The Russian Grand Prix is an annual Formula 1 race held at Sochi Autodrom. A street circuit built around Olympic Park in Sochi.The plans were made to host a Formula 1 event in Moscow for the 1983 season as the Grand Prix of the Soviet Union, these plans fell through. In 2010, it was officially announced that the Russian city of Sochi, which was also preparing to host the 2014 Winter Olympics, will host a new event on the F1 schedule beginning in the 2014 Formula 1 season under a seven-year deal.
Russian Grand Prix – Fourth round of the 2016 Formula 1 season
Circuit Name: Sochi Autodrom – Street Circuit
Race Laps: 53
Circuit Length: 5.848 km (3.634 mi)
Race Length: 309.732 km (192.459 mi)
Number of corners: 18 (12 Right, 6 Left)
DRS Zone: Two Zones (Zone 1 Between Turn 1 and 2, zone 2 Between turn 10 and 13)
Circuit Direction: Anti Clockwise
Pole Position 2015: Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) 1:37.113
Race Lap Record: 1:40.896 – Valtteri Bottas – Williams Mercedes 2014
Russian Grand Prix Circuit – Sochi Autodrom
Pirelli used compounds
Pirelli will bring the following three compounds to the fourth round of the 2016 Formula One season in Russia, to be held (29 April – May 1st) at The Sochi Autodrom
White medium: a low working range compound that trades performance for durability.
Yellow soft: a key part of Rosberg’s victory in China, as he started the race on this compound.
Red supersoft: a significant performance advantage favours this as a qualifying tyre.
The tires that Pirelli has said must be used at some point in the race:
One set of P Zero White medium
One set of P Zero Yellow soft
Each driver must have both these sets available for the race, and must use at least one of them.
The tires assigned for Q3 in qualifying:
One set of P Zero Red super soft.
Following the regulations, each driver must save for Q3 one set of the softest of the three nominated compounds. This set will be given back to Pirelli after Q3 for those who qualify in the top 8, but the remaining drivers will keep it for the race – as is the case currently.
The teams are free to choose the remaining sets; making up 13 sets in total for the weekend.
The new 2016 tire regulations mean that tire nomination for long-haul events have to be made 14 weeks in advance, whereas for European races the deadline is eight weeks in advance.
HOW IT WAS A YEAR AGO:
Winner: Hamilton (one stop: started on supersoft, changed to soft on lap 32).
Best-placed alternative strategy: Perez, third (also a one-stopper, but took advantage of a safety car to change from supersoft to soft on lap 12, then ran 41 laps to the finish).
Most drivers: Practically all the drivers stopped only once, with just two stopping twice.
PAUL HEMBERY, PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR:
“We’re back to Russia just six months after coming to the race previously, which means that we can probably expect conditions in spring to be different from how they were last autumn. This is one of the lowest degradation tracks we visit all season, so we can expect to see some quite long stints even on the supersoft, as Lewis Hamilton showed last year. However, the performance increase that we have consistently observed from the 2016 cars will increase wear, so free practice will be very important to get an accurate read on tyre behaviour in these new conditions with the latest generation of cars.”
Drivers / Teams compound choices
|
Team |
Car # |
Driver |
Medium |
Soft |
Super Soft |
|
Mercedes AMG |
44 |
Lewis Hamilton |
1 |
4 |
8 |
|
6 |
Nico Rosberg |
1 |
4 |
8 |
|
|
Scuderia Ferrari |
5 |
Sebastian Vettel |
1 |
6 |
6 |
|
7 |
Kimi Raikkonen |
1 |
6 |
6 |
|
|
Williams-Mercedes |
19 |
Felipe Massa |
1 |
3 |
9 |
|
77 |
Valtteri Bottas |
1 |
3 |
9 |
|
|
Red Bull Racing |
3 |
Daniel Ricciardo |
1 |
2 |
10 |
|
26 |
Daniil Kvyat |
1 |
2 |
10 |
|
|
Force India-Mercedes |
11 |
Sergio Perez |
1 |
4 |
8 |
|
27 |
Nico Hulkenberg |
1 |
4 |
8 |
|
|
Renault |
20 |
Kevin Magnussen |
1 |
5 |
7 |
|
30 |
Jolyon Palmer |
1 |
5 |
7 |
|
|
Toro Rosso-Ferrari |
33 |
Max Verstappen |
1 |
4 |
8 |
|
55 |
Carlos Sainz Jr. |
1 |
4 |
8 |
|
|
Sauber-Ferrari |
9 |
Marcus Ericsson |
1 |
5 |
7 |
|
12 |
Felipe Nasr |
1 |
5 |
7 |
|
|
McLaren-Honda |
14 |
Fernando Alonso |
1 |
5 |
7 |
|
22 |
Jenson Button |
1 |
5 |
7 |
|
|
Manor-Mercedes |
88 |
Rio Haryanto |
2 |
5 |
6 |
|
94 |
Pascal Wehrlein |
2 |
5 |
6 |
|
|
Haas-Ferrari |
8 |
Romain Grosjean |
1 |
2 |
10 |
|
21 |
Esteban Gutierrez |
1 |
2 |
10 |
Russian Grand Prix Winners (By year)
|
Year |
Driver |
Constructor |
Location |
|
2015 |
Lewis Hamilton |
Mercedes |
Sochi |
|
2014 |
Lewis Hamilton |
Mercedes |
Numbers and Facts
Most wins (driver) 2 – Hamilton
Most wins (constructor) 2 – Mercedes
Wins from pole position 1 – Hamilton 2014
Lowest grid for past winner 2 – Hamilton 2015
Most recent 1-2 finish 1 HAMILTON, ROSBERG 2015
Most emphatic win 13.657 2014
Closest winning margin 5.953 2015
Rain-affected races none
Safety Car-affected races 1 – 2015
Red Flag (and result declared) races none
Fastest race 2014 – 53L @1:31’50.744
Slowest race 2015 53L @1:37’11.024
Most pole positions (driver) 1 – Hamilton 2014, Rosberg 2015
Most pole positions (constructor) 2 – MERCEDES
What Happened last race here?
Lewis Hamilton has dominated the 2015 Russian Grand Prix after his Mercedes team-mate and title rival Nico Rosberg retired.
Hamilton went side-by-side with polesitter Rosberg on the rundown to Turn 2 on the opening lap, but the German was able to keep the lead.
The safety car was called into action for a first-lap collision between Nico Hulkenberg’s spinning Force India and a helpless Marcus Ericsson, at that time Rosberg encountered a problem with his throttle pedal.
Rosberg subsequently slowed, crawling back to the pits where he retired the car.
It was Hamilton’s 42nd career win, putting him one clear of three-time world champion Ayrton Senna, While Sebastian Vettel crossed the finish line in second place for Ferrari, as Sergio Perez completed the Podium.
There was drama on the final lap, when Bottas passed Perez for third, with Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen following him through.
But Raikkonen then had a lunge at Turn 4, hitting Bottas at the apex and pushing the Williams into the barrier.
Raikkonen survived the damage to get to the finish in fifth, behind Williams’s Felipe Massa who produced a superb recovery drive from 15th.
2015 Race Classification
|
Pos. |
Driver |
Constructor |
Time/Retired |
Grid |
|
1 |
Lewis Hamilton |
Mercedes |
1:37:11.024 |
2 |
|
2 |
Sebastian Vettel |
Ferrari |
+5.953 |
4 |
|
3 |
Sergio Pérez |
Force India-Mercedes |
+28.918 |
7 |
|
4 |
Felipe Massa |
Williams-Mercedes |
+38.831 |
15 |
|
5 |
Daniil Kvyat |
Red Bull Racing-Renault |
+47.566 |
11 |
|
6 |
Felipe Nasr |
Sauber-Ferrari |
+56.508 |
12 |
|
7 |
Pastor Maldonado |
Lotus-Mercedes |
+1:01.088 |
14 |
|
8 |
Kimi Räikkönen |
Ferrari |
+1:12.358 |
5 |
|
9 |
Jenson Button |
McLaren-Honda |
+1:19.467 |
13 |
|
10 |
Max Verstappen |
Toro Rosso-Renault |
+1:28.424 |
9 |
|
11 |
Fernando Alonso |
McLaren-Honda |
+1:31.210 |
19 |
|
12 |
Valtteri Bottas |
Williams-Mercedes |
Collision |
3 |
|
13 |
Roberto Merhi |
Marussia-Ferrari |
+1 Lap |
18 |
|
14 |
Will Stevens |
Marussia-Ferrari |
+2 Laps |
17 |
|
15 |
Daniel Ricciardo |
Red Bull Racing-Renault |
Suspension |
10 |
|
Ret |
Carlos Sainz, Jr. |
Toro Rosso-Renault |
Brakes |
20 |
|
Ret |
Romain Grosjean |
Lotus-Mercedes |
Accident |
8 |
|
Ret |
Nico Rosberg |
Mercedes |
Throttle |
1 |
|
Ret |
Nico Hülkenberg |
Force India-Mercedes |
Collision |
6 |
|
Ret |
Marcus Ericsson |
Sauber-Ferrari |
Collision |
16 |
|
Kimi Räikkönen originally finished fifth but received a 30-second time penalty after the race following a collision with Valtteri Bottas |
||||
Did you know?
DRIVERS’
✪ Lewis Hamilton will be looking for his 44th F1 career win aboard of course car ♯44.
✪ Hamilton has set 33 of his 51 pole positions to date on Pirelli tyres. It is 2 more than any other driver in the history of F1 (Vettel next-best 31)
✪ Hamilton is now just 17 pole positions from equalling Michael Schumacher’s all-time record of 68 F1 GP pole positions. Since he has
been at Mercedes he has taken pole 25 times already. That is over 40% of all races he’s started for the team (25/ 60 = 41.7%)
✪ Hamilton has won (43) 25.3% of all GP he’s started (170) and is in the top 10 drivers races to win ratio of all-time. This is how he compares:-
- Fangio 47.0%, 2. Ascari 40.6%, 3. Clark 34.7%, 4. M.Schumacher 29.7%, 5. Ja.Stewart 27.2% 6. Vettel 26.3% (42/ 160), 7.Prost 25.6%
- Senna 25.5%, 9. Hamilton 25.4%, 10. Moss 24.2%
✪ Hamilton has led just 1 race lap so far in 2016. Last year he led 587 of 1,149 race laps (51%). After 3 GP in 2015 he’d led 119 laps (70%)
✪ If Hamilton leads in Russia he will then have led 87 F1 GP, 1 more than his idol Ayrton Senna. Only Michael Schumacher has led more (116)
✪ Hamilton should equal Niki Lauda’s 171 GP starts in Russia
✪ Nico Rosberg has won the past 6 GP. It represents his best run ever in his whole motor racing career to date
✪ A 7th win in a row for Rosberg in Russia will equal the best run achieved by Michael Schumacher (Europe 2004 to Hungary 2004 inclusive). It
would mean that only Sebastian Vettel and Alberto Ascari will have won more Grand Prix in a row (9) than Rosberg
✪ Rosberg’s has now won 17 GP. Nobody has won more GP and not won the driver’s title at some point in their F1 career
✪ Rosberg in China beat Nigel Mansell’s F1 career total of 187 GP starts
✪ Sebastian Vettel in China equalled Johnny Herbert’s F1 career total of 160 GP starts. In Russia he equals Ayrton Senna’s 161 GP starts
✪ Vettel in China beat Ayrton Senna’s 80 GP podiums. Vettel in 160 GP to date has won 42 while Senna managed to win 41 GP in his 161 starts
✪ Hamilton, Vettel, Rosberg and Felipe Massa will all make their 100th F1 GP starts on Pirelli tyres in Russia
CONSTRUCTORSCONSTRUCTORS’
✪ Mercedes aiming for an 10th pole in a row. Mercedes’ best-ever run of poles is 23 (Great Britain 2014 to Italy 2015 inclusive), and is beaten
only by Williams’s run of 24 poles in 1992 – 93
✪ Mercedes won its 48th F1 World Championship race victory in China. To date Mercedes has won just over one-third of all the F1 GP it has
has competed in (48 wins/ 130 races = 36.9%).
✪ Mercedes can equal red Bull Racing’s 57 F1 pole positions with pole in Russia
✪ Mercedes is now just 2 wins behind Red Bull’s F1 career total of 50
✪ A win on Sunday would be Mercedes’s 10th win in a row and would extend their best-ever run to date
✪ Mercedes has now finished in points for the last 61 GP in a row. It is the 3rd-best run of all-time. The most is 81 by Ferrari then McLaren on 64
✪ Mercedes engines will celebrated 400 F1 World Championship GP in China. To date the manufacturer has won 134 GP (33.5%) and taken
pole position 139 times (34.8%).
In terms of winning percentage this is how Mercedes currently ranks (Percentage [%] of wins /number of wins/ number of GP started/):-
1ST Climax 41.2/ 40 / 97, 2ND TAG-Porsche 36.8/ 25/ 68, 3RD Ford 33.7/ 176/ 523, 4TH Mercedes 33.5/ 134/ 400, 5TH Vanwall 32.1/ 9/ 28,
6TH Renault 30.0/ 168/ 560, 7TH Ferrari 24.6/ 225/ 913, 8TH Repco 24.2/ 8/ 33, 9TH Honda 19.9/ 72/ 362, 10TH Maserati 10.3/ 11/ 107
✪ Ferrari just needs 1 more podiums to reach 700 F1 GP race podiums (currently 699 – most recent, Sebastian Vettel, 2nd in China 2016)
RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX
✪ To date in Russia only a Mercedes has sat on the front row of the starting grid, led a Grand Prix and taken a F1 race victory
✪ Lewis Hamilton is the only driver to have won a F1 World Championship-qualifying Russian Grand Prix to date
✪ Lewis Hamilton is the only driver to have led a race lap in both Russian Grand Prix held to date
World Drivers’ Championship standings
|
Pos. |
Driver |
Points |
Diff |
|
1 |
Nico Rosberg |
75 |
|
|
2 |
Lewis Hamilton |
39 |
36 |
|
3 |
Daniel Ricciardo |
36 |
39 |
|
4 |
Sebastian Vettel |
33 |
42 |
|
5 |
Kimi Räikkönen |
28 |
47 |
|
6 |
Felipe Massa |
22 |
53 |
|
7 |
Daniil Kvyat |
21 |
54 |
|
8 |
Romain Grosjean |
18 |
57 |
|
9 |
Max Verstappen |
13 |
62 |
|
10 |
Valtteri Bottas |
7 |
68 |
|
11 |
Nico Hülkenberg |
6 |
69 |
|
12 |
Carlos Sainz, Jr. |
4 |
71 |
|
13 |
stoffel Vandoorn |
1 |
74 |
|
14 |
Kevin Magnussen |
0 |
|
|
15 |
Sergio Pérez |
0 |
|
|
16 |
Jolyon Palmer |
0 |
|
|
17 |
Marcus Ericsson |
0 |
|
|
18 |
Fernando Alonso |
0 |
|
|
19 |
Jenson Button |
0 |
|
|
20 |
Pascal Wehrlein |
0 |
|
|
21 |
Felipe Nasr |
0 |
|
|
22 |
Esteban Gutiérrez |
0 |
|
|
23 |
Rio Haryanto |
0 |
|
World Constructors’ Championship standings
|
Pos. |
Constructor |
Points |
Diff |
|
1 |
Mercedes |
114 |
|
|
2 |
Ferrari |
61 |
53 |
|
3 |
Red Bull-TAG Heuer |
57 |
57 |
|
4 |
Williams-Mercedes |
29 |
85 |
|
5 |
Haas-Ferrari |
18 |
96 |
|
6 |
Toro Rosso-Ferrari |
17 |
97 |
|
7 |
Force India-Mercedes |
6 |
108 |
|
8 |
McLaren-Honda |
1 |
113 |
|
9 |
Renault |
0 |
|
|
10 |
Sauber-Ferrari |
0 |
|
|
11 |
MRT-Mercedes |
0 |
|
Drivers penalty points:
|
Driver |
Penalty points |
|
Max Verstappen |
8 |
|
Marcus Erricson |
4 |
|
Romain Grosjean |
4 |
|
Nico Hulkenberg |
4 |
|
Valtteri Bottas |
4 |
|
Sebastian Vettel |
3 |
|
Kimi Raikkonen |
3 |
|
Lewis Hamilton |
2 |
|
Daniil Kvyat |
2 |
|
Fernando Alonso |
2 |
|
Rio Haryanto |
2 |