillibowl]

Whats the weather forcast? Saw some social media pics of there being a lot of water this week.

[E.B]

Originally Posted by chillibowl

Whats the weather forcast? Saw some social media pics of there being a lot of water this week.

It was dry today but tomorrow is almost certainly in for a drenching with an inch forecast to fall between 1:00 and 4:00 in the afternoon.
Sunday showers earlier in the day...

Sochi Autodrom hourly forecast: https://www.myweather2.com/Motor-Rac...om.aspx?sday=1

[chillibowl]

Originally Posted by E.B

It was dry today but tomorrow is almost certainly in for a drenching with an inch forecast to fall between 1:00 and 4:00 in the afternoon.
Sunday showers earlier in the day...

Sochi Autodrom hourly forecast: https://www.myweather2.com/Motor-Rac...om.aspx?sday=1

thanks E.B

i do like changing and variable and changing conditions so that for me would be preferred to full wet.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Excellent intro as ever.


This looks like it will be an interesting race, with Versrappen at the back of the grid and rain forecast for the weekend, though not so heavy Sunday. Unfortunately, I'm going to miss the race.

[gert]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

looks like it will be an interesting race, with Versrappen at the back of the grid

Given the relative strengths of the cars he should easily get 4th, and then be gifted 3rd by Perez.
It may take him a while but 4th and thus 3rd is almost guaranteed.

[chillibowl]

Will the Bot give way for Ham though?

Big ham fan here but is the razors edge fading? A post in another thread i took to insinuate that ham isnt the goat people like me make him to be about...

But maybe max is facing ham in equal machinery on ham's natural and systematic decline all athletes experience?

A debate for the ages i suppose?

[Skam85]

Originally Posted by chillibowl

Will the Bot give way for Ham though?

Big ham fan here but is the razors edge fading? A post in another thread i took to insinuate that ham isnt the goat people like me make him to be about...

But maybe max is facing ham in equal machinery on ham's natural and systematic decline all athletes experience?

A debate for the ages i suppose?

Hamilton certainly seems to be making a lot more mistakes this year than previous. The pressure of a real title challenge, or age is another debate.

2022 will be telling.

[Taxi645]

Thanks for the intro.


Should be an interesting race. Qualy if on Saturday will mix things up and only light rain on Sunday is better for overtaking I think for max than completely dry. Although risk of being taken out is quite real.



If there is a safetycar than he should really become interesting. Then 2nd is possible I think if it rains enough.

[wnut]

Originally Posted by Skam85

Hamilton certainly seems to be making a lot more mistakes this year than previous. The pressure of a real title challenge, or age is another debate.

2022 will be telling.

Hamilton taking it out on his pit crew in FP2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOzwIaC5pMU

[tux]

Day off today i guess then?

[S griffin]

Shame FP3 got called off, we'll see if qualifying goes ahead on schedule

Bottas is looking good, but will no doubt have to defer to Hamilton. Max will be something to watch

[Born Racer]

FP3 has been cancelled. Qualifying is due to be in just over two hours, but may be postponed to tomorrow morning.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Congrats to Nozza on his first pole. Nozza, Sainz, Russell, who would have thought it?

[Anyopenroad]

Hamilton is making too many mistakes.

[Greem]

The young guns are well and truly on the up.

Fantastic qualifying session. And I'd say that it's not only Hamilton - Mercedes themselves are making mistakes too.

[Beau2]

Hamilton seems to drop the ball a lot now in changable conditions. Germany 19', Imola 21' and now today are fairly recent examples. Is the title fight getting to him? It should have been easy today.

Fair play to Russell and Williams you can really see the confidence oozing through the whole setup.

[Akrapovic]

Originally Posted by Beau2

Hamilton seems to drop the ball a lot now in changable conditions. Germany 19', Imola 21' and now today are fairly recent examples. Is the title fight getting to him? It should have been easy today.

Fair play to Russell and Williams you can really see the confidence oozing through the whole setup.

Counter argument: He was was so far ahead in Turkey that he needed to be in his own class.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by Akrapovic

Counter argument: He was was so far ahead in Turkey that he needed to be in his own class.

He really must be so far ahead, because the Turkish GP is in two weeks time.

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by Beau2

Hamilton seems to drop the ball a lot now in changable conditions. Germany 19', Imola 21' and now today are fairly recent examples. Is the title fight getting to him? It should have been easy today.

Completely lost it hasn't he? These mistakes are stacking up now. It's not like he's had any good performances to offset these either.

And the new generation like Max and Norris and Russell have not put a foot wrong in the wet. They are exemplary whereas Hamilton is error prone.