949 replies to this topic

[SophieB]

Russian GP 2019

 

 

"Ahhh, Russia! All them cornfields and ballet in the evenings!"

                       - Fred Kite, I'm All Right Jack

 

Not just grains and pointy toed dance, Mr Kite! The F1 bus rolls beary eyed from muggy Singapore to the sub tropical climes of the Black Sea and the resort of Sochi. Famed for hosting the Winter Olympics (for some reason), the World Cup and lots and lot of stray dogs (also for some reason.) It also hosts a grand prix and traditionally  - I'm just going to say it  - the races have not been great. Put it this way, last year I accepted an invite to the local agricultural show where the highlight was seeing who can grow the biggest pumpkin and I think it was more entertaining than the race I caught up with later. A shame, because the russian passion for motorsport goes back a long way. Still, with sport, you just never, ever know.  Valencia was terrible for all but the last of its races and then delivered a race so emotional, Fernando Alonso started crying (a bit). So let's hope eh?
 
The track
 
Allow the local boy to show you round. I enjoyed the shy but proud aside where he indicates his own grandstand

https://www.formula1...cuit_guide.html

 

 

The tyres and whatnot

 

Pirelli Motorsport‏Verified account @pirellisport Sep 23

More

Another back to back #Fit4F1 weekend! Time to gear up for #RussianGP! More news: http://press.pirelli.com/2019-russian-grand-prix---preview/ …

 

 

 

 

All well and good, but in reality with a track that boast  few opportunities to overtake, the most likely source of excitement is likely to be once again found in teams getting the strategy wrong and leaving one or more drivers unhappy as a result. 

 

When is this race on?

 

Do not get caught out! Once again this race is NOT on at the standard time. Race start 12.10pm for UK viewers, 14.10 local time.Quali starts 13.00 UK time. 

 

 

And finally, I will never get sick of the giant Russian nesting dolls. Here they are!

 

Aston Martin Red Bull Racing‏Verified account @redbullracing 1h1 hour ago

More

Setting up in Sochi Getting ready for race number 16! #RussianGP #F1

 

 

 

.

[CPR]

For me, this has often been the dullest race of the season. It would be nice if it wasn't the case this time.

[Goron3]

It's normally not a thriller (and the circuit isn't great...) but I'm hoping that Ferrari turn up again this weekend and that Bottas' strong form at the circuit gives us a more unpredictable race.

 

Light rain is expected throughout the weekend as well. I'd love to see the drivers take on turn 3 in the wet!

[HP]

It's normally not a thriller (and the circuit isn't great...) but I'm hoping that Ferrari turn up again this weekend and that Bottas' strong form at the circuit gives us a more unpredictable race.

 

Light rain is expected throughout the weekend as well. I'd love to see the drivers take on turn 3 in the wet!

To the tune of Spandau ballets song "Through the barricades" ?

[SophieB]

Fritz-Dieter Rencken‏ @RacingLines 17m17 minutes ago

More

This weekend’s #RussianGP @fia presser line-up:

[Marklar]

It's weird that Pirelli went one step harder this year. That's 100 % a soft-medium race, probably even easily.

The layout looks perfect for Ferrari but the tyres could be problematic as mentioned. Not in terms of durability, but in terms of getting them into the right window.

Bottas is usually going well here, might be that he is going to be Mercedes' best bet in this race.

Red Bull might get engine penalties this weekend in anticipation of their hom race, but even without it I dont think that they have realistic chances to win. The races after this are the ones where they should shine.

[BRG]

For me, this has often been the dullest race of the season. It would be nice if it wasn't the case this time.

Its good to have back-to-back races that get rid of two of the worst F1 tracks on one go.  Then there is just the dullness of Abu Crappi to have to sit through.

[TomNokoe]

Rain on Saturday morning looks a certainty. Hard to say if it will reach qualifying at 1500 local. On this track surface, it will be really low grip. The only previous time we've had rain it was torrential, 2015 Friday.

Edited by TomNokoe, 25 September 2019 - 15:29.

[kernel]

Rain on Saturday morning looks a certainty. Hard to say if it will reach qualifying at 1500 local. On this track surface, it will be really low grip. The only previous time we've had rain it was torrential, 2015 Friday.

 

You're quite the almanac!

 

Rain is definitely on the forecast as it stands (no jinx) but actual precipitation volume looks relatively minimal (slight to moderate rain - no where near a downpour). Track will probably be dry and very green for qualifying.

[derstatic]

Singapore was a real curveball so very difficult to figure out who will be on top. Before I thougt this will be Mercedes with Ferrari and RB fighting for second. Many reports say Ferrari were better over bumps in Singapore. This is pool table smooth so how will that change things? Have Ferrari now cured their weakness in slower corners? I'm slightly leaning towards Ferrari just ahead of Merc and Bulls a little bit further back. Why not Leclerc for a 4th straight pole, with Low Grip WDC Bottas in P2 and Ham/Vet sharing 2nd row?

[TomNokoe]

You're quite the almanac!

Rain is definitely on the forecast as it stands (no jinx) but actual precipitation volume looks relatively minimal (slight to moderate rain - no where near a downpour). Track will probably be dry and very green for qualifying.

The infamous yr.no says it's going to bucket down.

[Atreiu]

Another Ferrari 1-2.

[mangeliiito]

The infamous yr.no says it's going to bucket down.

Foreca is usually better now a days. But also they say it will bucket down. 3 mm on friday, 20 mm on saturday and some drops in the morning is the forecast right now.

[TomNokoe]

Anyway, a few weekend thoughts.

Layout favours Ferrari and you've got to think they're pole favourites again. Might struggle final sector if they throw their tyres out of whack (e.g Spain S3) but they've easily made progress here. Surely going to gain 0.5s+ on Mercedes S1+S2.

Mercedes have no reason to compromise their setup because tyre-deg is non existent, so maybe we'll see some proper pace. Hamilton has squashed his early-season handling problems, so not massively worried about Bottas.

Smooth surface should neutralise Ferrari's strengths over bumps, or lackthereof, and may even go as far as throwing their tyres out of the window. Leclerc seems better at bringing tyres in than Seb so likely faster over one lap. (Cmon Seb.)

Harder tyres from Pirelli is going to be quite strange. I know race tracks become slightly more abrasive every year with weather cycles etc. but its an odd decision. Remember Verstappen taking the Soft (this year's Medium) 42 laps last year? At least we might see a little strategic variance. Difficult to say if overcut or undercut will actually matter. Cooler temps might favour a one-lap overcut (like in Monaco) to gain track position at pit exit. Suspect we'll see a few inverted strategies (Med-Soft) on Sunday.

At least teams won't be tyre limited so we'll see plenty of running in practice and quali. Might end up a Noah's Ark grid, though.

Remains to be seen if Red Bull will bring the Suzuka Special and take penalties. I hope they do.

Renault likely to give McLaren a harder time in quali. Racing Point and Alfa, too. Gap to the midfield might be ever so slightly reduced.

Overall temps are very mild. Rain likely at some point. I hate this circuit, but I'm sure I can gee myself up. F2 and F3 too. Booked Friday off because of the new FIFA release, yes, I'm one of those guys

Edited by TomNokoe, 25 September 2019 - 18:13.

[MikeV1987]

This should be suited to the Ferraris quite well but who knows what will happen. I must be one of the very few that likes this track, it’s fun to drive on in the game.

[Anja]

Not gonna lie, I'm mostly waiting for F2 and F3 this weekend. 

[TF110]

I actually like this track and it's layout. I don't like the boring races here but F1 has boring races more often than not. I also believe this will be a Ferrari favored event. Top speed is very important here and there's not too many corners that are very difficult for higher downforce to make up for that speed advantage. The final section of the last 4 turns is probably the place where you can make or break a qualifying lap. But also the end of the back straight's braking zone is going to catch drivers out too. Honestly I really like turn 3 and that separates the good cars from the others. I wish the exit of that turn was a little bit wider to encourage more overtaking moves because that's one of the best places where an advantage is seen between higher and lower downforce setups.

[Heyli]

For whatever reason, i think this might just be the GP I´m least looking forward to. Honestly don´t know why...

 

I´ll still be watching obviously and hope it´s going to be a good one . I think last year wasnt too bad?

[Francesc]

What an horrible track. Worst one on the calendar IMO.

[F1Gui]

Definitely going to rain Sat. BBC weather is showing lightening strikes for all afternoon. Thundery shows with a 50% chance of precipitation and 22 deg Celsius air temp.

[w1Y]

A tow wont save the mercs from the start this year even if they start on pole.

[Atreiu]

I think the cars are worse than the circuit itself.

[Marklar]

While I dislike the track personally I think the races are a tad underrated. 2014 was a average, but certainly not horrible start with Rosberg having to fight through the field. 2015 was the Bottas/Kimi incident. 2016 had the Vettel/Kvyat crash. 2017 had Bottas' mega start and Vettel pushing him hard at the end. 2018 had this great Vettel/Hamilton fight. It's not a good track by any means, but it can produce acceptable, but not great races.

Though not very confident about it. My biggest hope is that the conservative tyre choice could tempt teams to go soft-medium and then maybe it turns out that it's marginal and thus somebody on soft-hard or over better tyre deg/delta could have a crack, but somehow I cant see this happening on this track. The surface is smooth as a baby's bottom.

[Claymore25]

While I dislike the track personally I think the races are a tad underrated. 2014 was a average, but certainly not horrible start with Rosberg having to fight through the field. 2015 was the Bottas/Kimi incident. 2016 had the Vettel/Kvyat crash. 2017 had Bottas' mega start and Vettel pushing him hard at the end. 2018 had this great Vettel/Hamilton fight. It's not a good track by any means, but it can produce acceptable, but not great races.

Though not very confident about it. My biggest hope is that the conservative tyre choice could tempt teams to go soft-medium and then maybe it turns out that it's marginal and thus somebody on soft-hard or over better tyre deg/delta could have a crack, but somehow I cant see this happening on this track. The surface is smooth as a baby's bottom.

 

To me Sochi is better than Paul Ricard.

[SonGoku]

First time in years I don't know if I am going to watch a race live. The whole vibe and circuit couldn't be more boring.

I think it says a lot that F1 Dutch journalists don't want to go because they don't like the event at all.

Edited by SonGoku, 25 September 2019 - 22:22.

[tom]

Know that feeling, i usually feel that way everytime monaco comes around...but
I bet you'll watch it 😉



Atleast the seasons taken a turn for the better recently with verstappen/leclerc throwing up a few surprises.

[davidlan]

To me Sochi is better than Paul Ricard.

 

Watching Peirs Morgan discuss how he is the worlds greatest human, 

is better than Paul Ricard.

 

Dave

[Hezekiah]

This should be suited to the Ferraris quite well but who knows what will happen. I must be one of the very few that likes this track, it’s fun to drive on in the game.

I don't understand how anybody can like a track where it's virtually impossible to overtake without a massive delta.

Remember Verstappen last year holding up the Mercedes on shot tyres? And the only reason Hamilton got past Vettel was because the latter made a mistake.

[Astandahl]

To me Sochi is better than Paul Ricard.

If we all build a track with 5 euro and 1 hour it would be better than the absolute shitshow that is Paul Ricard. Arguably one of the worst thing ever created by humanity.

[Celloman]

I actually like this track and it's layout. I don't like the boring races here but F1 has boring races more often than not. I also believe this will be a Ferrari favored event. Top speed is very important here and there's not too many corners that are very difficult for higher downforce to make up for that speed advantage. The final section of the last 4 turns is probably the place where you can make or break a qualifying lap. But also the end of the back straight's braking zone is going to catch drivers out too. Honestly I really like turn 3 and that separates the good cars from the others. I wish the exit of that turn was a little bit wider to encourage more overtaking moves because that's one of the best places where an advantage is seen between higher and lower downforce setups.

So you like a 90 degree corner followed by another 90 degree corner? Well, I guess at least Bottas would agree with you. I think you might not be referring to the same turn 3 as I think of, as turn 3 on the official map is the long left-hand corner, which actually would have been a great corner, but they messed it up by making it easily full throttle on modern F1 cars.

[Claymore25]

If we all build a track with 5 euro and 1 hour it would be better than the absolute shitshow that is Paul Ricard. Arguably one of the worst thing ever created by humanity.

 

Paul Ricard bores me  even in the formula 1 videogames. 

[OvDrone]

S***iest track of the season. This GP makes me miss races at the Moscow Raceway that the DTM, World Superbikes, WTCC and Formula Renault 3.5 used to do there.

[Jovanotti]

Worst race together with Abu Crappy. Hopefully we'll have a tight battle at the front so there's at least some reason to watch. Queue the "Putin enters the grandstand halfway through the race"-shot.

Edited by Jovanotti, 26 September 2019 - 05:24.

[Baddoer]

Bad track in a good place. Next!

 

Oh, and everybody hated Valencia until 2012 event.

Edited by Baddoer, 26 September 2019 - 05:32.

[Marklar]

Chris Medland
@ChrisMedlandF1
·
1h
Kvyat to start his home race from the back of the grid due to a whole new PU. Verstappen, Albon and Gasly to take new ICEs (Honda’s spec 4 still, no upgrade) so five-place grid penalties for them #F1 #RussianGP

[TomNokoe]

I hope we hear more about Red Bull's Suzuka plans. Medland's tweet doesn't exactly give anything away.

 

Unrelated, it is going to rain on Saturday. A lot.

[Ivanhoe]

I hope we hear more about Red Bull's Suzuka plans. Medland's tweet doesn't exactly give anything away.
 
Unrelated, it is going to rain on Saturday. A lot.

By adding a new ICE to the pool, it looks like the plan is to put some stress on the spec 4 engine at Suzuka.

[Hela]

Someone guessing if it's going to rain or not and by how many mm

Another person guessing on the tyre strategy 

One person chimes in about this being a track he hates Tilke killing the sport 

The usual snide remarks on FOM graphics and sky bashing.

 

 

I guess it must be another race weekend

[SenorSjon]

It seems to get to the end of the season ICE wise. Perhaps the other parts had less wear on them and could be used longer (TC/MGU's).

[Marklar]

Too early to say IMO, yesterday it looked like friday is a washout, today it looks dry.

Though at least rain during FP3 has been consistent so far.

[Fastcake]

I’ve prepared especially for this race by getting in a new bookcase, which I plan to put together on Sunday afternoon.

[TomNokoe]

By adding a new ICE to the pool, it looks like the plan is to put some stress on the spec 4 engine at Suzuka.

I wonder if they'll even run it this weekend.

[Marklar]

Pretty sure they wont. They are saving up the fresh engine for Suzuka for sure.

[Counterbalance]

I’ve prepared especially for this race by getting in a new bookcase, which I plan to put together on Sunday afternoon.

I think I'm going to the pub instead. Nothing new there, though...

[SonGoku]

I’ve prepared especially for this race by getting in a new bookcase, which I plan to put together on Sunday afternoon.

Good point, I think I am also going to prepare another activity to do during this "race".

[absinthedude]

Yeah...not feeling it. Sochi is neither a good track for racing nor is it spectacular to view. The atmosphere doesn't look great either and the politics don't help. At least Singapore has landmarks, bridges and pretty buildings. Ricard used to be good...it is final proof that acres of tarmac run-off ruins racing. 

[CSF]

Time for the annual akward conversation between a driver and his Vladness.   

[w1Y]

The one weekend my mrs is away and i get to chill and watch the race live with the full build up and its this race 😥

[Laster]

I really don’t like Sochi. The 2017 highlights clips the F1 website had that year really encapsulated it for me. It was 7 clips of the start, Massa getting in the way while being lapped, and Bottas having a lock up. And that was it for the ‘action’ that year. It has moments, but usually only at the start. The only other thing that leaps to mind about this place is that race where Raikkonen and Bottas collided on the final lap, gifting a podium to Perez.

[krapmeister]

Ricciardo is going to win and make Putin do a shoey.

 

You heard it here first