With just six races left in the 2018 F1 season, it really is all to play for in Russia this weekend as the two horse race between Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel continues. Earlier this month in the Singapore Grand Prix, Hamilton was able to open up a 40 point advantage at the top of the Driver’s Championship – earning top spot on the podium to achieve exactly that.
However, with the 2018 racing season not too far from its end, Hamilton could yet let his lead slip. Ahead of this Sunday’s main event, read on as we here at Karting Nation go through everything you need to know in our 2018 Russian Grand Prix preview.
What Time Does The 2018 Russian Grand Prix Start?
The 2018 Russian Grand Prix takes place this Sunday, 30th September, with the main event in Sochi commencing at the reasonable time of 12.10 BST, or a local time of 14:10 when you take into account the two-hour time difference compared to the UK. So, you can rest assured you’ll be able to sleep off your Sunday morning hangover and still catch all of the action on the circuit!
History of the Russian Grand Prix
Held at the Sochi Autodrom, the Russian Grand Prix is an event which has formed part of the F1 calendar each year since 2014. This particular race takes place on a street circuit that was built around the Olympic Park in Sochi – the hosting venue for the 2014 Winter Olympics and 2014 Winter Paralympics. Originally, the Russian Grand Prix had taken place in Saint Petersburg. This occurred twice in 1913 and 1914, after which the event didn’t take place for almost a century.
The Sochi Autodrom features a circuit which stretches out to 5.848 km (3.634 mi). Over the course of 53 laps, the race length measures up to 309.732 km (192.459 mi). This particular racetrack just so happens to have been designed by none other than Hermann Tilke – renowned for designing several F1 circuits over the years. It features a plethora of 90 degree bends as well as heart-racing straights. So, it certainly represents a true test to any F1 driver who takes it on!
The location of the Sochi Autodrom is pretty much perfect too. After all, it is based in one of Russia’s top beach resorts on the Black Sea! While the weather isn’t as great as the height of summer, you can still catch a few rays before the winter draws in. Bad luck though skiing fans – the ski season doesn’t kick into gear until December.
In terms of the most successful racers on this circuit, the limited history of this particular event means that each previous winner is still currently racing. This is with the exception of 2016 race winner Nico Rosberg, who announced his retirement ahead of the 2017 F1 racing season.
Lewis Hamilton is the most successful racer on this particular circuit – winning the event in its inaugural year of 2014, in addition to the following year in 2015. Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas was able to emerge the victor last time around.
Who Won The 2017 Russian Grand Prix?
Ferrari racer Sebastian Vettel started the 2017 Russian Grand Prix in pole position after he earned a time of 1:33.194 in qualifying. However, he failed to capitalise on his advantage, and instead had to settle for a second placed finish on the podium.
As we mentioned in the previous section, the driver who claimed victory in the 2017 Russian Grand Prix was Finnish racer Valtteri Bottas, who earned a time of 1:28:08.743. Second placed Vettel finished only marginally behind him – earning a time of +0.0617, followed by Vettel’s Finnish teammate Kimi Räikkönen with a time of +11.000.
Who Is Likely To Win The 2018 Russian Grand Prix?
Mercedes happens to be the only constructor to have won the Russian Grand Prix – even in the original events which took place in 1913 and 1914 respectively. Although, back then, they were known as Benz.
Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas, and Nico Rosberg are amongst the previous winners of the Russian Grand Prix ever since the first edition back in 2014 – all previous or current racers for Mercedes. The latter has since retired, but either Hamilton or Bottas have the potential to claim victory in this weekend’s race. However, Hamilton has failed to win this particular event since his 2015 triumph. So, if he’s looking to increase his lead at the top of the Driver’s Championship, Hamilton will need to at least finish on the podium this weekend.
Despite Mercedes’ dominance in this particular event, it would be foolish to rule out Ferrari racers Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen, who have both finished on the podium in the Russian Grand Prix before. With Vettel now 40 points behind in the driver’s standings, the last thing he’ll want to do is let Hamilton claim the bragging rights. So, anything really could happen!
What’s more, it just so happens to be Red Bull racer Max Verstappen’s 21st birthday this Sunday. What a fantastic birthday present that would be if he was to claim victory! Although, we’re not so sure his rivals on the circuit will go too easy on him…
Final Thoughts
Courtesy of Karting Nation, you’ve now found out everything you need to know about the Russian Grand Prix and what’s in store for you ahead of this Sunday’s main event. The F1 superstars never fail to deliver when it comes to awesome racing action. So, make sure you don’t miss out – we here at Karting Nation certainly won’t!
Don’t forget, the main race kicks off on Sunday, 30th September at 12:10 BST. For those who can’t wait until then, you can tune in and watch practice rounds 1 and 2 from Friday 28th September at 09:00 BST and 13:00 BST respectively. Practice round 3 kicks off on the 29th September at 10:00 BST, followed by qualifying which takes place on the same day at 13:00 BST.
*All times are in UK time.
Photo Credits:
sidepodcast.com
senategpexperiences.com
theformula1girl.com