Round 14 of the 2015 Formula One season takes us to Sochi
Autodrom, Russia for only the second Russian Grand Prix after the inaugural
race was run in 2014. It saw Lewis Hamilton take the win and Mercedes wrap up
the constructors championship after a year of dominance.
 |
| 2014 Race winner, Lewis Hamilton. |
However, this year’s race might not be as easy for the
defending champions as Pirelli have opted to bring the super-soft and soft
tires this year, over 2014s soft and medium combination. This was changed after
Nico Rosberg did 52 of the 53 laps in 2014 on one set of Medium tires. One
thing to remember this weekend is that the last time the 2015 season saw the super-soft and
soft combination was in Singapore and it definitely suited Ferrari better as they managed to have there tires working in the optimum temperature range, However in Singapore the overall track and air temperatures are generally
higher and that definitely played a big part in the pace difference, something
Sochi cannot offer. So don’t expect Ferrari on top, but the Scuderia could be a
whole lot closer to the Silver Arrows than previous rounds.
 |
| Pirelli Motosport director, Paul Hembery |
The track suited Williams last year as Bottas finished on the podium and set the fastest lap which is the track record. The Fin will need a special performance this time if he is too defend it. The track on paper suits Williams as they will be strong through sector 1 and 2 with the massive straights and high to medium speed corners. Sector 3 is where they'll take the hit though, as it is low speed corners which demand good traction, something the Williams struggles with.
This will be an interesting weekend as it is very hard to predict the race result due to the race only being in its second year and the teams will all be using different tire compounds over last year. The track appears to suit a strong power unit as both Red Bull and Toro Rosso struggled for pace last year.
An important battle to play out in Sochi will be Lotus vs Force India as they fight for 5th in the constructors championship. Lotus got closer to the 5th place spot currently occupied by Force India in Japan as they recorded there first double points finish of the season. The gap remains at 17 points and the teams will be going extra hard as Lotus desperately need the extra prize money that 5th place pays out at the end of the season (If Renault don't take over which is highly unlikely). Red Bull could also join this fight as they have the disadvanatge of the Renault power unit, which will see them become mostly uncompetitive for podiums. They will have the better chassis against Lotus and Force India and will excel in the tight and twisty 3rd sector, whereas Force India and Lotus will have it over Red Bull in the long straights through sectors 1 and 2.
 |
| Force India will be a strong fight with Red Bull and Lotus. |
Overall it proved to be a relatively easy and boring race last season with Lewis Hamilton winning comfortably after Nico Rosberg threw away the victory with a massive lock up at Turn 2. The new tire compound choices should throw a spanner in the works and prevent someone from going from lap 2 to the end on 1 set of tires (as Rosberg did in 2014). I fully expect Mercedes to be dominant and Ferrari to be just behind them. Williams should find themselves alone in 3rd with Red Bull, Lotus and Force India fighting for the 4th row of the grid in Qualifying. Action gets underway with Practice 1 getting underway at 10:00am local time.
For Russian Grand Prix reports, give us a +1
Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/greenflagf1
No comments:
Post a Comment