It's Race Week!!
With our first weekend off in 3 weeks, it feels good to once again say that it is indeed race week, and this weekend in Russia, we have a lot to look forward to! With our championship leader crashing out with his biggest rival last weekend, we can rest assured that this weekend will be nothing short of tense for the pair, with Verstappen only leading Hamilton by 3 points. And that’s not all that's exciting, with Ferrari and McLaren battling for 3rd place in the constructors championship, and Williams climbing the ranks in recent weeks - who are very desperate to stay in the points, we’re sure.
It’s also a weekend in which we are going back to the weekend layout we already know - which means no sprint qualifying this weekend - so our weekend feels a little more sparse then it did in Italy, but exciting all the same. So, with all this in mind, and it all to fight for, let’s take a look at this race weekend…
The Finer Details...
Also known as the Sochi International Street circuit and the Sochi Olympic Park Circuit, this track is located in Sochi, the Black Sea resort town in Russia. Measuring at 5.848km, this track runs through the site of an olympic event - in this case the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, much like circuits in Beijing and Sydney.
The track first opened in 2014, in September, and signed a 7 year contract. Russia had made several attempts in the past to open a track (The Grand Prix of the Soviet Union) but the FIA did not approve any until this one. Though, this 7 year contract was renewed in 2017 with a 5-year extension, meaning we will have Sochi on our screens until 2023, after which, the beloved Russian Grand Prix will be moved to Igora Drive.
The track itself is the fourth longest on the F1 calendar, after Spa, Baku and Silverstone. Currently, the record holder for the fastest lap belongs to Lewis Hamilton, making his way around the track with a 1.35.716. George Russell currently holds the F2 record with a 1.50.501.
It is also known that Sochi is not a favoured track among drivers and fans alike due to the minimal overtaking opportunities, meaning that if you start on pole, there is a high likelihood of you taking the win here in Russia, but will we see the same this weekend?
This track is also no stranger to incidents on the opening lap, with the first four corners being known for their brutality - due to how hard it is to overtake here, as well as most corners being high speed, and a lot of them being 90-degree.
Quick Facts!!
Mercedes have won every single race held at Sochi, with a total of 7 wins. Lewis Hamilton holds 4 of those, Valterri Bottas holds 2, and Nico Rosberg the last.
Those starting in second to fourth place on this track, have always finished the race in the points.
There has never not been a Russian driver competing at their home grand prix, since the track first opened, with Danil Kvyat competing 2014-2017, Sergey Sirotkin in 2018, Danil made a reappearance in 2019 & 20, and now in 2021, Nikita Mazepin takes their place.
Around 30% of the track is used as public roads during the rest of the year.
Sochi is the only F1 Track to have hosted the Winter Olympic games - though others have hosted the Summer Games.
When To Watch:
Formula 1:
(FRIDAY) Practice One occurs from 9:30-10:30 GMT
(FRIDAY) Practice Two is at 13:00-14:00 GMT
(SATURDAY) Practice Three will be 10:00-11:00 GMT
(SATURDAY) Qualifying is held from 13:00-14:00 GMT
(SUNDAY) It’s race day! It’s time for lights out at 13:00-15:00 GMT
(All times collected and calculated from the official Formula 1 website)
(Information for this post uses previous race data collected from the internet and official sources. No copyright intended)
Comentários