Russian GP: Qualifying - Re-Cap & Results

RUSSIAN GP - QUALIFYING - RE-CAP & RESULTS

    Sebastian Vettel will start the race from Pole Position with team-mate, Raikkonen lining up beside him. This is the First all-Ferrari front row since the French Grand Prix of 2008, which is also the last time Kimi Raikkonen started from Pole Position. 

    During Q1, both Jolyon Palmer and Pascal Wehrlein crashed. Wehrlein ended up facing the wrong way, while Palmer smashed the front end of his Renault into the wall. Both drivers were OK but that was their day over.

    Carlos Sainz and Stoffel Vandoorne move back on the grid due to grid penalties. Sainz 3 places due to his collision with Lance Stroll in Bahrain and Vandoorne 15 places for using more than the allowed amount of engine components for the season. 

HOW IT WORKS:

Q1 = 18 minutes. All cars allowed to go out. At the end of the session, the five slowest are eliminated.

Q2 = 15 minutes. The remaining cars go out. At the end of the session, the five slowest are eliminated.

Q3 = 12 minutes. Final 10 cars go out. The final order at the end of the session is how the grid will line up. Fastest car starts from Pole Position.

GRID LINE-UP

1. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany

2. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland

3. Valtteri Bottas / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland

4. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain

5. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia

6. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil

7. Max Verstappen / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands

8. Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany

9. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico

10. Esteban Ocon / Force India-Mercedes / France

11. Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada

12. Daniil Kvyat / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia

13. Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark

14. Carlos Sainz / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain*

15. Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain

16. Jolyon Palmer / Renault-Renault / Great Britain

17. Pascal Wehrlein / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany

18. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

19. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France

20. Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Honda / Belgium**

* - (Sainz) 3-Place-Grid-Penalty for collision with Lance Stroll in Bahrain

** - (Vandoorne) 15-Place-Grid-Penalty for multiple engine component changes

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Russian GP: Free Practice #3 - Re-Cap & Times

RUSSIAN GP - FREE PRACTICE #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES 

    Ferrari continued to show pace as Sebastian Vettel set the quickest time of the last practice session with a 1:34.001, while his team-mate, Raikkonen, finished second just behind him with a 1:34.338. Bottas, Hamilton and Verstappen completed the top 5.

    Jolyon Palmer had a less than productive session after he reported having 'No power'. His session was over soon after that and the Renault mechanics went to work on getting his engine changed in time before Qualifying. Meanwhile, other Renault driver, Hulkenberg, set the 7th fastest time with a 1:35.662.

    Daniil Kvyat had an off-track moment in the session and former team-mate, Ricciardo, momentarily stopped on-track in the final few moments, prompting yellow flags for a few moments. He was able to get going again and the session finished without further issues.

    One of the most talked about things so-far this weekend is the '#BillyWhizz' stickers popping up on the cars and helmets of the drivers. This is in honour of Billy Monger, a young F4 driver who was recently involved in a traumatic accident that resulted in the amputation of both of his legs below the knee. Monger is now recovering from the surgeries and already trying to figure out how to race with a hand clutch. 

TIMES:

1. Sebastian Vettel - 1:34.001 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany

2. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:34.338 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland

3. Valtteri Bottas - 1:34.364 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland

4. Lewis Hamilton - 1:34.542 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain

5. Max Verstappen - 1:35.452 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands

6. Felipe Massa - 1:35.71 / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil

7. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:35.662 / Renault-Renault / Germany

8. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:35.830 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia

9. Carlos Sainz - 1:36.164 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain

10. Kevin Magnussen - 1:36.556 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark

11. Lance Stroll - 1:36.649 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada

12. Esteban Ocon - 1:36.676 / Force India-Mercedes / France

13. Daniil Kvyat - 1:36.846 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia

14. Fernando Alonso - 1:36.869 / McLaren-Honda / Spain

15. Sergio Perez - 1:36.962 / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico

16. Romain Grosjean - 1:37.164 / Haas-Ferrari / France

17. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:37.182 / McLaren-Honda / Belgium

18. Marcus Ericsson - 1:37.503 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

19. Pascal Wehrlein - 1:37.657 / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany

20. Jolyon Palmer - NO TIME SET / Renault-Renault / Great Britain

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Russian GP: Free Practice #2 - Re-Cap & Times

RUSSIAN GP - FREE PRACTICE #2 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Ferrari are on target for a strong qualifying as the team takes a 1-2 from quali simulations in FP2. Sebastian Vettel topped the timing screens this time around, with team mate Kimi Raikkonen just a quarter of a second behind him.

    Raikkonen looked like he might have been able to match his FP1 position early in the session, beating Vettel after the first run by a tenth of a second. The German bounced back though, and took the top spot after the second runs.

    Mercedes played second best again, with Valtteri Bottas taking third with a lap time six tenths of a second slower than Vettel, and Lewis Hamilton fourth.

    The Red Bull duo took the best of the rest title again, Max Verstappen ahead of Daniel Ricciardo. It was a less than perfect day for Verstappen when the teenager lost power on track during the long runs. The car was quickly cleared, but that was the end of Verstappen’s session.

    A number of drivers span during the session, including Haas’ Roman Grosjean. Haas are testing a new brake manufacturer this weekend, having had brake problems since mid-way through last season. Judging by Grosjean’s less than positive feedback during the session, those problems haven’t quite been resolved just yet.

    It was a more trouble free session for McLaren. The team had to swap a component on Stoffel Vandoorne’s car after losing power in FP1, meaning he’ll face a 15 place grid penalty in the race. But there were no problems for either driver in FP2.

TIMES:

1. Sebastian Vettel - 1:34.120 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany
2. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:34.383 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland
3. Valtteri Bottas - 1:34.790 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland
4. Lewis Hamilton - 1:34.829 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain
5. Max Verstappen - 1:35.540 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands
6. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:35.910 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia
7. Felipe Massa - 1:36.261 / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil
8. Nico Hulkenberg – 1:36.329 / Renault-Renault / Germany
9. Kevin Magnussen - 1:36.506 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark
10. Sergio Perez - 1:36.600 / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
11. Esteban Ocon - 1:36.654 / Force India-Mercedes / France
12. Fernando Alonso - 1:36.765 / McLaren-Honda / Spain
13. Jolyon Palmer - 1:36.771 / Renault-Renault / Great Britain
14. Romain Grosjean - 1:37.039 / Haas-Ferrari / France
15. Carlos Sainz - 1:37.083 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain
16. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:37.125 / McLaren-Honda / Belgium
17. Daniil Kvyat - 1:37.300 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia
18. Pascal Wehrlein - 1:37.441 / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany
19. Lance Stroll - 1:37.747 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada
20. Marcus Ericsson - 1:37.819 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

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Russian GP: Free Practice #1 - Re-Cap & Times

RUSSIAN GP - FREE PRACTICE #1 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Kimi Raikkonen brought Ferrari to the top of time sheets in the first free practice session of the Russian GP weekend. The Finn lapped a quickest time of 1:36.074 around the Sochi circuit. Team-mate, Sebastian Vettel was a bit further down in 5th, but still quick with a 1:37.230. Vettel also turned some heads when he spun during the session, but was able to keep it out of the wall.

    Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton took the 2nd and 3rd spots respectively, lapping in the 1:36's. Max Verstappen took the 4th spot with a 1:37.174. Verstappen had reported a few technical issues with the Red Bull, but didn't encounter any serious mechanical trouble. 

    Sergey Sirotkin was granted to sit in for Hulkenberg at his home circuit, but never got a chance to set a time. The Renault lost power shortly into the session and Sirotkin was able to pull off to the side of the circuit. But one the car was taken back to the garage, it never came back out. Vandoorne also reported power issues towards the end of the session and it is looking likely that the McLaren driver will take a 15-Place-Grid-Penalty for Sunday's race.

    The session was briefly red-flagged after Esteban Ocon's engine cover came loose and flew off on to the track. Once it was removed, the session got back underway. Ocon finished the session in 10th with a 1:38.065 while Perez finished up in 7th with a 1:37.457.

TIMES:

1. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:36.074 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland

2. Valtteri Bottas - 1:36.119 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland

3. Lewis Hamilton - 1:36.681 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain

4. Max Verstappen - 1:37.174 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands

5. Sebastian Vettel - 1:37.230 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany

6. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:37.290 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia

7. Sergio Perez - 1:37.457 / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico

8. Felipe Massa - 1:37.900 / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil

9. Lance Stroll - 1:37.944 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada

10. Esteban Ocon - 1:38.065 / Force India-Mercedes / France

11. Daniil Kvyat - 1:38.496 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia

12. Kevin Magnussen - 1:38.747 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark

13. Fernando Alonso - 1:38.813 / McLaren-Honda / Spain

14. Carlos Sainz - 1:38.976 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain

15. Jolyon Palmer - 1:39.158 / Renault-Renault / Great Britain

16. Romain Grosjean - 1:39.533 / Haas-Ferrari / France

17. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:39.541 / McLaren-Honda / Belgium

18. Pascal Wehrlein - 1:39.731 / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany

19. Marcus Ericsson - 1:40.079 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

20. Sergey Sirotkin - NO TIME SET / Renault-Renault / Russia*

* - Notes driving in FP1 only

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Russian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Williams

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - WILLIAMS MARTINI RACING

Felipe Massa - “Sochi is a really nice track to drive and it’s a race I enjoy a lot. In the past it’s a track we have done well at – I finished fourth and fifth in 2014 and 2015 - so I’m hoping we can have another good race there this year. The event has been getting bigger every year so I’m really looking forward to going back again.” 

Lance Stroll - “This is certainly one of the most difficult tracks for me to talk about as I have never been there or done it on the sim yet. I did watch last year’s race but still have to really see how the track is. However, I do enjoy going to new tracks. They all have their own particular characteristics and it is fun to find these out. Obviously the first experience I will have is the Thursday track walk, which I do with my engineers. It is surprising how much you can learn about a track by walking it that is still relevant when you are going round at speed in an F1 car. You get to know the bumps and have a feel for how the car will react. When learning a new one there is no set number of laps it takes, as sometimes you get into it very quickly and others it takes a bit more time. It just depends on the track and your feeling and how long it takes to get into a rhythm.”

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Russian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Renault

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - RENAULT SPORT FORMULA ONE TEAM

Nico Hulkenberg - “I have quite a bit of optimism! I think we made good progress to enable us to improve our race pace for Sochi when we were testing in Bahrain and we have some new bits for the car to facilitate this too. Of course, the Sochi Autodrom is a completely different circuit, so we can’t accurately predict our relative performance until we get there, but I’m feeling positive.

    I like traveling to Russia, it’s a cool place and I like the track and infrastructure there. Of course, my main focus is on the track itself and it’s a good one to drive, so I go there with a happy face. I think we’ve made good progress with the car with some positive updates, which should also make me happy.

    It’s one of the longer laps of the season and this is compounded by there being a lot of corners. This makes it a big challenge for any driver as you need to get every turn in each sector together perfectly, especially in qualifying. It’s a very quick and flowing track, which is why I like it so much. There are a number of tricky bits too, especially braking into the corner at the end of the back straight. The final sector is a bit more technical and slow in its nature, but overall it’s a fun track.

    I haven’t had the greatest amount of luck in Sochi with two retirements and a 12th placed finish, so it would be great to score my first points there in 2017!”

Jolyon Palmer - “For me the best thing about Russia is that I won the first ever GP2 Series race there and that race won me the championship, so I have very good memories of the Sochi Autodrom! I got a great start so led from the first lap but was under a lot of pressure all the way. It’s great to win any race, but to win a race where you’ve had pressure at every turn, that’s a real achievement.

    It’s a smooth and still pretty new track with plenty to think about in its layout. We’ve seen that it can start with pretty low grip levels at the beginning of the weekend, but it will be interesting to see how the extra downforce of 2017 copes with that. Last year we struggled to get the car where we wanted in qualifying but we went better in the race.

    My race in Bahrain was frustrating as we weren’t able to unlock the pace from the car - which was something Nico suffered from too. The real positive is that the team is taking a step forward at every race so we’re hopeful that Sochi continues in this vein.”

Sergey Sirotkin (Test Driver - Running in Free Practice #1) - “I drove last year in Sochi so I’m familiar with what to expect. It’s a modern-style F1 track with some interesting aspects to it. There have been some interesting Grands Prix there. The most challenging sector is the final one, off the back straight, as there are some tricky braking areas through corner after corner, then it’s really crucial to keep the rear of the car under control through this sequence.

    I’m proud of being a Russian driver so to be in front of thousands of Russian fans is always going to be a highlight. That said, I would settle with being in the car anywhere! Of course, there will be a lot of attention in the press and media, and many people I know will be there - which is always nice - however my focus is fully on track. I’m there to do the best job possible and focus on the entire race weekend not just FP1 when I’m in the car.”

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Russian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Haas

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - HAAS F1 TEAM

Romain Grosjean - “It was good to score points in Bahrain. Clearly, we deserved them - since race one, actually. I think the most encouraging fact for now is that the car is performing well everywhere we’ve been. So now we go to Russia, which was a bit of a tough one for us last year. We’ll see if we’ve made progress and if the car is working well at every type of circuit. If so, then pretty much everywhere we could score points. I think clearly we’ve got a good baseline, so we’re going to keep working on that and keep trying to improve the car and see what we get in Sochi.

    I do quite like the fast Turn 3. It’s a very high-speed corner, flat out, then just going into Turn 4, coming out of the corner, then braking straight away for Turn 4. I think the corners flow into each other quite nicely. It’s a good track to drive.

    There’s a very long straight line to start, followed by big braking into a right-hand side corner, taken in third or fourth gear. Then you have the famous Turn 3, which is flat out in qualifying. Then you go into Turn 4 - you can carry quite good speed into it. The next few corners are very similar. They flow nicely and you enjoy some good speed in the car. Then you go on the back straight, again with very tricky braking. Then the last section of the track is much slower, in particular the last two corners. The pit entry is also a bit tricky. The finish line is straight at the last corner, so depending if you’re on a qualifying lap or a racing lap, each one is different.”

Kevin Magnussen - “I think it’s a good track and I’ve had some good races there. Hopefully, I can have another good one there this year. I know last year I had a good first lap. Quite a few people messed up and lost things like front wings and so on. I made up lots of positions with that. I then had a really good race after that to finish seventh. I like Turns 6, 7 and 8 as they’re high speed. Turn 3 is a bit hard for your neck, it goes on and on. It can be a little bit tiring on your neck.”

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Russian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Red Bull

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - RED BULL RACING FORMULA ONE TEAM

Max Verstappen - “It’s an interesting track. It has a lot of long straights but despite that fact, Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso have actually done pretty well on that track in the past. It’s a special track and it’s still very new. It’s also in the middle of the Olympic Park and that gives a special atmosphere to it. The corners are mostly 90 degrees, which you normally never experience.

    It’s quite a flat track and not a lot of elevation changes and some difficult braking zones. It’s always challenging to come from high speed into a low-speed corner and achieve the best out of it in braking. I’m definitely looking forward to go back there and have a good race.

    Last year I visited the city centre in Sochi which was pretty interesting and I found a really nice restaurant that I will definitely go back to this year. I’ll keep the name secret for now though.”

Daniel Ricciardo - “Now that we’ve been to the track a few times I think the tarmac will be better. It’s a bit like Austin in the first few years, when it took a while to bed in. But I expect this year for the track to be grippy and with these cars it should be quite fast. I would say it’s going to be more enjoyable than it has been so I’m looking forward to that. It’s also a pretty busy track. There is not much room to rest. Yeah there is a long straight but other than that there is quite a bit going on. It keeps you thinking.

    Some parts of the track remind me a bit of India. Kind of flat and you can take the kerbs quite easily. There are also a lot of third- and fourth-gear corners. The layout has definitely grown on me since we started racing there.

    We’re also going there a bit later this year so there is a chance of it being a bit warmer than in previous years. It’s a pretty cool place. It’s near the ocean and our hotel is right next to it. I’ve never gone into the water though because it’s too cold for me.”

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Russian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Force India

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - SAHARA FORCE INDIA F1 TEAM

Sergio Perez - “I said after Bahrain that I was very proud of my team. We never gave up and dug deep to recover a great result. It was even more special because we continued our run of races in the points – it’s now thirteen consecutive races. When we qualified in P18, I thought it would be hard to do it, but we delivered a perfect race and really deserved this result.

    I think the start of the season has gone really well and we can be happy with the results we have achieved already. The team has done an excellent job to read the races, call the strategy and take the opportunities. That’s a real strength of this team.

    I have good memories from Sochi and our podium in 2015 shows that anything is possible. I think every driver enjoys turn four because it’s an unusual corner that puts high energies through the car. The rest of the lap is similar to a street circuit. Overtaking has never been easy so there’s extra pressure on getting high up the grid in qualifying.”

Esteban Ocon - “After three races in the points I’m feeling happy about my start to the season. At the same time, I feel a bit of disappointment that we haven’t achieved more. With a bit more luck on my side, I would have come away from China and Bahrain with even more points. Finishing tenth three times in a row isn’t enough for me – I want more!

    Sochi is quite a similar circuit to Bahrain with long straights and low-speed corners. It’s a track I know already, because I raced there in GP3, and it’s a nice challenge. I think turn four will feel really cool this year with the downforce we have in these cars and it’s going to be demanding for the front right tyre.

    Performance-wise it’s hard to predict where we will be. We had a good test in Bahrain after the race and we made some progress with the car, but the middle of the grid is very competitive. We have looked stronger in the races compared to qualifying and that’s why we have picked up points in all the races. Getting some more points remains the goal this weekend.”

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Russian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Toro Rosso

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO F1 TEAM

Daniil Kvyat - “The first thing that comes to my mind when I think about Russia is Sebastian… As in Sebastian Vettel. I like to torpedo Sebastian, it's my hobby! (Small pause) Okay, c'mon, you all know I'm joking! Let's get serious now. Maybe the first word that comes to mind should be ‘braking’ into Turn 1!"

    This is always a special weekend for me as it's my home race. I've had very good qualifyings there but I've never actually been able to put the perfect race together in Russia, so I'd like to achieve it this year. It's so cool to race here, I always feel the strong support of the Russian fans and I want to make the most out of this backing and thank everyone with a strong performance!

    Since the first Russian GP back in 2014, Formula 1 in Russia has definitely grown a lot. To have our own race was a big step for the country and more and more fans attend every year, so you can see that the interest in the sport is much bigger! Russia is a fantastic country for winter sports and hosting the Winter Olympics was a big event. I like to watch the biathlon, skiing. There are many cool winter sports! I'm not surprised Sochi was chosen to host the 2014 Winter Olympics, the mountains here in Sochi are fantastic!

    In 2015 I qualified in P5, which was my best qualifying result with Toro Rosso. It was quite a nice moment and I have very good memories from that day. The race wasn't great, but then the following year the situation was the opposite, with not the strongest of qualis but with a decent race. This time I'm looking to be strong on both Saturday and Sunday!”

Carlos Sainz - “I always get asked about my 2015 crash when we get to Russia, but I have to say that what I was most impressed with that weekend was the support of the fans and the whole Paddock. I remember posting a photo from the hospital to say that I was okay and I received so many good wishes, it was amazing to see how F1 comes together when these things happen. We're a big family and people really care about each other.

    I think Russia owes me one, particularly after that 2015 race where we did a massive comeback, starting from the very back and climbing up to P6 before having to retire. And last year I was just unlucky to get a piece of wing stuck in my radiator! So yes, points are on my list of objectives this time in Russia!

    I enjoy driving around where the Winter Olympics took place back in 2014. I have to say that I like the winter Olympics, particularly the skiing competitions. I always try to follow as much as I can even if I don't have much time. I also like to ski myself and I usually try and go at least once a year with my friends.

    I've learned a few Russian words thanks to my teammate, Daniil. I think its best that I don't tell you which words he's taught me. Well, the only one I will share with you I'm sure you all know: matryoshka! The most special thing about the track is Turn 3, a very long corner which is tough for the neck and enjoyable to drive.”

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Russian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - McLaren

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - McLAREN HONDA FORMULA 1 TEAM

Fernando Alonso - "Sochi Autodrom is an interesting circuit. A mixture of challenges, and ones which I think will be tackled quite differently this year with the new regulations for 2017. For example, Turn Three last year used to be tricky and you needed to be very precise – it's a multi-apex left-hander which means good car balance and control are important to not get out of shape mid-corner. This year, though, it will likely be taken flat, so I'm looking forward to seeing how the feeling in the car has changed around this circuit. 

    There are two long, slightly-curved straights and high-speed corners, which means this circuit will be challenging for us with the package we have, but our car is also very well-balanced, so I hope we can get the most out of the many 90-degree corners that make this circuit so unique. Although it's technically a city circuit, it's pretty fast overall and the track itself is wide, so it usually provides close racing and good overtaking opportunities. 

    A positive result for us in Sochi will be to finish the race with both cars, first of all, as we've suffered a few reliability issues over the past couple of weekends. I followed the test in Bahrain and I'm pleased that we were able to secure a lot of valuable data from both the car and the power unit, and I know everyone at McLaren-Honda is working hard to put that to good use to aid our progress as quickly as possible. The season is long, but there isn't much time between races, especially fly-aways, for development, so the laps we managed on the final day of the test were a big positive for us and hopefully will be beneficial to us over the next few races."

Stoffel Vandoorne - "I've raced in Sochi before and had good results there. It's where I clinched the GP2 championship in 2015, so that's definitely a plus point for me going into the weekend. We've not been so lucky recently on my side of the garage and I've missed quite a lot of valuable mileage, but I hope we can improve that situation this weekend. 

    After a difficult couple of weeks, the last day of the Bahrain test was very encouraging, both for me and for the whole team. It was a boost we needed and provided us with a lot of useful information about the direction we are taking the whole package in, so we go to Sochi with a better feeling than we had on Sunday night after a disappointing race. 

    As I've said before, on tracks like this where straight-line speed is important, we know we'll already be slightly on the back-foot heading into the weekend. Our focus should definitely be on maximising our track time and working on reliability. If we can have a clean weekend from that point of view and no issues with the car, it will give us the best chance to find performance for the race, and we'll give it our best shot with the package we have."

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Russian GP: Circuit Preview

RUSSIAN GP - CIRCUIT PREVIEW + 2016 STATS

Name: Sochi Autodrom

Location: Sochi, Krasnodar Krai, Russia

Opened: September 21st 2014

Length: 3.634 Miles

Capacity: 55,000

Runs: Clockwise

Turns: 19

Race Laps: 53

2016 STATS

Pole Position: Nico Rosberg

1st Place: Nico Rosberg

2nd Place: Lewis Hamilton

3rd Place: Kimi Raikkonen

Retirements: Rio Haryanto (Collison), Nico Hulkenberg (Collision), Sebastian Vettel (Collision) & Max Verstappen (Power Unit)

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Russian GP: Track Schedule

RUSSIAN GP - TRACK SCHEDULE

April 27th / Thursday

15:00 - Drivers Press Conference (Located in the Press Room)

15:15 - 19:15 - Pit-Lane Walk (PUBLIC) 4-Day-Ticket-Holders Only

15:50 - 17:45 - F1 Drivers Autograph Signing

April 28th / Friday

09:45 - 10:45 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

11:00 - 12:30 - Free Practice #1

13:35 - 14:45 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

15:00 - 16:30 - Free Practice #2

17:00 - 18:00 - Press Conference (Located in the Press Room)

April 29th / Saturday

08:30 - 09:45 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

09:00 - 09:45 - Team Pit-Stop Practice

12:00 - 13:00 - Free Practice #3

13:20 - 14:45 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

15:00 - 16:00 - Qualifying

April 30th / Sunday

10:20 - 11:20 - F1 Drivers Autograph Signing

13:10 - 14:20 - Paddock Club Pit-Lane Walk

13:30 - Drivers Track Parade

13:45 - 14:15 - Starting Grid Presentation

14:46 - National Anthem

15:00 - 17:00 - Race

(Subject to change)

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Written By: Amy Hawk

No copyright infringement intended

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Fernando Alonso To Compete In Indy 500

FERNANDO ALONSO TO COMPETE IN INDY 500, BUTTON CONFIRMED AT McLAREN FOR MONACO GP

    Jenson Button will make his Formula One return at the Monaco GP, replacing Fernando Alonso as the Spaniard makes his IndyCar debut.

    Button said goodbye to F1 racing at the end of 2016 but didn’t officially retire, remaining as a key member of the team.

    “I’m thrilled to be making a one-off return to F1 racing, and I couldn’t think of a better place to make that return than my adopted home Grand Prix, Monaco,” Button said.

    “I’ve won the race before, in 2009, and it’s one of my all-time favourite racetracks. It’s a tricky street circuit on which a good driver can really make a difference."

    “I’ll drive the MCL32 around Monaco in the McLaren sim beforehand, and I reckon I’ll be ready for the race after doing that. I’m supremely fit, having done a lot of triathlon training recently, so I have no worries on that score.”

    Alonso, meanwhile, will be competing in the Indianapolis 500, which clashes with the Monaco F1 weekend. He’ll be racing in an Andretti run McLaren Honda, and is aiming to take the “triple crown.”

    “The Indy 500 is one of the most famous races and on the global motorsport calendar, rivaled only by the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Monaco GP,” Alonso said. “It’s of course a regret of mine that I won’t be able to race at Monaco this year, but Monaco will be the only 2017 Grand Prix I’ll be missing, and I’ll be back in the cockpit of the McLaren-Honda MCL32 for the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal in early June."

    “I’ve won the Monaco Grand Prix twice, and it’s one of my ambitions to win the Triple Crown, which has been achieved by only one driver in the history of motorsport: Graham Hill. It’s a tough challenge, but I’m up for it. I don’t know when I’m going to race at Le Mans, but one day I intend to. I’m only 35: I’ve got plenty of time for that.”

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
No copyright infringement intended
Image Credit To: www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com
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Malaysian GP Dropped From Calendar

MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX DROPPED FROM F1 CALENDAR

    The Malaysian Grand Prix won’t feature on the Formula One calendar next season for the first time since 1998.

    Organisers have decided to end the deal with F1 management early, after government ministers announced they wouldn’t fund an extension to the original deal.

    “It’s always sad to say goodbye to a member of the Formula One family,” F1’s commercial operations managing director Sean Bratches said in a statement. “Over nearly two decades, the Malaysian Formula 1 fans have proven themselves to be some of the sport’s most passionate supporters.”

    “As we said in Melbourne, we have big plans for bringing our global fan base closer to the sport than ever before, providing an enhanced digital experience and creating new events. We’re looking forward to talking more about these plans as the season progresses.”

    Organisers decided to leave the deal, which was supposed to last until the end of 2018, due to low ticket sales and high costs.

    This may have a significant impact on Mercedes. The team’s technical partner and title sponsor Petronas have sponsored the Malaysia GP since 1999. The lack of F1 in the company’s home country could see Petronas take a step away from F1.

    The GP will be replaced by the returning French and German GPs.

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
No copyright infringement intended
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In-Season Test #1 - Day #2 - Re-Cap & Times

IN-SEASON TEST #1 - DAY #2 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas topped the second day of testing in Bahrain.

    The Finn put in 143 laps in an effort to better understand the tyres, something the team could have done with before last weekend’s race. Mercedes were also testing new aero pieces to combat Ferrari’s boost in performance. Bottas did briefly stop on track early in the afternoon with a mechanical problem, but managed to get the Mercedes going again.

    Sebastian Vettel was behind the wheel for Ferrari, but the German didn’t get half as many laps as Bottas. The team found a hydraulic leak whilst changing the setting’s, forcing Vettel to remain in the pits for the majority of the morning session. A data problem in the afternoon did briefly disturb 
Ferrari’s running, but Vettel eventually managed 64 laps and the second best time.

    One team that didn’t face any problems today was McLaren. After a disastrous weekend in Bahrain and more problems yesterday, it was smooth running for Stoffel Vandoorne. The Belgian completed 81 laps – more laps than a race distance – and set the fourth fastest time overall, just two tenths of a second slower than Sainz in third.

    Haas spent their day evaluating new brakes. The problem has plagued the team since the later part of last season, and they’re keen to keep up the pace they’ve shown. Kevin Magnussen set the fifth fastest time, ahead of Daniil Kvyat, who ran the Toro Rosso in the morning session.

    Williams, Renault, and Red Bull all ran test drivers. Williams’ Gary Paffett, who returned to the track for the first time since 2013, set the eighth fastest time ahead of Renault’s Sergey Sirotkin and Red Bull’s Pierre Gasly.

    Pascal Wehrlein made up for lost time by getting into his Sauber and completing over 90 laps throughout the day, setting the 11th fastest time ahead of Force India’s Sergio Perez.

TIMES:

1. Valtteri Bottas - 1:31.280 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland / 143 Laps

2. Sebastian Vettel - 1:31.574 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Italy / 64 Laps

3. Carlos Sainz (PM) – 1:31.884 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain / 68 Laps

4. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:32.108 / McLaren-Honda / Belgium / 81 Laps

5. Kevin Magnussen - 1:32.120 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark / 88 Laps

6. Esteban Ocon (AM) - 1:32.142 / Force India-Mercedes / France / 60 Laps

7. Daniil Kvyat (AM) – 1:32.213 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia / 61 Laps

8. Gary Paffett - 1:32.253 / Williams-Mercedes / Great Britain / 126 Laps 

9. Sergey Sirotkin - 1:32.287 / Renault-Renault / Russia  / 90 Laps

10. Pierre Gasly - 1:32.568 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / France / 65 Laps

11. Pascal Wehrlein - 1:34.462 / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany / 91 Laps

12. Sergio Perez (PM) – 1:35.015 / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / 70 Laps

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring

No copyright infringement intended

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