FORMULA 1 - 2015

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'Very difficult' to supply Toro Rosso - Honda

Honda motorsport boss Yasuhisa Arai thinks will would be "very difficult" for the Japanese manufacturer to supply Toro Rosso with engines in 2016.

Red Bull and junior team Toro Rosso are currently without a power unit supply for next season after splitting with Renault. Red Bull is in negotiations with Ferrari after Mercedes -- who will now supply Manor in 2016 -- ruled out an engine supply.

However, talks with Ferrari are ongoing and Red Bull boss Christian Horner admitted time is "more critical" for Toro Rosso than it is for the senior outfit. A Honda engine supply is the only other option for Toro Rosso and would make it easier for Red Bull to secure a Ferrari deal as it would be one less team for the Italian firm to supply, as F1 debutants Haas will join Sauber as Maranello customers next season.

Honda only has an engine deal with McLaren, a partnership which has struggled so far in 2015, and Arai says it needs to work on rectify its current problems before taking on another team.

"It is difficult for [Toro Rosso] to come to us," Arai told F1i. "It is difficult, looking at the maturity of the power unit it is very difficult. We have to put ourselves in the right place first."

Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost did not rule out Honda as a power unit supplier but said an uncompetitve season would be detrimental to the team from a commercial standpoint.

"First we must look that we have a competitive car because we rely on sponsors and we have a responsibility to show good performance for our partners," Tost said. "What the outcome will be, which engine we will use next year we will see soon. We must decide soon because otherwise time is running away from a design point of view."

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F1 Russian Grand Prix: Raikkonen: I wouldn’t be here if I couldn’t win…

Kimi Raikkonen insists he is not staying in Formula 1 to make up the numbers, saying he wouldn't have re-signed with Ferrari for another season if he didn't think he could still win races.

Having returned to Ferrari in 2014 – seven years after he landed the world championship title with the team -, though Raikkonen's fortunes have improved significantly in comparison to what was a disappointing comeback campaign, he has still been comprehensively out-performed by new team-mate Sebastian Vettel this year

With the differential in fortunes putting his future with Ferrari in doubt until he was confirmed as staying for 2016 in August, Raikkonen nonetheless heads into the final five races now 99 points behind the German and a with a podium tally comparison of just two to ten.

Despite this, Raikkonen remains certain he has speed to win races with Ferrari again despite his occasionally indifferent form.

“Hopefully we can win, but that's the aim always,” he said. “I wouldn't be here if I didn't believe that. It hasn't been an ideal year, but there's good things and obviously we have to clear up some things from our side to ensure we get results in the end.

“If it happens this year then it happens, if not we try next year again but obviously the aim is to be first."

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Vettel ‘promises’ to keep pushing for the title

Sebastian Vettel has 'promised' the Tifosi he will continue pushing for the 2015 Formula 1 World Championship title until it becomes mathematically impossible after lifting himself into the hunt with his Singapore Grand Prix win.

A dominant third victory of the 2015 season at the Marina Bay Circuit put Vettel on the cusp of Nico Rosberg for second in the F1 standings, while a retirement for Lewis Hamilton in Singapore would also bring him into closer range with the lead too.

Though Vettel proceeded the slip back again when he finished third behind the two Mercedes' in the Japanese Grand Prix, he has nonetheless vowed to the Ferrari fans that he will work hard to keep himself in the running as long as he can over the remaining five races.

“We cannot make any promises [to win the title],” he said. “I think the promise to give is to ourselves and the Tifosi that are supporting us is that we will try everything we can so if ever Sunday there is a new chance we need to make sure we are in the best position for Friday, Saturday for the race.

“Then we will see what we can do. Clearly we are not the favourites if you look at the championship, but we will see.”

Following the Japanese Grand Prix, Vettel is now 57 behind Hamilton in the overall standings heading to Russia, but remains only nine points shy of Rosberg.

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WHY A MAJOR SPONSOR COMMITS MILLIONS TO FORMULA 1

In the latest of our short series of interviews with key players behind the scenes in Formula 1, we take a look at what drives a multi-national company to commit millions to a sponsorship of a team.

The largest deal inked recently was the renewal of Shell’s partnership with Ferrari – a relationship that began over 80 years ago and which was renewed recently for a further five seasons, signed by Ferrari chairman Sergio Marchionne himself (below right, with Shell’s John Abbott).

We spoke to John Abbott about why they decided to spend their money on F1.

Q: Why does a company like yours commit to a deal like this and what sort of level of investment have you made?

Abbott: Our customers want to see Shell and Ferrari winning on the track and our customers want to have access to the technology that we’re able to deploy with Ferrari.

Ultimately our joint commitment is that we want to bring Ferrari back to the pinnacle of Formula 1, to have the number one drivers, to be the number one constructor.

Over the last few months we’ve gone a long way to really kick-starting that journey, but that’s an ambition, almost an expectation I would say, of what we can achieve over this period.

It’s a higher level of engagement (than the previous deal) because every year we’ll deliver 21,000 hours of support to Ferrari and we have 50 people working and supporting the innovation partnership.

Equally, the investment from Ferrari is significant, in terms of access to the drivers and events that we do. In Hungary we had the Racing Days event, where Sebastian Vettel was present, and it’s more that kind of event.

What’s also very important for Shell, is supplying the lubricants, supplying the fuel in what is the premium motorsport event, and probably one of the most challenging events from a product’s point of view.

That enables us to bring that technology and that innovation into our retail forecourt products – the V-Power that we sell and the Shell Helix Ultra, with its gas-to-liquid technology. The benefits from this relationship are brought directly to our customer base.

It’s a five-year deal, so it will take us through to 2020. It starts from 1 January 2016. I think for us and for Ferrari, it’s the tenure of the relationship that also demonstrates the commitment level.

We moved it from what I would call a ‘technical partnership’ to an ‘innovation partnership.’ Shell has had an association with Ferrari that goes back to the 1930s and we only started racing in Formula 1 in 1950.

If you look at what we’ve achieved together in that partnership – 167 race wins, 10 constructors championships and 12 drivers championships. The partnership not only has years behind it, it has the history of wins – at the individual race level, constructor and driver level.

Q: What do make the new Ferrari management team, Marchionne and Arrivabene?

Abbott: I have great respect for Sergio [Marchionne] and his leadership within the Fiat-Chrysler group. I’ve known Sergio for a number of years and you can see that wherever Sergio goes, he delivers.

I see that same ethic with Maurizio [Arrivabene]. He is a delivery-based person. He’s very disciplined in what he does and his expectations of people are very high. But from my relationship with him, he understands what Shell wants from this partnership, he is a businesses man and he fully understands what Shell can offer.

But he also very much understands what Shell wants out of this partnership, and I think that has really enabled us to come to a very quick conclusion on this innovation partnership that we’ve been talking about.

It is very much mutually supportive and there is definitely a win-win that comes out of this partnership and we all hope and expect that we’ll see that on the track and that we will also see that with our broad customer base across the world, because Ferrari and Shell are two of the most iconic brands in this system.

Ferrari is also supporting us in that the winner of our Eco Marathon event will have a four-week internship with Ferrari in Maranello. What better incentive for the people who submit their bids into the eco-marathon to have that at the end as a prize?

I think it really gives you a reflection that our relationship is beyond just technical support, it’s innovation and the depth of the relationship is greater than it has been in the past. The partnership gives us access to the drivers to support our retailing operations for the fuels, for the lubricants and that’s very important for us.

Q: It’s been quite a step up by Ferrari this year compared to 2014, three wins and plenty of podiums so far. You’re getting closer to Mercedes, aren’t you?

Abbott: Yes, and again what we have learnt as we work with Ferrari and they work with us, [is that] the earlier we can get involved in the engine design and have the lubricants and the fuels that get the most out of those engines and the engines that get the most out of the fuels, that’s the depth of the partnership that we’re really transitioning to here.

Q: There is a lot of talking in the F1 paddock about combustion being a key area of development, something on which manufacturers are really spending their development ‘tokens’ to find performance?

Abbott: It is, yes, where the combustion takes place and at what place in the engine. Of course you see an increasing parallel between the engine designs in Formula 1 and the commercial cars with the power recovery units, with the turbos, that’s the way the commercial vehicles are going as well.

You can see the applicability between the fuels and the lubricants that we develop for Formula 1 and that technology that we then directly pass onto our customers.

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WHY MELBOURNE’S NEW DEAL MEANS AN UPGRADE FOR AUSTRALIAN GP

In the latest in our series of interviews with key players behind the scenes in Formula 1, we find out why Melbourne pressed ahead with a long contract extension to host the Grand Prix and what it’s plans are to raise the standard of the event.

We speak to John Harnden, chairman of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, and it’s CEO, Andrew Westacott.

Earlier this month, it was announced that Melbourne would continue to host the Australian Grand Prix until 2023. Than means the race will continue to be held at Albert Park, the track that has held the event since 1996.

We asked Harnden and Westacott what the new deal means for Australian Grand Prix fans, the state of Victoria and the city of Melbourne.

Q: What does having the Grand Prix until 2023 mean to you? Will you now invest where you might have been nervous too before?

John Harnden: There’s no question the new deal means we can have a much longer-term view then we were able to have. Last year we extended until 2020 and now it’s up to 2023, so we’ve got an eight year horizon, and whether it’s infrastructure or the planning or what we do with the fans, it gives us a lot of surety and gives people confidence to invest in the product as well.

Q: Were you pushing for a new deal as much as Bernie Ecclestone or was it driven from local competition from Sydney?

JH: No, it was actually just a meeting of minds. Ron Walker [the former chairman of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation], who has recently retired, and us last were in discussions for the deal until 2020 and this was a natural progression from that because the desire was to give ourselves a long-term view. All the debate and discussion around Sydney came in on the tail end of that.

Q: What sort of things can you start to look at now you’ve got a new deal?

JH: Well, certainly infrastructure – things like the pit buildings, the circuit. We’re not remotely looking at taking down the pit buildings, but looking at the things we can change and what we can do a little bit differently.

I suppose from a marketing point of view, internationally, we should put in place some other partnerships to get people out there spreading the word to bring people into Melbourne. For them it’s got to be more about a long-term relationship than just a deal for one or two years.

Q: Are you talking about spectators buying tickets? What sort of percentage of ticket sales comes from outside of Australia?

JH: Probably 25 per cent and probably 30 or 40 per cent interstate and international.

Andrew Westacott: Of the uniques, it was probably about 10 per cent overseas. We get 12,000 overseas and 28,000 interstaters, so what John is saying is that we can work with Tourism Victoria because of the big emphasis they’ve got on visitor economy in bringing in people primarily from China, New Zealand and Asia.

We’ve got huge great markets and with John’s contacts, what we can do is get more and push through the network of Victorian offices to package up unique travel experiences for anyone coming into the state, and that’s terrific.

Q: So have you got a target in mind?

JH: Oh we always have targets, but the problem with going and talking about targets is if you don’t hit them!

Q: But is it a reasonably aggressive push to try and get people to come from overseas?

JH: Absolutely, and it always has been. The event has been incredibly successful over a long period and I think that now with the long-term agreements in place.

It showed last year, there was one side of the government that supported extending the contract. Now the other side of government has come in and they’ve supported it, so we really do have lots of support in Victoria.

Q: What’s the official data on the net cost to Melbourne?

JH: There are lots of different views about it. When the Grand Prix came to Melbourne in 1996, there was a lot debate and discussion about it, as everyone remembers. [but] it really symbolised Melbourne and helped but Melbourne on the map – the branding, the talk, and the reputation.

Q: And the money it brings in with visitors spending money?

JH: There’s been lots of studies and all that done, but ultimately, when we look at the branding and the economic benefit and you put that against the cost, we’re way ahead.

Q: So it’s a net gain for Melbourne?

JH: Oh absolutely it’s a net gain, but again, how do you put a value on what that exposure is worth? People can try to put numbers against that and everyone has a different view.

The reality is that the championship is seen by hundreds of millions of people around the world every year, and if we weren’t part of it, we wouldn’t be being seen.

AW: One thing at the macro level that the government is very proud of these days, is that $20 billion comes into the Victoria state economy from tourism. $1.8bn is attributed to the events calendar of sports, culture and art, so ten per cent of the tourism.

It’s monumentally huge – whether it’s the cricket tournament, the Australian Open tennis, the Melbourne Cup, and all the other events that we have. So for the Grand Prix, the key thing from a strategic point of view is that it’s one of those big pillars that allow the events industry to actually flourish and then provide benefits to all the other smaller events.

The other thing it does is the visitation – it’s one of those reasons for coming to the state. Or, for Sydney visitors, to say “great, I want to see Sydney Harbour, but I want to see the Grand Prix too and to do the shopping and have that lifestyle experience.”

Q: Your predecessor was very vocal about the noise of the turbo engines. Do you have similarly strong views and have you voiced them?

JH: I think everyone needs to move forward, that’s the first thing. The engines are going to be tweaked and yes, they might be a little bit louder, and they might not.

But I think there is a great story to tell and I’m not sure whether the sport has really told the story of these cars and the hybrids and what it really means. The technology, it’s just mind boggling what was actually done and the transformation in terms of the power unit for the car and what energy is being used and what that actually means for the everyday person.

I really think that for that to continue as the sport is about the pinnacle of technology and it’s about the pinnacle of motorsport, it’s also still about something the everyday people can and should be able to relate to.

Again, I think the noise of the cars is probably something in the past. We’ll have to wait and see, as there’s no question that the fans love the noise and all that.

Q: But is it also about the general spectacle and the cars not being as fast as they used to be – something they’re trying to address for 2017?

JH: It’s like anything, I think the reason why people say they don’t look as fast or some of those things, is more because of the racing. We perhaps haven’t had quite as much of the wheel-to-wheel racing and that tends to make it look a bit different as well.

Q: What about the Ricciardo affect – is a draw to the Grand Prix?

JH: There’s no question he is a draw card with that infectious smile that he has. But the Australians have loved the event even before we had [Ricciardo], Mark Webber was on the grid and Australians have always had their heroes: Michael Schumacher, Webber, Ricciardo and Alonso – even Vettel, there’s a lot of Vettel fans out there as well.

I think all of Australia would love to see Daniel go to the next step. There’s no question this year’s probably been a year of treading water, that’s probably the best way of putting it, whereas last year he took the world by storm. We’re looking forward to next year to see what he can really produce.

But, again, in Australia people want to see great contests – McLaren is a huge brand and has a huge following in Australia and to see Alonso and Button up at the front, they’re big draw cards, the fans love them.

One of the things that has been great in Australia is all of those world champions and personalities of the sport, we’ve tried to make certain with Mark and with Daniel, that while there is enormous support for them and we go out of our way to enormously support them, it’s the F1 world championship and it’s got to be about all of the drivers and they are always going to change as the years go by.

Q: Is part of the new deal getting more interactivity with the drivers and teams and being able to put on more fan connectivity events?

JH: We’ve always had a great relationship with Bernie and the stuff that we have done with the drivers over the years, and we have been able to build on that. Last year Andrew and the team, with the Melbourne walk and the FanFest, really set a tone.

It’s no different for all the promoters, it’s about sitting down and having a vision for the things we can do to bring the fans closer to the sport and then push hard to make that happen?

Q: But are there opportunities to get the drivers to do promotions for the race in the months beforehand, not just at the race itself?

JH: Absolutely. Our biggest challenge is how do you make the Grand Prix in Melbourne? It’s a discussion over 12 months to a year, as opposed to a month or two in March.

Again, with the long-term [deal], perhaps that also so give us the opportunity to put in place a few more relationships to have the feedback coming and to get it to the people of Australia.

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WILL NEW RULES TWEAK TO EXHAUSTS MAKE FORMULA 1 CARS LOUDER, AS PLANNED?

Hidden among the 2016 F1 calendar changes, rubber stamped by the FIA World Motor Sport Council this week, was a line about some technical changes that will be made to the exhaust of F1 cars for next season, in an effort to make them louder.

The main complaint from Formula 1 fans about the hybrid turbo engine formula is that it has taken away some of the visceral appeal of the cars because they are too quiet. Many fans miss the screaming V8 and before that V10 engines.

So the FIA has said that for next season, “All cars must have a separate exhaust wastegate tailpipe through which all and only wastegate exhaust gases must pass. This measure has been undertaken to increase the noise of the cars and will not have any significant effect on power or emissions.”

Here is our snapshot analysis of this, a more detailed one will follow in due course.

We do not expect it to make a great change to the volume of the sound. Most of the time the wastegate isn’t opened because to do so would dump energy that can otherwise be recovered by the MGU-H (the motor generator unit connected to the turbo). It drops overall thermal efficiency which the engine manufacturers are trying to maximise.

As for the detail, there might be a small difference in noise and that typical ‘turbo sound’ when the wastegate does occasionally open. It happens most at places like Monaco and Singapore where there is more energy available.

What the regulation means is that a separate pathway for the wastegate exhaust is created that will be a smaller diameter than the main tailpipe (which has a regulation size).

This reduction in size increases the speed of the gases leaving the turbo and will probably help to make that familiar ‘whooshing’ and ‘popping’ sound a bit like the old Group B rally cars or the BTCC Sierra Cosworths in the 1990s.

So it’s a change to the overall sound but we wait for evidence that it will genuinely make the engine sound ‘noisier’.

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ALONSO: YOU MUST ALWAYS HAVE PATIENCE

Fernando Alonso says he can be misunderstood by the public and indeed, the latest talk about the Spaniard arose after the Japanese grand prix, where he was rebuked by McLaren-Honda boss Ron Dennis for likening the “embarrassing” Honda power unit to a “GP2 engine”.

There is already a public perception of Alonso as fast but petulant, with the Suzuka outbursts adding fuel to speculation that he is now on the verge of quitting the project.

But he told Movistar: “My natural instinct to win or be competitive makes me ruthless on the track.

“But then many people are used to seeing me on TV 30 seconds after I get out of the car — a time of great tension and adrenaline and all sweaty after racing at 300kph. I think trying to draw conclusions from that is wrong,” said Alonso.

The 34-year-old also hit back at suggestions he lacks patience, insisting: “You must always have patience, as even when things are going well there are always bad races, qualifyings, moments. So you have to have patience, not only in sports but in life in general.”

Since then some sections of the media believe a sabbatical in 2016 is more likely than another season at the back for the two-time world champion, but fellow Spaniard Carlos Sainz, who is close to Alonso, says he doubts that.

“Yes, he will be on the grid next year because he will give a chance to the decision (to join McLaren) that he has taken. Not everything goes well at first but I think Fernando will stay and fight,” the Toro Rosso driver told the Spanish sports daily AS.

“The truth is that this year has been a knock for him, McLaren and Honda, but Fernando is a Samurai who does not throw in the towel. It can’t get any worse so it has to go forward now,” Sainz said.

However, not everyone is convinced that Honda is now shaping up to make a big step forward in 2016.

Gary Anderson, a former technical boss for Jordan and Jaguar, told Brazil’s Globo: “I don’t see any sign that Honda has made any progress.

“I haven’t seen a single piece of evidence of that. On the contrary, all the signs are that they are lost,” he added.

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ECCLESTONE: SOME F1 TEAMS WANT TO HAVE THREE CARS

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone insists he is not worried that the sport could be left with a diminished grid for the start of the 2016 season next March.

Currently, following the collapse of Caterham last year, 10 teams make up a 20-car grid. But amid its talks with Renault, Enstone based Lotus is struggling financially, while Red Bull is threatening to pull both of its teams out if competitive engine deals cannot be reached.

Sauber and Force India – who have taken their gripe to the European Commission – have also had obvious financial troubles recently, increasing the risk that the grid could be seriously diminished in the not-too-distant future.

F1 supremo Ecclestone, however, told De Telegraaf he is not worried, “Some teams want to have three cars, and a lot of people would rather see a third Ferrari than a car that is not competitive.”

“Next month we will see if we are going in that direction,” Ecclestone added.

By then, Red Bull’s engine crisis is likely to have come to a head, and whether or not Renault will complete the Lotus takeover should be known.

Regarding the Red Bull situation, however, Ecclestone admitted he is not sure what will happen.

“It is a complex situation with many conflicting interests,” he said. “Why would their competitors help them out and risk that they could be beaten with their own weapons?”

Three car teams are not new to Formula 1. In the sixties teams ran three and even four cars, while in the seventies several F1 teams would sell or lease a third car to a privateer team or driver who would then race the cars in grands prix.

When he owned Brabham in the seventies, Ecclestone did a deal which allowed Goldie Hexagon Racing to run a Brabham for John Watson.

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ANDRETTI: F1 MUST NOT CHANGE FOR THE SAKE OF CHANGE

Motor racing legend Mario Andretti has warned Formula 1 against going overboard as it looks to the future and the powers that be should refrain from tinkering with the essence of the sport at the highest level.

After an intense period of recent soul-searching, the sport collectively agreed to turn a sharp corner for 2017 by speeding up and improving the look of the cars.

Amid all the criticism, however, family patriarch and 1978 world champion Andretti says he remains a big fan of the pinnacle of motor sport.

“Formula 1 is a great product,” he told Auto Motor und Sport. “It keeps its integrity because of the technology. That’s the trademark. That (the technology) is why the fans love formula one.”

“Motor sport in general is expensive and sometimes it (F1) goes too far, so every now and then the sport needs to adapt,” said the 75-year-old, whose son Michael raced at McLaren in 1993.

“But I say adapt, not do things differently just for the sake of change. No racing series is perfect,” Andretti insisted. “There is no magic key, so please don’t try to reinvent the wheel.

“That would be the worst thing they could do. It’s exactly the mistake Indycar made. They betrayed their roots and introduced things that do not fit with the series.”

Some, however, believe the racing is better elsewhere than in F1, such as Indycar, where Andretti’s grandson Marco is now a race winner.

But when asked if F1 has something to learn in that area from Indycar, Mario answered: “It’s the opposite. Everyone is talking about Mercedes’ dominance and that it is wrecking the sport, but I think it’s produced some great stories.”

“Now everyone is watching Ferrari to see if they can close the gap. The grands prix in Hungary and Singapore showed that Mercedes can no longer afford to make the slightest mistake, and – as a fan – I love that,” said Andretti.

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MERCEDES PREVIEW THE RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX

The 2015 Formula One World Championship season continues with Round Fifteen, the Russian Grand Prix, from Sochi

Lewis Hamilton: “Suzuka was a really special weekend for me and another fantastic result for the team. Everyone is doing such an incredible job once again this season and every bit of this success is well deserved. The car was unbelievable to drive in Japan, so hopefully it’ll be more of the same at the remaining races – starting in Sochi. Last year was the first experience I’d had of Russia in my racing career and we had a great race there. The circuit is really well put together – quite long, with some interesting corners and opportunities to overtake. Hopefully now fans have seen what a great facility they have there and how beautiful Sochi is, we’ll see plenty more people in the stands this year too. It was great to win the first race for Formula One in Russia and a fantastic moment for the team to take the title there last time out. Fingers crossed we can add to those great memories again this weekend – I’ll be pushing as hard as I can to make that happen.”

Nico Rosberg: “Once I got back from Japan, I was able to focus on the positive elements from my weekend in Suzuka: pole position, the on-track pass on Bottas and then having the speed to undercut Vettel’s Ferrari at the second pit-stop. I’m not backing down in my fight for the championship and gaining those positions back fair and square showed that. We have five races to go and, although the championship gap to Lewis is quite big, in my mind it’s definitely not over yet. The way the whole team has performed this year – from the factories to the garage – has been just incredible and I have the car I need to get back to the top step. I really enjoyed our first trip to Russia last year and it was an awesome weekend for the team – one that I will always remember after seeing all the hard work they’ve put in during my time here. So, I’m aiming to put all those tools they’ve given me to good use and bring home a top result.”

Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: “Japan was an important weekend for the team. We had to hit back strongly after Singapore and that objective was achieved on all fronts – in the cockpit and in the garage. While we take satisfaction from these successes, however, we do not lose sight of our failures. There are still many obstacles left to overcome this season and we must continue to tackle them with full force. We return to Russia with positive memories from last season, when the team sealed the first Constructors’ title for Mercedes-Benz with a 1-2 finish. A repeat performance in Sochi would be fantastic and this is absolutely the target – but we are under no illusions that it will come easy. The job is not done yet.”

Paddy Lowe, Executive Director (Technical): “Suzuka was a very pleasing weekend after the disappointment of Singapore. The team and drivers did a great job to bring home a top result and we now head to Sochi aiming to repeat that feat. This was a tricky weekend last season, with a new circuit to learn and fresh tarmac which produced slightly unusual behaviour from the tyres. This year we have moved one step softer on the compounds to bring the soft and supersoft into play – perhaps influenced by Nico running almost the entire race last year on a single set of tyres. One year on, the track surface will have weathered differently so we must ensure we have all eventualities covered. The 2014 Russian Grand Prix – the first for a century, of course, and the inaugural running of the event during the Formula One era – was very well organised and saw a good crowd for what is a growing market in the sport. We look forward to seeing our Russian fans out in force again and hope to put on a good show.”

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MCLAREN PREVIEW THE RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX

The Sochi Autodrom is Russia’s only purpose-built Formula 1 facility. The track is located on the banks of the Black Sea, in an area known as the Russian Riviera, and it weaves its way around the Olympic Park that hosted the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

The 5.853km/3.637-mile circuit was completed just 70 days ahead of last year’s inaugural Russian Grand Prix. It’s principally a street track, although there are some permanent sections around the start-finish straight, and the drivers reported last year that the track had a similar flow to Marina Bay in Singapore.

The layout is a classic Hermann Tilke design: it has 12 right-handers and six left-handers and the track is between 13 and 15 metres wide, which encourages drivers to take various lines through the corners. The longest straights are book-ended by slow corners to aid overtaking and the multi-apex left-hander at Turn Three is the circuit’s signature corner.

The asphalt is very smooth, prompting Pirelli to change their compound allocation for this year’s race. In 2014 it was possible to complete all 53 laps on one set of medium compound tyres, so Pirelli are taking their Soft (Prime) and Supersoft (Option) compounds next weekend in the hope of spicing up strategies.

McLaren had an encouraging race in Russia last year, finishing fourth and fifth with Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen.

Did you know?

The Sochi Autodrom is the third longest circuit on the 2015 calendar, after Spa-Francorchamps and Silverstone.

Technical words of wisdom from Jonathan Neale, chief operating officer and acting CEO: “Sochi proved an interesting challenge for the teams last year. It’s a relatively long lap, with an interesting mix of corners, but if there’s one aspect of the engineering challenge that stands out, it’s the asphalt. It produced unusually low wear on all cars last year, to the extent that you could do the entire race on a single set of tyres. Degradation and wear will be different this year for a couple of reasons: first, the asphalt will be a year older and more established and, second, Pirelli will be going a step softer with their compound choices. We should see more pitstops, but we won’t know for sure until we’ve done some long runs during Friday practice.”

Our most memorable Russian Grand Prix: 2014

The fanfare surrounding last year’s inaugural Russian Grand Prix was overshadowed by the sport’s concern for Marussia driver Jules Bianchi, who was in a critical condition after a crash at the previous weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix. Prior to the race, the drivers gathered at the front of the grid in a show of solidarity for Jules.

The track proved surprisingly fast for a street track, with an average speed of 215km/h (134mph), and its flowing medium-speed corners suited the McLaren MP4-29. Jenson Button qualified fourth and Kevin Magnussen 11th.

Both drivers got away well from the grid at the start of the race and Jenson spent the early laps in third place. The team pitted him earlier than planned, on lap 23, in an effort to stay ahead of Nico Rosberg, who was on a charge from the back of the field. Unfortunately, Jenson just missed out on keeping Rosberg behind and he finished the race in fourth place.

Some brilliant strategic calls helped Magnussen to finish fifth, giving the team its best combined result since the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Fernando Alonso: “It’s exciting to go back to Sochi, one of the newest racetracks we go to, which means there’s always a lot of anticipation. Last year’s grand prix was a fantastic event and it was good to bring Formula 1 to a completely new territory and race in front of a new group of excited fans. Suzuka was clearly a challenging race for us, but the support of the fans was incredible and we were still able to take some positives from it. We’re working hard on reliability and it was encouraging that we didn’t have any issues with the car all weekend. Sochi is a great track and the street circuit layout and tight, precise corners make it really enjoyable to drive. The two straights are long and high-speed which means it won’t be easy for us, but our car is very well balanced, so I hope we can have some good battles and make some good progress on track this weekend.”

Jenson Button: “Suzuka was a challenging race for us because of the nature of the track, but racing in Japan in front of Honda’s home crowd was an incredible experience and it really lifted everyone’s spirits. I’m really pleased that my plans for next year have been confirmed – I’m fully committed to this team and have strong faith in the incredibly hard work that’s going on behind the scenes in Woking and Sakura. We’ll keep our heads down and keep pushing hard to improve our car at every race weekend. In Sochi, I had one of my best results of the year last season, and really enjoyed driving on a new track. The surface has a lot of grip, so I’m looking forward to seeing how our tyres perform there. We’ll work closely with our guys on both sides of the garage to get the most out of every session and iron out some of the issues we had in Suzuka.”

Eric Boullier, Racing director, McLaren-Honda: “After the challenges and emotion of Suzuka, it’s been a very important week for the McLaren-Honda team. We’ve announced a new partner for the 2016 season and beyond, Chandon, and confirmed that Jenson will be continuing to race with us next year. Both of these announcements are incredibly motivating for the whole team, and we go to Sochi with renewed enthusiasm and excitement. Last year’s Russian Grand Prix was an unquestionable success, and the organisers worked very hard to put on a well-organised event in front of packed grandstands of passionate fans. We had a strong weekend there last year, and, while we know the limitations of our package, we are continuing to work tirelessly on our reliability and performance to achieve the best result we can. There’s still a long way to go until the end of the season, and every weekend counts as an opportunity to learn, develop and apply our knowledge and experience to next year’s car. Sochi will be no different.”

Yasuhisa Arai, Honda R&D senior managing officer – chief officer of motorsport: “Sochi will be a completely new track for Honda so it will surely be an exciting challenge as we are starting from scratch regarding data settings. It is a very unique and modern track, where cars can race side by side for the first half of the lap, then close in with tricky 90-degree slow- to mid-speed corners and intense straights for the latter half. This type of track layout is likely to be demanding on our power units, but as usual the team will work hard to get the best out of the overall package. It will be interesting to see what we can learn from this weekend.”

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FORCE INDIA PREVIEW THE RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX

Force India preview the Russian Grand Prix, Round 15 of the 2015 Formula 1 World Championship, at Sochi Autodrom.

Vijay Mallya reflects on a successful couple of races and targets more points in Russia.

VJM: “I’m feeling optimistic as we approach the final couple of months of the season. In Singapore and Japan we continued to show competitive pace and, despite missing the chance to score with both cars, we remain in a solid fifth place in the championship. Russia will give us another chance to unleash more potential from the B-spec car. Even at this late stage of the season we continue to bring new parts to the car thanks to all the hard work back at the factory. There’s every reason to believe we can be competitive in Sochi and we expect to be up there fighting for good points.”

Sergio Perez: “I scored a point in Sochi last year and I’m looking forward to racing there again. They did a really nice job with the track and there are some interesting corners, especially the long left-hand turn three – in qualifying last year we were taking it flat. In some ways the Sochi track reminds me of Singapore and Abu Dhabi. That’s because there are lots of 90 degree corners and acceleration zones, which put high energy through the rear tyres. There are some quick parts of the lap too. I remember last year that turn 12 was quite difficult because you are pulling high g-forces and braking for turn 13 at the same time. We saw last year that overtaking wasn’t easy and it was a one-stop race for most cars. This year the tyres are a step softer so perhaps that will mix up the strategy options a bit more.”

Nico Hülkenberg: “The result in Suzuka was just what I needed after a few unlucky weekends since the summer break. We had good pace, we did our homework and we achieved all we could from the race. It was very satisfying to see how competitive we were and that’s given me a confidence boost for the races to come. I had my first experience of Russia last year and enjoyed it. The unusual venue inside the Olympic Park is pretty cool and the track itself has a nice flow. The lap is quite long, with many similar corners, and that adds to the difficulty of putting together a perfect lap. The final sector is quite technical and is a big challenge for the drivers.”

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SAUBER PREVIEW THE RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX

This week the Sauber F1 Team is travelling to Sochi on the Black Sea Coast, which was the home of the 2014 Winter Olympics, for the second Russian Grand Prix. The team’s freight, which is around 35 tons, has already arrived in the paddock at the Sochi Autodrom. The Sauber C34-Ferraris were transported directly by air from Nagoya to Sochi.

Marcus Ericsson (car number 9): “Last season the Russian Grand Prix was my last race both with Caterham and for the year. Qualifying wasn’t so bad, and then I also had a decent race. So I have good memories of this track. Hopefully the second Russian race will be a positive weekend for me with the Sauber C34-Ferrari. But we have to work hard to optimise our updates that we have brought to Singapore, and try to make them work even better. And, of course, our aim is to score points again.”

Felipe Nasr (car number 12): “The track in Sochi is again another circuit on which I will drive my first laps in a Formula One car. But I know it from last year’s GP2 races. I have quite good memories from this weekend after finishing one of the races on the podium. The circuit itself is a bit of a mix between a permanent and a street track. It is impressive that it has been built in the centre of the Olympic Park, which makes it an interesting environment. The circuit itself consists mainly of low and medium-speed corners. Therefore, braking stability as well as traction is very important. During the weekend we will continue to work on evaluating our aero package.”

Giampaolo Dall’Ara, Head of Track Engineering: “The circuit in Sochi, which was new to the calendar one year ago, is regarded in our team as one of the kindest on the tyres due to its special surface, the absence of very high speed corners and the cool ambient temperatures. On this basis, Pirelli has chosen the soft and supersoft compounds, as opposed to the medium and soft that were used one year ago: it will be interesting to reassess what that means for the car’s set-up and race strategy. The track itself runs through the park used for the 2014 Winter Olympics and is, to a large extent, surrounded by walls, yet it can’t really be considered a typical street circuit. The straight-line performance, traction and braking dominates the first and the last sectors, whereas the middle one is more technical and requires the drivers to find their rhythm through the flow of the corners.”

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MERCEDES CHIEF SAYS F1 MUST EMBRACE NEW MEDIA ASAP

Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche has called on Formula 1 to up its game in the 21st century, and embrace the numerous new media platforms.

Currently dominating the sport with its Mercedes team, Zetsche says the German giant is experiencing “enormous growth” in the realm of the internet.

“In contrast,” he told the publication Deutsche Unternehmerborse, “television is struggling in its attractiveness as a medium, even though there has rarely been so much overtaking and battling on the track.

“TV cannot be the sole or primary platform,” Zetsche argued.

He says F1 must instead embrace the digital world and develop “interactive” strategies, arguing that the change of direction embraced by the horse show in Aachen is a good model.

“In the dressage,” said Zetsche, “you can as a spectator write a review with your smartphone or tablet, which is fun because you are not simply passive.”

He said “one example” is that fans could vote in real time for a team to make a pitstop, adding: “With these new digital platforms, interactions need to be developed, as we (F1) are enormously behind.”

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ECCLESTONE CLAIMS MOST TEAMS WOULD SNAP UP VERSTAPPEN

Max Verstappen must not be left without a race seat in Formula 1., according to the view of none other than F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, who admits he is a great fan of the sport’s Dutch teen sensation.

“Max has been very good for formula one,” the 84-year-old told De Telegraaf newspaper. “He’s fast, but he also has character — on and off the track.”

However, Verstappen’s employer Red Bull – currently housing the newly 18-year-old at its junior team Toro Rosso – is threatening to quit formula one if it cannot secure a competitive alternative to its Renault engines for 2016.

Ecclestone said: “In the interests of formula one, it would be a great loss if a talent like Max is not on the grid next season.”

“At the moment, most top teams are targeting him and he is high on all sorts of lists in case something opens up somewhere. I expect great things from Max in the future,” he added.

Fascinatingly, Romain Grosjean’s decision to join Haas means a seat has just opened up at Lotus, which looks set to become the Renault works team next year.

Enstone’s short-list may already be quite long, with the rumour-mill suggesting talents including Kevin Magnussen, Stoffel Vandoorne, and perhaps even the disgruntled Fernando Alonso may all be in the running.

When asked about the vacant seat, Lotus deputy chief Federico Gastaldi said: “We know that there are quite a few tasty drivers available out there.”

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WEHRLEIN FAVOURITE FOR MANOR RACE SEAT

Highly rated Pascal Wehrlein is not denying suggestions he is now in pole position to make his Formula 1 debut next year.

The speculation about the 20-year-old’s future has shifted into a high gear since the new engine deal between his employer Mercedes and the British backmarker Manor was announced officially in the past few days.

German Wehrlein will not, however, be trackside at Sochi in his official post as Mercedes’ F1 reserve this weekend, as he is now on the cusp of securing the DTM title for the German carmaker with just the forthcoming Hockenheim finale to go.

“Pascal is currently the leader in DTM,” Mercedes chief Toto Wolff told Auto Bild, “so his main focus is to win there.

“But he has the makings of a formula one driver,” Wolff admitted, “so we would wish to accommodate him. First there would have to be a place for him.”

At Mercedes’ dominant works team, no such race seat is free for now.

And so it makes sense that Mercedes will negotiate a place for him at Manor, especially as many are comparing the new alliance to those between Red Bull and Toro Rosso, or Haas and Ferrari.

Wehrlein said: “Toto has to decide how to proceed. If he sees a way to put me into formula one, then I would be happy to go.

“The best way would obviously be at Mercedes, but there is probably no chance of that. So then you have to look at what the alternatives are,” he added.

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LOTUS PREVIEW THE RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX

Lotus team and drivers preview the Russian Grand Prix, Round 15 of the 2015 Formula 1 World Championship, at Sochi Autodrom.

A double points score for the team in Japan has Lotus F1 Team Deputy Team Principal Federico Gastaldi eager to reiterate the name of the game; scoring at every possible opportunity.

How positive was it for the team to get a strong event on track in Suzuka?

FG: Points mean prizes so we’re always out there to score as much and as often as possible. In Suzuka we saw two strong drives from Romain and Pastor which really underline the hunger from everyone at Enstone. No matter what the circumstances, we’ll keep fighting for our dinner.

What does the Sochi event bring to Formula 1?

FG: It was a brand new event in 2014 and certainly exciting for everyone attending. F1 is a global spectacle and it shows the strength of the sport that we race in Russia. We have a very good Russian Formula 1 driver in the sport with Daniil Kvyat and at Enstone we had the first ever Russian F1 driver – our friend Vitaly Petrov – so we understand the market and enjoy the support we get from Russia.

Do you see Russia as an important market for F1 in the future?

FG: Absolutely. We should be racing in the world’s biggest country. We have seen over the last 20 years or so, since the change from the Soviet Union, that the opportunities there are huge. The rapid expansion of the economy and the many big sporting events that are being held here over the next decade will make for great momentum in commercial opportunities. At Lotus F1 Team we are always investigating new markets and looking to expand the F1 experience for new audiences.

What can you say about the current situation with Renault?

FG: It looks like we’re engaged to be married again, which is interesting as we’ve had a few relationships together before! It’s positive for the sport and it’s positive for Enstone that a company with the history and prestige of Renault is looking to strengthen its role in Formula 1. It’s true we’ve both experienced a few knocks over the years but we’ve also had some exceptional highs and that makes us all collectively exceptionally motivated to harness our resilience and show everyone what we can do.

The driver market is firming up for 2016, what’s the situation with the team?

FG: We know that we can now publically say bonne chance to Romain who is headed to pastures new next year. He’s been a real asset to us over the years so we’ll certainly miss him. We know we have Pastor confirmed for one seat and we know that there are quite a few tasty drivers available out there and we’re doing everything to ensure that we’ve got a desirable race seat, which needs to be filled. What happens next is that there’ll be a number of discussions in a number of places then at some point we’ll have an announcement to make. I can at this stage publically confirm that it won’t be me driving.

How do you expect the rest of the season to play out for the team?

FG: Hopefully with more action on track than off. It hasn’t been the easiest of years but we keep showing that we’re capable of performing well when it matters. It would be nice for Romain to have a good positive end to his Enstone career and it would be great for Pastor to have a strong run of results to bring his season to a close. We’re all working to those aims.

With just five races left before he heads for the life of a CNC machine operator, Romain Grosjean talks about today, tomorrow and yesterday at Lotus F1 Team as well as planning a Russian revolution in Sochi.

You’ve been announced as headed for pastures new for next year: was it something we said?

RG: Au contraire. I’m headed to a new team and a new and very different challenge in 2016 – it’s true – but it’s going to be very emotional for me to leave the team that I’ve been part of for so long. I’ve worked with Enstone for 10 years, we had ten podiums together and I took part in nearly 80 races… I have to say that the people at Enstone are the strongest group of people ever to keep pushing no matter what the circumstances. I had to think long and hard for the next step of my career.

Is it going to be an emotional ‘au revoir’?

RG: Part of my heart will absolutely always be with Enstone where I’ve grown and experienced so much over the years. I can remember turning up in September 2005 at the front gate, not speaking English and being very shy. Some of the people I met that day are still there. I’m turning a new leaf in my book but it doesn’t mean that it’s the end of the book so why not come back to Enstone one day to become World Champion with the team! Leaving Enstone at the end of the season won’t be easy… I promised everyone some beers in December when I come to say goodbye to the factory. Until then we’ve got five races left yet this season and I’m absolutely determined to end my time with the greatest high possible.

What’s the battle-plan for Sochi?

RG: It would be fantastic to shake up the order again and get a really strong result, and that’s honestly what we’re always trying to do. It’s a pretty decent circuit and it will be interesting to see how it’s matured. Certainly the track surface will have changed and it will have settled somewhat. We struggled massively for grip last year, but we’ve got a softer tyre allocation from Pirelli, the performance of which we should be better equipped to maximise. It will be a good exercise for us to see if we can give a better performance than our first Russian Grand Prix.

What did you think of your first experience in Sochi last year?

RG: For me it was special to race at the site of an Olympic Games. I’m a huge fan of the Olympics and especially the Winter Olympics, because my grandfather competed in skiing events at the 1948 and 1952 events. The facility itself was fantastic and the track really well engineered. The entire site had its own unique flavour. It’s always great to see how an event matures and I know we have many Russian fans. It would be superb to see as many as possible there supporting us.

What’s the track like to drive?

RG: It’s a pretty cool track actually with a useful number of straights and some big braking. You’ve got turn three which is just about flat out which is good fun. The corners flow well together with the final section a bit more tight and twisty. Last year was hard to get the tyres working, this year the Pirelli allocation is softer. Looking outside of the driver requirements, the facilities are really nice and the paddock is a friendly size so it’s a good one to work in.

What are the benefits of your second time at a track?

RG: We won’t get lost going to the track in the morning! This is a good first step. We know what to expect, what the track is going to be like, we know the setup and what’s needed for a good race. I think it could well be a strong race for the E23.

After a solid outing in Suzuka, Pastor Maldonado looks to maintain momentum for the final five races of 2015, starting with the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi.

Suzuka was a solid race for you, how does that help you heading to Sochi?

PM: You always approach a race on its own merits so my outlook heading to Russia is not affected by what happened in Japan. It was positive for us to have a solid race and get some good points, of course, but that is what we try to achieve at every race, regardless of what happened at the one before. Equally, if we have a race like Suzuka for all of the remaining events it would be a strong end to the year.

What were your first impressions of Sochi last year?

PM: It was a great and amazing event, really well organised and with a good attendance. It was a special experience to arrive at a new country for Formula 1 – and a new country for me – then see strong immediate support like we did. I’m looking forward to returning and seeing how they built upon their strong first event.

What was it like when you drove the track for the first time?

PM: It’s always a strange experience. You don’t know exactly how it will be, even though you’ve walked the track it’s very different when you’re sat in the car and actually driving. You have to push to the limit to realise the fastest way around. It’s a very technical circuit. Last year we saw the grip level improve a lot over the course of the weekend as it was new which meant we really needed to work hard on the setup to maintain the balance and get the car working as well as it could.

What do you think of the Sochi layout?

PM: There are very many corners, with a couple of sections of stop and go. It’s quite a long lap and a reasonably technical one too. If you make a small mistake in one corner, you are punished for the rest of the lap. If you’re off line for one corner, it might not be until one of the straights that you can recover. Off-line is very slippery too so you’re doubly punished! Every single part of this track is important! In terms of enjoyment, I like the first sector the most, but it’s a good track overall.

How much easier is it heading there for a second time?

PM: It will be much easier this year. Last year was all about discovery and learning; this year we should be several steps forward so be able to unlock more pace quicker.

Romain’s headed elsewhere for 2016, any thoughts on who you would like as a team-mate?

PM: Honestly I have no preference. Throughout your career you work with a variety of team-mates so you get used to working with different people. Ultimately, everyone is trying to make the car faster and perform as well as it can for an event, so you’re all working to the same objectives.

We’ve seen the outline race calendar for 2016, what are your thoughts?

PM: Firstly, as a driver you want to race as much as possible so I’m looking forward to 21 races. It looks like a good line-up of events and it will be interesting to visit races such as Malaysia and Russia at different times of the year as well as Baku for the first time.

Renault have signed a letter of intent to buy Lotus F1 Team, what does this mean for you?

PM: This is positive news and I’m looking forward to things progressing here. I’ve worked with Renault in the past and know that they are real racers. I know Enstone always works very hard and we’ve seen what the Enstone and Renault combination has achieved in the past. Let’s hope there are great things ahead.

Lotus F1 Team Technical Director Nick Chester looks to the team’s first return

to Sochi Autodrom determined to unlock the secrets to a fast lap and solid race performance.

One year on from its debut on the F1 calendar, what do we know about Sochi?

NC: We know that the surface is very smooth and last year we struggled generating temperature with the tyres, partly through the smooth surface and partly through what was a conservative tyre allocation. Pirelli’s softer allocation for this year along with the more weathered track surface and our better knowledge of the circuit should mean we fare far better in this regard. In terms of its needs, we know that it’s a track that is quite power and traction-sensitive. The layout presents a lot of slow speed corners and long straights. Braking down into Turn thirteen is very severe and you come out of the kink before you brake so it is a difficult corner to get right. Overall, the whole track is quite technical, so it certainly a challenging one for the drivers.

Are there any climate challenges?

NC: The weather can be quite unusual in Sochi as you have the mountains on one side and the sea on the other. There’s potential for a reasonable mix of weather in the week ahead so we’ll be kept on our toes.

How rewarding for the team was it to get points from both cars in Suzuka?

NC: It was very rewarding and also very important for us in our fight for fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship. We closed up a little bit more on Force India and of course there is a bit more to do…They had a good race in Monza when both our cars got knocked out but effectively we’re one good race away where they have a bad one and we can catch up. It will be tight all the way until the end of the season.

Was more possible at the last race?

NC: We thought that we’d be fairly good in Suzuka. It’s the sort of medium downforce track which tends to suit us. It’s quite a power sensitive circuit which equally suits us. We knew that we’d be quite competitive. I think that we did a good job to get seventh and eighth place. Maybe with a different tyre strategy we could have raced Nico Hulkenberg and Force India better and had a chance to beat him but in the end we had a pretty safe finish.

Renault has signed a letter of intent to buy the team; what does this mean for Enstone?

NC: It looks like there are exciting times ahead. We’ve worked exceptionally closely with Renault for many years in our history so it’s going to be exciting to embark on a new phase of our relationship. There’s a lot of work to do for next year so it’s certainly never a dull moment at Enstone.

How has it been working with Romain over his years with the team?

NC: It’s been great working with Romain. He’s had so many great races with us with fantastic results towards the end of 2013 when he had a string of podiums and drove some stunning races just like he did in Spa this year. He had a difficult year in 2012 but he came back from that stronger and drove brilliantly the following year. Romain has proved to be really quick, always qualifies well and makes good choices during the races. He is a good driver who is fun to work with; for sure we will miss him.

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RED BULL DRIVERS PREVIEW THE RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX

Red Bull drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat preview the Russian Grand Prix, Round 15 of the 2015 Formula 1 World Championship, at Sochi Autodrom.

Dany Kvyat, it’s home race time. Can you count the number of times you’ve given interviews about the Russian GP?

DK: Impossible to count – hundreds? I have talked about it a lot but it’s the same for any driver, the home race is always the busiest! So, what do you want to know about – the track?

Well, last year we couldn’t talk about it as no one had driven on the finished product before, so what did you make of it?

DK: I would describe it as a classic modern-style track. But what’s really important is that there is quite a lot of room for overtaking, which usually makes for good racing. It does have some quite interesting, quite unusual sections. There are some challenging braking areas, in Turn 13 for example. Also Turn 4 is quite tough. I would characterise it as a very technical circuit. It probably doesn’t really have a standout, balls-out corner, it really does make you think a lot and it takes some time to work out the best way round it. Having said that, it’s my home race and I enjoy it a lot. The atmosphere last year was fantastic, there were so many fans giving me support. It really feels awesome to be there.

Last year, with Toro Rosso, you had a great qualifying but the race didn’t quite work out did it?

DK: Yeah, qualifying was great [Dany was fifth on Saturday] but the race was just… how can I say this… well, it was crap. We had problems with fuel consumption during the race and it was just a really disappointing day. I’m hoping we will be able to give the fans there something more to cheer about this year.

Does all the attention at a home race mean it’s harder to concentrate on the job in hand? Do you struggle to find some headspace to focus on the race?

In a way it’s true, sometimes you do get some strong attention but that’s part of the game and what you have to take from it is that the attention comes from the fact that perhaps you have been doing something good, which is a positive.

DK: You have to understand that the fans are coming out to support you and that is something quite special – I’m happy to have the attention, it gives you a bit of a lift.

Daniel Riciardo, you’ve raced in every grand prix at the Sochi Autodrom, what do you think about it?

DR: The organisers have done a really good job with the facilities – everything is top notch! They’ve put in really good grandstands around the stadium section for fans, and that generates a good atmosphere. But in the car it’s 90° corner – straight – 90° corner – straight, so in terms of driver satisfaction it’s a little flat.

How about Sochi itself?

DR: Oh yeah, surprising! Really liked the beach. But I would say that, wouldn’t I?

At the start of the year Dany laughed himself silly when he saw your workload in Melbourne. Time for revenge?

DR: Definitely. I’m looking forward to putting my feet up and letting him do the heavy lifting…

Any advice for your team-mate?

DR: Take a deep breath and hold on – and don’t look too far ahead at the schedule. Take each event as it comes and before you know it you’ll be through it and strapping into the car. Also, don’t make too much noise in the hotel when you’re leaving in the mornings. I’m planning to have a lie in. Before a swim.

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‘Haas could score straight away’

Graeme Lowdon believes new rivals Haas could be "scoring pretty much straight away" thanks to a changes in Formula 1's regulations.

Next season Haas will replace Manor as the new boys on the block as American Gene Haas braves the pinnicle of motorsport.

But while many have struggled in their debut campaign – and in the years that follow – Lowdon reckons Haas, who have a technical partnership with Ferrari, could be quick starters.

"It's a reflection of just how difficult this industry is that they've changed the way a new team can come in," the Manor president said during Sky Sports' The F1 Show.

"If you look back to 2009 when we came in, we were subject to all the regulations on the same day we entered and had something like seven months to be on the grid in Bahrain [in 2010] and there was no option at all to delay that in any way.

"If we roll the clock forward, of the 2009 teams we're the only ones that survived – and we've had some ups and downs.

"Haas have been allowed to defer their entry for a year, they've been able to take their time over it and, crucially, they're not subject at present to any of the regulations. So they can take technology from any partner they want, they can take aero, they can spend as much time as they want in the wind tunnel.

"So the ease at which you can come into Formula 1 has changed dramatically and some would argue that that's a sign that this is a pretty difficult sport to enter and it's been a lot easier to enter now.

"That's a good thing. It's a bad thing for us because we came through a different route, so in my view they're going to be points scoring pretty much straight away because that car is extremely well developed. You just buy in the technology – it's going to be a really good package."

Lowdon, though, is adamant Manor are not upset that changes have made it a bit easier for newcomers.

"I don't think we can necessary complain about it," he said. "We can't complain that the industry's too difficult and then complain when it's made easier for people."

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Maldonado: No preference for team-mate

Pastor Maldonado insists he does not mind who Lotus sign as the search for his new team-mate gets underway.

Lotus have already confirmed Maldonado for next year's championship but the identity of his team-mate is unknown as Romain Grosjean is off to Haas.

Test driver Jolyon Palmer is just one hopeful along with Kevin Magnussen and French racers Jean-Eric Vergne and Esteban Ocon.

Maldonado, though, isn't at all fazed as to which way the team goes.

He insisted: "Honestly I have no preference.

"Throughout your career you work with a variety of team-mates so you get used to working with different people.

"Ultimately, everyone is trying to make the car faster and perform as well as it can for an event, so you're all working to the same objectives."

Those objectives are set to get a welcome boost from Renault coming onboard.

The French manufacturer recently signed a letter of intent to purchase the Lotus team.

"This is positive news and I'm looking forward to things progressing here," said Maldonado.

"I've worked with Renault in the past and know that they are real racers.

"I know Enstone always works very hard and we've seen what the Enstone and Renault combination has achieved in the past. Let's hope there are great things ahead."

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The championship battle isn't over yet - Rosberg

Nico Rosberg isn't giving up on winning the championship this season, despite an ever widening gap between him and Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

The Briton managed to claim a further seven points over Rosberg in Japan after overtaking his team-mate at the start of the race.

Now, with just five races remaining, Hamilton sits atop the table with a 48 point advantage to Rosberg - almost two race wins - but that hasn't put the German off and he insists it's game on.

"Once I got back from Japan, I was able to focus on the positive elements from my weekend in Suzuka: pole position, the on-track pass on [Valtteri] Bottas and then having the speed to undercut [sebastian] Vettel's Ferrari at the second pit-stop," he said.

"I'm not backing down in my fight for the championship and gaining those positions back fair and square showed that."

At the same point in the season last year, Rosberg sat just three points behind Hamilton with five races remaining, this season the gap is 48 points, but the size of the task at hand doesn't scare Rosberg.

"We have five races to go and, although the championship gap to Lewis is quite big, in my mind it's definitely not over yet.

"The way the whole team has performed this year - from the factories to the garage - has been just incredible and I have the car I need to get back to the top step.

"I really enjoyed our first trip to Russia last year and it was an awesome weekend for the team – one that I will always remember after seeing all the hard work they’ve put in during my time here.

"So, I'm aiming to put all those tools they've given me to good use and bring home a top result."

[MIKA27]

Nigel Mansell: 'I could get Lewis Hamilton's lap time'

Former F1 driver Nigel Mansell said he could "get very close" to Lewis Hamilton's lap time "if not an identical time".

"The thing is you can do it for a few laps but when you get old you can’t sustain it lap after lap. But in a race, with a bit of training, give me more than a few weeks, give me a few months. And if the body would allow I think we could, in that car, certainly get on the podium and have a bit of fun,” said the former world champion driver.

MIKA: ..... Yeah, right Nigel

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F1 has more 'drama' than NASCAR, says Haas

Formula 1 is better at producing more drama around it than NASCAR, claims Gene Haas.

With the American's F1 team set to make its debut next year, Haas is in the unique position of being able to compare how motor racing's biggest two categories stack up.

And his early experience of F1, as he continues preparations for 2016, has led him to believe that it grabs the attention in a way that NASCAR is not able to.

Speaking amid the intrigue surrounding the futures of Lotus, Red Bull and Toro Rosso, Haas said: "There is a lot of drama.

"Last year they were thinking three teams were going to drop out, but the reality is that only Caterham dropped out.

"So there is always this thing that they say two or three teams are going to drop out, but they always seems to show up each year and always go racing.

"I think F1 is a little bit more transparent than NASCAR. In F1, everything is always publicly discussed."

Strategy Group focus

Haas believes that F1's drama is boosted by the fact that there is so much intrigue surrounding meetings and planned rule changes.

"They have these Strategy [Group] meetings and they throw out all these outrageous things and the media immediately picks it up as fact. It is just like an idea that someone threw out there, and if it will even make it to the next level is very remote.

"But there is a lot of drama in F1. Probably I think there is more drama in F1 than NASCAR.

"But still it is F1. It is the ultimate motorsport and from the technical point of view, when you look at the cars and what these guys are doing, they are cutting edge on CFD, wind tunnel testing, and the engines are unbelievably complex."

Governing differences too

Haas also believes that there are big difference between the way that F1 and NASCAR are governed.

"The FIA is definitely more democratic," he said, referring to motor racing's governing body. "NASCAR is more like a dictatorship.

"They [NASCAR] kind of basically say: 'Here is what we want to do'. They listen to your input but they basically make the decisions.

"In F1, you have these Strategy sessions when anybody can throw out any idea they want and then they vote on it. That is fundamentally different to NASCAR, where they listen to everybody and then say, 'here is what we are going to do'."

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Force India targets catching Williams

Force India has set its sights on closing the gap to Williams over the remainder of the campaign, and thinks it can do so without any more major updates coming on board.

The Silverstone-based team has enjoyed a strong uplift in form since a new aerodynamic package was delivered at the British Grand Prix.

And although the points gap to Red Bull and Williams ahead of it in the constructors' championship remains too big to close down, in performance terms the outfit senses the opportunity for progress.

Deputy team principal Bob Fernley said: "We have been showing since Silverstone that the car is a top ten car really.

"I think, apart from the DNFs at Hungary, we have managed to deliver that all the way through, so I am comfortable the pace is there.

"But it is not quite where we would want it to be – and our key objective now is to get into our peer group, which is Williams.

"They are in the same engine group as we are and we have to work with them. Lotus are damn quick too. I think the three Mercedes customers are doing a good job."

Updates must prove themselves

Although Force India will continue to bring developments to each race, Fernley has said that any major overhaul will now only come if it is guaranteed to deliver a good step forward in pace.

But even without that, he thinks that there is plenty of potential to extract more from the current package.

"We are now in to an optimisation programme for the B-spec," he said. "Everything is on that is going to go on, and I would like to have a bit of stability now.

"So let's get the best out of it we can, before we start to bolt anything else on."

When asked if that meant no more updates, amid talk that more could come for Mexico, Fernley said: "We would desperately like to do that and we have things in the pipeline, but [technical director] Andrew Green won't release it until he is happy it is a meaningful step.

"If we can get it, it would be wonderful. But let's optimise what we have because there is still more in that car yet to get out."

[MIKA27]

Mercedes wary of tyre issues in Russia

Mercedes is heading to this weekend's Russian Grand Prix mindful of the possibility of fresh tyre headaches, as the softer range of compounds return.

The Brackley-based team is well aware that Pirelli has opted for the same super-soft and soft compounds that it struggled so badly on in Singapore last month.

Allied to that is the fact that the Sochi track proved particularly tricky for teams last year, as the freshly laid asphalt delivered little grip and allowed Nico Rosberg to complete almost a full race distance on one set of tyres.

That is why Mercedes executive director Paddy Lowe has said that the team must be full ready for anything to ensure that there is no repeat of its Singapore dramas.

"This was a tricky weekend last season, with a new circuit to learn and fresh tarmac which produced slightly unusual behaviour from the tyres," he said.

"This year we have moved one step softer on the compounds to bring the soft and supersoft into play - perhaps influenced by Nico running almost the entire race last year on a single set of tyres.

"One year on, the track surface will have weathered differently so we must ensure we have all eventualities covered."

Rosberg not giving up

Although Lewis Hamilton looks on course to take his third world championship title this year, teammate Rosberg has not yet conceded defeat.

Rosberg believes there are still opportunities for him to turn things around, despite a widening gap in the constructors' championship.

"Once I got back from Japan, I was able to focus on the positive elements from my weekend in Suzuka: pole position, the on-track pass on [Valtteri] Bottas and then having the speed to undercut [sebastian] Vettel's Ferrari at the second pit-stop," he said.

"I'm not backing down in my fight for the championship and gaining those positions back fair and square showed that.

"We have five races to go and, although the championship gap to Lewis is quite big, in my mind it's definitely not over yet.

"The way the whole team has performed this year - from the factories to the garage - has been just incredible and I have the car I need to get back to the top step."