Feature: Star Drivers Of The Russian GP

Amy Hawk - "My driver of the weekend is Lewis Hamilton. He's fighting every bit of the way to stay in the lead for the drivers Championship. His weekend in Russia was nothing less from phenomenal. 

He was quick to take the lead when Rosberg had the lock-up and he stayed ahead even when Rosberg caught up from 20th. Not only did he grab the win, but he's now got a good points gap between himself and Nico, so going into the next race weekend I think he'll be feeling more confident."

Frances Fry - "My driver of this previous GP has to be Nico Rosberg. If his previous track record for the season isn't already enough to be impressed by, his amazing progress through the places this weekend certainly should be! 

On corner 1, Rosberg locked up after attempting to overtake his teammate Lewis Hamilton. The lock up resulted in extreme bald patches on his tyres, which due to low friction were meant to last him to around lap 35. The tyres weren't suitable for racing on and so, at the end of lap 1, Rosberg pitted. 

The Mercedes driver came out in 21st place, with Massa behind him. 

The German driver began making his way up the places, making incredible progress. Williams driver Massa followed him through until they reached Perez where Massa got caught, leaving Rosberg to make yet more progress. 

Nico made it to the end of the race on the set of tyres he switched to after his lock up. If this wasn't impressive enough, he finished in second place, giving Mercedes yet another 1/2 finish."

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Feature: Russian GP - Our Post-Race Quotes

Post Russian Our Quotes

Amy Hawk - "First, a huge congratulations to Lewis on his win, and also to Rosberg and Bottas. They drove brilliantly.

It was great to see a race at a brand new circuit. Sochi has a great atmosphere and looks absolutely beautiful. The race itself may not have been the most challenging, but it was overall a good race and I enjoyed it.

It's still a bit hard, as we're all still thinking of Jules, but we have to stay positive and it was great to see everyone was out there racing for him. 

Things look a bit more positive for Sauber, both cars finishing without any issues, so hopefully they continue that in Austin. Force India put up a great fight despite Nico having the penalty for a Gearbox change. Unfortunately the team is now back to 6th in the Constructors, but there's 3 races left to fight for 5th, so every point counts.

McLaren also looked strong and I was very confident Button was heading for the podium, but after the pit-stop, Bottas really had the lead for third. There wasn't enough laps for him (Button) to catch back up.

We're looking forward to Austin, as it is in the US, so that makes it our home race. It's going to be a great weekend, as it has been the past two years."

Frances Fry - "A race at a new track is always something to look forward do. The unfamiliar bends and tyre wear can leave a lot to be seen. Sochi was a great track with some fierce bends but tyre wear wasn't a problem for the teams. I suppose in some ways it was a bit disappointing as it didn't offer a lot of chance for what some fans may refer to as "action". However, I think it was somewhat a blessing. With the small run off spaces at the track, no cars were damaged upon wall contact due to the lack of "action". 

Additionally, the smooth surface gave drivers the chance to show off how long they could go on set of tyres. However, after Rosberg's lock up on lap 1 I think it's fair to say his drive was more than a little impressive as he didn't pit again for the rest of the race. 

This may have overshadowed the incredible stint done by Esteban Gutierrez who made his first (and last) pit stop on lap 40! He additionally put on a fantastic performance and for a while, it looked like Sauber were going to get their first points. However, after the pit stop, Gutierrez dropped back to 15th, 5 places out of the points. 

The highlight of the weekend was without a doubt Mercedes making history and winning their first F1 constructors championship. Now it's just a question of which driver will take the crown!  

So onto Austin we go. With larger run offs, more tyre wear, and more opportunity for points, I can't wait to see what happens as the season starts to round itself up!"

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#ForzaJules

Russian GP: Circuit Preview

As we head into one of the last few rounds of the 2014 Formula 1 Season, it's time to take a look at F1's new circuit in Russia.

'Sochi Autodrom' is the newest F1 circuit to be opened. It's located in Sochi, Russia and will be the new location of the Russian Grand Prix. The country is not a stranger to F1, but this is this circuit's first time on the calendar.

The circuit is 3.637 miles in length, runs clockwise and has 19 turns. The capacity is approximately 55,000. It just opened on September 21st of this year and is expected to be a huge success in F1.

The race will consist of 53 laps, making it not the shortest lapped race on the calendar, but not the most lapped either. 

We are very excited to see the new circuit in all its racing glory and of course, we'll be providing LIVE COMMENTARY COVERAGE of all 3 Free Practice sessions on our Twitter @F1Insider78 - Then we will do updates throughout Qualifying and the Race.

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

No copyright infringement intended.

Daniil Kvyat completes Toro Rosso's 2014 Line Up.

Even though the 2013 season is still going on, we're always playing 'Silly Season' a fun guessing game of which driver will go where. One of the things that has been confirmed is that Daniil Kvyat is going to be driving alongside Jean-Eric Vergne on the Toro Rosso team in 2014.

Daniil is from Ufa, Russia and was born April 26th 1994, making him 19. He is the Championship Winner of this years GP3 series. He currently resides in Rome, Italy and lives with his family.

Although he is young, he is already showing great promise by being a Champion of GP3. Many of the current Formula1 drivers have expressed that adding 'Young' or 'Rookie' drivers is going to be dangerous. I think most of that assumption is because the drivers will be using Turbo engines next year. It is an interesting time for younger drivers to be joining in, but I feel that Daniil will do very well on the team.
Daniil is not the only young Russian driver being added in the F1 line up. Sergey Sirotkin has a good chance of securing his seat at Sauber if he gets his Super-License.
More information on the 2014 Driver Line up to come!

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.

Sauber gets new partnerships & New driver for 2014.

Sauber announced last night that they have a new partnership with three Russian companies.This is good news since the team had been low on funding lately, and has had a big financial issue this year. The partnership is with the Investment Cooperation International Fund, The National Institute Of Aviation Technologies and The State Fund Of Development of North-West Russian Federation.

Sauber also announced that they have signed 17 year old Sergey Sirotkin for the 2014 season. No word on which driver will not be sticking around. Sergey is still in his first season with Formula Renault 3.5, and his best result so far has been Second place. 

The partnerships apparently have a lot to do with next year's Russian GP in Sochi.


Article Written By: Amy Hawk.