Formula 1 - 2017

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Eric Boullier: McLaren focused on smooth weekend in Sochi

McLaren racing director Eric Boullier says the team needs to focus on putting together a smooth weekend at the Russian Grand Prix.

The opening three rounds have been hit by underperformance and unreliability for McLaren-Honda, with no points scored so far and a best finish of 13th for Stoffel Vandoorne in Australia.

Several MGU-H failures hit the team in Bahrain and the first day of the in-season test featured further Honda issues, although the second day was much more productive.

“The past few races for us have been more unpredictable than we had hoped or imagined,” Boullier admitted.

“We haven’t yet managed to put together a trouble-free weekend on either side of the garage, which is the first step in order to be able to work on performance.

“Honda are working hard to find solutions to the MGU-H issue we have been suffering with.

“On the McLaren side it’s important we make sure all of our operational processes and procedures are bulletproof all the way down the line, so that we can at least see the chequered flag with both cars.

“Following the test, we’re working hard on bringing more new parts to Sochi.

“We need to focus primarily on pulling together a smooth weekend in every session, which is the only way we’ll be able to see a representative performance from both drivers in the MCL32 on track.

“The Russian Grand Prix has so far shown itself to be a closely-fought race, and I hope we’ll have the opportunity to be in the mix.”

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RENAULT PREVIEW THE RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX

Renault preview the Russian Grand Prix weekend, Round 4 of the 2017 Formula 1 World Championship, at Sochi Autodrom.

Foreword from Renault Sport Racing Managing Director, Cyril Abiteboul: “Bahrain showed both another positive step in our progress, and reiterated an area where we must focus our attention.

For the first time in the team’s short history, we qualified both cars in the top ten. This was thanks to teamwork from everyone at the track and everyone at Enstone and Viry. Nico was able to deliver the fast laps whenever needed and Jolyon staged an impressive recovery from a difficult FP3.

In the Grand Prix we did score our first points of the season with Nico, but this joy was tempered by the acknowledgement that we should have scored more.

Our focus at the factory in Enstone and then at the test in Bahrain which followed the Grand Prix has been seeking how to unlock the pace of the R.S.17 in race conditions.

Nico and Sergey drove in the test and both were able to give positive feedback. Sergey impressed us by getting up to speed very quickly in this new generation car, despite having not driven since last year.

Sergey will drive in FP1 in Sochi alongside Jolyon. Russia is an important market for us and it is good for them to see their local hero out in action.

We’re hoping that the work of the test can be applied and all the new parts tested will work as well as they did in evaluation when we take to the track in Sochi. Both cars in the points in Russia would be a fantastic reward and another step forward in our 2017 journey.

Elsewhere, Renault reiterated its long term commitment to Formula 1 by showing the R.S. 2027 at the Shanghai Motor Show on April 19. The reaction to this concept car outlining what Formula 1 could be in ten years’ time has been fantastic. We look forward to continuing this conversation.

Finally, last weekend saw the first of our Renault Sport Academy members get their seasons underway with the opening round of the Formula Renault Eurocup. Max Fewtrell, Jarno Opmeer and Sun Yue Yang were all in action with some strong potential seen between them at the start of their rookie years in this highly competitive championship.

Engineering Performance

After three Grands Prix and one in-season test, Chief Technical Officer Bob Bell looks at the state of play with the R.S.17 heading to the Russian Grand Prix.

What’s the outlook heading to Russia?
We head to Sochi with a reasonable degree of optimism. We have shown a good progression so far in 2017, most notably illustrated by qualifying both cars in the top ten for the first time in Bahrain as well as securing our first points finish. There’s no doubt we have work still to do, equally it’s clear we’ve taken a tangible step forward.

Where’s the current focus of development?
It’s pretty clear and we’re not under any illusion; we are currently qualifying better than we race and that’s a symptom of our current car performance. We have a reasonable understanding of why this is and have a number of developments to address this in the realm of aerodynamics and suspension. We tested new parts – including a new front wing – in Bahrain designed to add more aero-performance to the car and also make it slightly more benign to engender better race pace. It’s a positive of testing somewhere where you’ve just had a Grand Prix that there is a lot of comparable data for evaluation.

Why does the car seem to qualify better than it races?
The R.S.17 is not as well balanced as we’d like over a full stint. Whilst you can get away with this over the course of a qualifying lap – where fresh tyres can mask the balance issue – the performance is less consistent when you take to the longer runs of race stints.

The R.S.17 has a somewhat nervous corner entry, followed by mid-turn understeer, followed by a nervous exit making finding traction a challenge. If we can address these areas, our drivers will have a very effective race car at their disposal. We believe the problems are aero related, so we’re primarily looking for the solution there. Once we have the entry-phase of the corner sorted, the rest should follow more easily.

The big positive is that the car has the basic pace to be able to be qualified well. Our current issue is extracting that pace in a race scenario. If you have the pace the key is maintaining it; it’s easier to translate qualifying pace to race pace than to find basic performance.

What’s wanted in Russia?
Our target for Sochi is another step forward from our performance in Bahrain. We’d be happy with a similar qualifying position allied to improved race pace.

From Russia with Love

Nico Hülkenberg heads to Sochi with a sense of satisfaction after a productive Bahrain test as well as wearing a happy face for a track he rather likes.

What’s the mood headed to Sochi?
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.

What do you think of the event?
I like travelling 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.

What are your thoughts of the track when you’re behind the wheel?
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.

What was on your wish list for improvement at the Bahrain test?
Of course, I’m a race driver so I want improvement in every area! The car is basically good, it’s just a number details where we need to improve. The positive is we know what these areas are and what we need to do to improve them. We want more downforce and to improve the car aerodynamically and we want to use the tyres better in the race.

What’s you track record like in Russia?
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!

Three races in, how are you enjoying racing the latest generation F1 car wheel to wheel?
It’s fun, but you get used to new things so quickly! We’re on top of the new level of downforce from a driving point of view; it’s quickly the status quo. It’s a different experience racing wheel to wheel, but I want to be doing this more through fighting my way up the order!

Planning a Revolution

Sochi Autodrom has been a positive location for Jolyon Palmer, it being the track where he secured his 2014 GP2 Series championship title, through a race win. After his first top ten qualifying performance in Bahrain, Jolyon’s aiming for his first top ten race finish of 2017.

What are your thoughts on Sochi?
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.

What’s the challenge of Sochi in a Formula 1 car?
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 the car where we wanted in qualifying but we went better in the race.

How do you feel progress has been so far this season?
There’s definitely been progress, but there’s certainly more to come. Getting into the top ten in qualifying for the first time in Bahrain was particularly satisfying. I’d struggled a lot in the FP3 session, so myself and my engineer, Chris Richards, sat down and we changed the set-up of the car so it worked far better. 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.

Rushing Around

After a productive test in Bahrain, Renault Sport Formula One Team Third and Reserve Driver Sergey Sirotkin will be jumping into Nico Hülkenberg’s R.S.17 for FP1 in Sochi. He can’t wait…

It’s fair to say you’re looking forward to FP1?
Obviously I’m very much looking forward to it! I’ve learn so far this year that it’s not very easy to be at a race track but not in the car. Watching other drivers in action and competing is pretty frustrating as I want to be out there. I am learning a lot with the team and it is a positive and enjoyable process, just not as positive and enjoyable as racing itself.

How was the Bahrain test?
The Bahrain test was a good first time in the R.S.17. The cars are really quick this year but I feel back in rhythm despite having not been in a race car for six months. It was a full programme and I enjoyed every second of being in the car, even if the programme was not the most exciting for the driver. Ultimately, I’m here to do what the team tell me to do, so that’s my approach to FP1; if I have to do aero runs, that’s what I do. If I have to drive a qualifying simulation on Ultrasoft tyres, then that’s what I’ll do too!

What do you think to the track?
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.

Is it good to be in the car at home?
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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Sergio Perez: 'Extra pressure' to qualify well in Russia

Force India's Sergio Pérez believes there is “extra pressure” to qualify strongly at the Russian Grand Prix, as the Sochi Autodrom is a tough track for overtaking.

The Mexican driver suffered a poor qualifying session in China and started 18th on the grid, but recovered with the “perfect race” to finish seventh.

It was his 13th consecutive top 10 finish and with team-mate Esteban Ocon in 10th, for the third straight race, Force India now occupies fourth in the constructors’ standings.

Pérez, a podium finisher at Sochi in 2015, is wary that one-lap pace, which has not been Force India's strongest asset so far in 2017, is key.

“I said after Bahrain that I was very proud of my team,” he said. “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.

“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.”

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Stoffel Vandoorne: Maximising track time key for McLaren at Sochi

Stoffel Vandoorne says McLaren-Honda is braced for another difficult weekend in Russia, and believes it should focus on maximising the available track time.

Vandoorne was plagued by problems at the preceding round in Bahrain, limiting his on-track appearances, and was unable to start the race due to a water pressure issue.

Vandoorne is wary that McLaren will be on the back foot at the venue where he clinched the GP2 title in 2015, but is sure progress can still be made.

“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,” said Vandoorne.
“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.”

Vandoorne added that McLaren has been boosted by its performance during last week’s in-season test, after he logged 81 laps on his day in the MCL32.

“After a difficult couple of weeks, the last day of the Bahrain test was very encouraging, both for me and for the whole team,” he commented.

“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.”

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OCON: I WANT MORE!

Esteban Ocon has a solid start to the 2017 season, scoring a point in all three races thus far, but the highly rated Frenchman is not happy and wants more as he heads to the Sochi for the Russian Grand Prix weekend.

Ocon said in the team’s preview of round four of the champiobnship, “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,” added Ocon who has yet to beat his teammate Sergio Perez this season.

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MERCEDES PREVIEW RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX

Mercedes preview the Russian Grand Prix weekend, Round 4 of the 2017 Formula 1 World Championship, at Sochi Autodrom.

Battle royal continues with Round Four of the 2017 season from the Sochi Autodrom

Toto Wolf: “You need to be able to draw a line under a tough weekend. It’s very painful to lose a race like that. There were too many marginal losses that we encountered and these cost us the victory. But they are down to us to fix. You need to be careful not to spend too much time thinking about these setbacks, but rather work on solutions for the future. That’s important.

“Of course, you need to keep both feet on the ground. Second and third place is definitely not a disaster. But if you have a car and two drivers capable of winning races and it hasn’t materialised, then it feels painful – and this is how it should feel.

“We know what weaknesses we need to tackle and where we need to be even more diligent for the coming races in order to win. You have to confront each issue, analyse it properly and come up with a plan for how to avoid repeating those mistakes in the future. This is an exercise which we have done a number of times over the last few years.

“I’m delighted for Pascal and for how he bounced back in Bahrain. He’s still not completely pain free but, considering that fact, he had a brilliant weekend. He had a great qualifying and a really solid race. It’s just a matter of time until he scores his first points for Sauber. I’m very happy about that. He’s proven all of the critics wrong. As for Esteban, he has a very strong teammate in Checo Perez to benchmark himself against and that is exactly what he’s doing at the moment. He’s on the right trajectory.

“It’s very good to see people talking positively about Formula One. Clearly, the close fight between Ferrari and Mercedes is something that is interesting for the fans. It’s interesting for us too. This is why we go racing – because we’re racers and we thrive on the competition and the battle.

“It’s a totally different kind of track this weekend in Sochi and, in this season with these new regulations, you can’t take anything for granted. The trophies of previous years don’t guarantee that we’ll be winning in Russia when you have a very fierce competitor like we do in Ferrari. We’ll take it one step at a time, start the weekend well and hopefully have a good result on Sunday.”

Featured this Week: 2017 Race Starts

It’s no secret that the new era of cars introduced for the 2017 Formula One season are tougher to handle out on track. But a lesser-known, if equally significant challenge is getting these mighty beasts off the line.

New restrictions governing the influence of engineers over race starts is the latest move to reduce so-called ‘driver aids’. For 2017, there are new limits on clutch control, as well as the movement and location of the steering wheel paddles.

The target? To make the relationship between what the driver does with the clutch and the amount of torque that gets transferred through to the racetrack much more direct. Drivers still use a single clutch paddle. But, unlike previous years, clutch control is now a linear relationship. Gone are the clever engineering maps to help find a clutch position – that special sweet spot for the perfect getaway.

Previously, a driver only needed to drop the clutch in the wide zone – a launch map setting predetermined by an engineer – for a clean start. Now, they have to control the torque themselves with the steering wheel paddle, making it a very direct relationship between what the driver wants and what he gets.

To that effect, the rules have been tightened on teams using any kind of steering wheel reference to assist drivers with race starts. The movement of the clutch paddle is limited to 80mm and it is forbidden to set a position in the motion of the clutch paddle that feels different, or where the driver can hold it in a particular position to get a specific torque.

This has been achieved through the introduction of a significant exclusion zone around the paddle, meaning the driver can’t access anything else whilst using the clutch. Fundamentally, the driver operates the paddle by himself without any external reference.

It’s now completely up to the driver to position his hand and feel the torque of the car as it accelerates. Those drivers who have a feel for modulating the torque to the rear wheels, keeping the wheel spin under control and accelerating smoothly will get better starts. Those who are a bit too aggressive will get wheel spin. It’s all down to the men at the wheel.

Given the extent of the challenge, it may therefore come as something of a surprise to see how little variability there has been between drivers and teams over the first three races of 2017. The biggest single loss off the grid so far this year has been by Sergio Pérez, who dropped three positions in the wet start in China – the weather adding another variable. In contrast, the two McLarens were quick off the line in Shanghai, both gaining three spots each.

The Silver Arrows have lost just one position in three races thus far – Lewis dropping behind Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari in Bahrain under braking into Turn 1. In the same race, Pascal Wehrlein was shuffled down the pack on his first full race start of 2017, before battling his way back through the field to P11 by the flag.

So how has this been achieved? Simply put, a major contributor is that drivers are doing more practice than ever before. It’s the typical Formula One case study – present a set of world class athletes and the world’s very best engineers with a challenge and they’ll rise to it. Being the world’s quickest racing driver does not automatically equate to being able to pinpoint release a paddle to nail that perfect start. Practice makes perfect.

More so than ever in 2017, a driver’s start is a result of hard work over pure luck. Teams have reimagined starts into a science through systems, technology and practice. And the perfect start is a result of hard work and dedication from the drivers, continuously working with their engineers to perfect this procedure.

The outcome of a driver’s race can be determined by what they do in those first three seconds. They now have more control over this aspect of racing, so they’ve taken on more responsibility. And as the early data shows, they’re stepping up to the challenge – just as one would expect the world’s best to.

However, looking ahead to Sochi this weekend, the long run down into the braking zone at Turn 2 – the scene of last year’s opening lap accident – provides another new challenge. 501m covers the sprint from pole to Turn 1 in Bahrain; 458m in Shanghai and, for Melbourne, a relatively short 383m dash before sweeping into the first corner. Sochi on the other hand is a 1,029m stretch from pole to the Turn 2 apex.

This brings with it some entirely different challenges. Factor in the increased drag of the 2017 cars, for example, which will affect each car on the long run into the first braking zone. The man on pole will take a big hit to those following from the second row and further back, who can make use of the tow to take advantage of, or even negate the effect of, a poor start. With a run down into Turn 2 at twice the distance of Bahrain, the opening seconds of the Grand Prix may prove the most exciting and variable we have seen so far in 2017…

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FORCE INDIA PREVIEW THE RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX

Force India preview the Russian Grand Prix weekend, Round 4 of the 2017 Formula 1 World Championship, at Sochi Autodrom.

Vijay Mallya: “Three races out of three with both cars in the points is a super start to our season. We’re up in fourth place in the championship and making the most of the opportunities. Races such as Bahrain showed our strengths as a team. We never gave up, even after a difficult Saturday, and we raced hard on Sunday. Sergio extended his points scoring run to thirteen races, which is a tremendous achievement and shows our consistency as a team. Esteban did well to score another point and we are pleased with his performance so far. It means we can head to Russia in good spirits and determined to pick up some more points.”

Brad Joyce, Esteban Ocon’s Race Engineer, talks about the technical challenges of the Sochi Autodrom: The circuit in Sochi is very challenging for the car and very different from the tracks on which we have raced so far this year. There are a lot of low- and medium-speed corners that require heavy braking; at the same time, you have some very fast corners – turn three and 12 in particular – that can take the life out of the tyres. Fuel management is important as you spend a lot of time on full throttle: this track actually boasts the highest race fuel requirement in the whole calendar. The track surface is smooth and we expect lower tyre degradation compared to the first races of the year, so we are back to the softest compounds of the Pirelli range. Like in Bahrain, proximity to the coast can make this place very windy so we will need to be able to adapt to changing circumstances on Saturday and Sunday.

Key points:

Many low- and medium-speed 90 degree corners
Very high full throttle time, highest fuel requirements of the year in the race
Smooth tarmac with low tyre degradation

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MCLAREN PREVIEW THE RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX

The inaugural Russian Grand Prix took place eight months after the closing ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

The 5.848km/3.634-mile street track passes alongside the Olympic Village, making it the third circuit on this year’s calendar to incorporate a former Olympic venue, along with the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (Montreal ’76) and the Circuit de Catalunya (Barcelona ’92)

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.”

Eric Boullier, McLaren-Honda Racing Director: “The past few races for us have been more unpredictable than we had hoped or imagined. We haven’t yet managed to put together a trouble-free weekend on either side of the garage, which is the first step in order to be able to work on performance. Honda are working hard to find solutions to the MGU-H issue we have been suffering with, and on the McLaren side it’s important we make sure all of our operational processes and procedures are bulletproof all the way down the line, so that we can at least see the chequered flag with both cars. Following the test, we’re working hard on bringing more new parts to Sochi, and chassis-wise we are confident in the development path we are taking and constantly working to find extra performance wherever we can. Both drivers report positively on the feeling inside the car, so it’s important we continue to build on this as the season progresses. As we head to the Sochi Autodrom for the fourth time, we need to focus primarily on pulling together a smooth weekend in every session, which is the only way we’ll be able to see a representative performance from both drivers in the MCL32 on track. The Russian Grand Prix has so far shown itself to be a closely-fought race, and I hope we’ll have the opportunity to be in the mix.”

Yusuke Hasegawa, Honda R&D Co. Ltd Head Of F1 Project & Executive Chief Engineer: “After a disappointing grand prix weekend in Bahrain, we have since had an extremely busy few days during in-season testing, also at the Bahrain International Circuit. The team has been working hard to implement some countermeasures to help combat our MGU-H issues. By the second day of testing, we think we were able to confirm the direction of our solution against the issue after completing 81 laps with Stoffel behind the wheel. The results are testament to the team’s hard work and determination. The 2016 Russian Grand Prix saw McLaren-Honda finish the race with two cars in the points, so of course we will do our best to try and replicate this. That said, I expected the Russian Grand Prix will be another challenging race weekend for us. The nature of the track, with its long straights combined with 90-degree corners, means the race will be stop-start, putting emphasis on the balance of energy management. Unlocking power and managing fuel will also be key. We will of course work hard with McLaren during the practice sessions in order to find the best set-up, and we are hoping to show a good performance.”

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HAAS PREVIEW THE RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX

The first time we saw Super-G in Sochi was in 2014 when the Russian city hosted the XXII Olympic Winter Games. Norway’s Kjetil Jansrud beat American Andrew Weibrecht by .3 of a second on the 2.096-kilometer (1.302-mile) course with a 622-meter (2,041-foot) vertical drop to nab gold in the alpine slalom event.

Three years later, a Super-G of a different sort returns to Sochi, but instead of taking place on the white slopes of the Rosa Khutor Alpine Resort, it will happen on the black asphalt of the Sochi Autodrom as the fastest cars in Formula One history rocket around the 5.848-kilometer (3.634-mile), 18-turn circuit for the April 30 Russian Grand Prix.

With a new set of technical regulations in place for 2017, Formula One cars feature an advanced aerodynamic package that has created a significantly higher level of downforce and a substantial uptick in g-force. A wider front wing, larger barge boards, a lower and wider rear wing and a diffuser that expands 50 millimeters (two inches) in height and width comprise the changes. And planting these cars to the ground are much wider tires from Pirelli, by 60 millimeters (2.4 inches) in the front and 80 millimeters (3.1 inches) in the rear, a 25-percent increase from 2016.

Between the heightened downforce and the grip afforded by Pirelli’s tires, drivers are able to turn laps nearly five seconds faster than they did last year. Track records have fallen at each of the races run this season in Australia, China and Bahrain. Sochi is home to the fourth race of the 2017 FIA Formula One World Championship and likely the fourth venue where another track record will fall.

The higher speeds of these racecars have led to drastically higher g-forces being sustained by the drivers who wheel these cutting-edge machines. After the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Haas F1 Team driver Romain Grosjean said he was pulling close to eight Gs when running at speed.

“The cars are brutal to drive – we are not far from 8G with the peak in high corners – so it is pretty good fun, but it is hard on the body, it is hard on parts, it is hard on the cars,” Grosjean said. “You better not miss the turning point on some places. The speed we go through the corners is insane compared to the past. You need to be more precise, more accurate, more on it.”

Eight Gs is eight times the force of gravity, which makes a 68-kilogram (150-pound) Formula One driver weigh 544 kilograms (1,200 pounds). It seems like a big number – and it is – but still well within the body’s tolerance for short durations.

Grosjean and his teammate, Kevin Magnussen, developed their bodies this offseason as much as Haas F1 Team developed its racecar.

“There was no point risking not being fit enough or strong enough, so the training was much harder this offseason,” Magnussen said. “It was more strength training. Before you were designing your training program to not gain any weight, but this year we’re able to train harder with more strength-focused training rather than just long cardio sessions.”

“We’re going through more g-forces, so the neck is stronger and the core is stronger,” Grosjean added. “Your whole body had to adjust to these high speeds.”

The current track record at the Sochi Autodrom is 1:35.417, set last year by Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg in the final round of qualifying. It will fall in 2017. The question is, by how much?

It will likely be a driver from either Scuderia Ferrari or Mercedes who sets the new track record. For Haas F1 Team, it’s about getting as close to those giants in qualifying on Saturday to start as close to the front as possible for the race on Sunday.

Grosjean’s best starting spot at Sochi is eighth, earned in 2015, and Magnussen’s best grid placement is 11th, earned last year. While Grosjean has a better qualifying performance at Sochi, Magnussen has the better race results. Magnussen has never finished lower than seventh in his two career Formula One starts at the track, with his best being a fifth-place drive in 2014. Grosjean earned his best finish in last year’s race when he came home eighth.

With bodies built for the speed of this new Formula One era, Grosjean and Magnussen look to build on their past performances in Sochi with strong runs in their version of Super-G.

Sochi Autodrom

Circuit Length: 5.848 km (3.634 miles)
Laps: 53
Race Distance: 309.745 km (192.467 miles)
Broadcast: NBCSN – 7:30 a.m. ET (Pre-Race Show) / 8 a.m. ET (Lights Out)

Q&A with Guenther Steiner, Haas F1 Team

You’ve said all along that the Haas VF-17 has speed and a good overall balance. How important is it to have back-to-back point-paying results at China and Bahrain to confirm that speed and balance?
“It’s always good to come back from two races with points, and it shows that the car is capable to score points at each race. Then again, it’s always difficult because it’s a tight midfield and we all went testing after Bahrain and everyone has learned something.”

Both sides of the Haas F1 Team garage have scored points this year. The same personnel manning Magnussen’s car is the same group that oversaw Esteban Gutiérrez’s car last year. How much of a boost was it for that group to finally have a point-paying finish?
“I think it was their best day at work since they started. That’s what these guys aim for, and they finished 11th a few times last year with Esteban, just out of the points, and they’re finally getting there now. There were a lot of happy faces.”

It seems that on any given weekend there’s someone new atop the midfield. How tight is the midfield this year?
“It’s as tight as it’s ever been. With four to five teams so close together, I cannot remember when that happened, and every weekend it’s mixed up in a different way. Any of these teams can go into Q3 and get into the points. It’s a very tense battle, but I think a nice battle and it keeps the constructors championship pretty open for the midfield.”

There is a legitimate two-team race for the win every weekend, and there’s no reason to think it won’t soon be a three-team race for victories as the entire field brings updates to their cars in the coming races. What do you make of this Ferrari-Mercedes battle and the overall Formula One product so far this season?
“It’s fantastic for Formula One to have two teams fighting for the lead. I think there should be 10 teams fighting for the win, but that in the short term is difficult. I think F1 is working to make the field tighter, but I don’t know how that would be achieved. It’s not a quick fix, but something to consider in the future because there’s only two teams fighting for the lead. It could create a lot of new fans and that is what we want.”

There is talk of banning the T-wing for 2018 and maybe even the sharkfin. What are your thoughts on these aerodynamic appendages?
“The regulations were written that we can put them on, so we need to leave them on this year. I don’t think they should make a decision now about this year, but if everyone agrees that they should be gone next year then I think it can be done. I don’t think the sharkfin looks bad or the T-wing looks bad. I think different people find different things that are nice or not nice. But if everyone agrees that we take it off, then I think we can work with that as well.”

Coming into the season, there was a question as to how much overtaking was actually possible. Between China and Bahrain, there seemed to be a lot of passing. Are you surprised at the amount of overtaking opportunities this year and do you feel it puts more of the race in the driver’s hands?
“I’m a little bit surprised because we all talked it down like it wouldn’t be possible to overtake. I think it’s possible because of the tires and the different strategies people take. If you have fresh tires or soft tires you can still overtake. I think it’s very good and I just hope it keeps going.”

Last year was your first visit to Sochi and the Russian Grand Prix. What did you think of the area and the racetrack?
“I was positively surprised. I had never been to Russia before. It’s a good place and the weather was good. The racetrack is new and in good shape and the people are friendly. I really enjoyed the experience.”

The Sochi Autodrom seems to emulate Bahrain in terms of setup. How much of what you learned in Bahrain can be transferred to the Russian Grand Prix?
“Like always, the more data you get no matter where you are, the more you can improve. You learn every day whenever you race. It’s very similar and a lot of people learned in Bahrain and learned from the test, so again, it starts at the beginning of the weekend where we try to fight our way into Q3 and into the points.”

The Sochi Autodrom runs around the Olympic Village, as Sochi hosted the 2014 Winter Olympics. Do you follow the Olympics when they take place? Do you have a preference for either the Winter or Summer Olympics, and is there a specific event you like to watch?
“Coming from the mountains, I follow the winter games more closely. I’d say downhill skiing is what I follow most.”

Q&A with Romain Grosjean

You said in Australia that this year’s car is brutal to drive due to the increased speeds and heightened g-force. But after three races, have you become accustomed to how the current car affects your body?
“Yes we have. The first few races yes, you always feel a bit rusty from the winter. But then after three races, now you know what to expect. Some circuits are always more difficult than others, and it depends a lot on how the tires are working. In Bahrain we had quite a big (tire) degradation. That means you lose the grip, and then it’s not as hard as the first lap in the car. I’m pretty sure at some racetracks, like Suzuka, it will be physically demanding, and some others, like Bahrain, it’s a bit less.”

Track records have been broken at every venue this year, emphasizing the drastic increase in speeds. How has this affected your role as a driver? Is there less margin for error because you have to be more precise, more accurate?
“With this year’s car you need to be much more precise, your coordination with your eyes, point of vision and everything else. You need to be more on it. When you turn two-to-three tenths later than you should have, it’s already one meter, whereas in the past it was maybe 50 centimeters. It makes a big difference.”

Coming into the season, there was a question as to how much overtaking was actually possible. Between China and Bahrain, there seemed to be a lot of passing, and you did your fair share, including early in the Bahrain Grand Prix where you were holding off both Toro Rossos and going three-wide with the Renault of Nico Hulkenberg and the Force India of Esteban Ocon. Are you surprised at the amount of overtaking opportunities this year and do you feel it puts more of the race in your hands?
“I think overtaking is clearly harder than it was in the past, which is maybe not a bad thing. You have to be a bit more creative in trying to go for it. That’s pretty cool. Again, overtaking at some tracks is going to be very tricky, and others it’s not.”

You’ve said all along that the Haas VF-17 has speed and a good overall balance. How important was it to finally translate what you’ve felt in the car to a point-paying finish at Bahrain?
“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.”

The Sochi Autodrom seems to emulate Bahrain in terms of setup. How much of what you learned in Bahrain can be transferred to the Russian Grand Prix?
“A lot will depend on the temperature. The tarmac in Bahrain is very rough. It’s very smooth in Russia. There’s a lot that we need to think about. 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.”

What is your favorite part of the Sochi Autodrom and why?
“I do quite like the fast turn three. It’s a very high-speed corner, flat out, then just going into turn four, coming out of the corner, then braking straight away for turn four. I think the corners flow into each other quite nicely. It’s a good track to drive.”

Is there a specific portion of the Sochi Autodrom that is more challenging than other aspects of the track?
“Yes, there’s the braking after the second straight-line DRS zone. You’re braking with g-forces then going underneath the bridge. It’s very twisty and the tires are having a tough time around there. That’s where you really need to get a good balance.”

Explain a lap around the Sochi Autodrom.
“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 three, which is flat out in qualifying. Then you go into turn four – 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 backstraight, 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.”

The Sochi Autodrom runs around the Olympic Village, as Sochi hosted the 2014 Winter Olympics. Do you follow the Olympics when they take place? Do you have a preference for either the Winter or Summer Olympics, and is there a specific event you like to watch?
“I do follow the Olympics. My grandfather competed twice in the Olympic Games as a skier. The Olympics are something very important to my family. It’s always a pleasure to see where the flame is and sharing in that spirit. Hopefully, we’ll have a good race in Sochi.”

Fernand Grosjean, Romain’s grandfather, was an alpine skier who competed at the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland and at the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, Norway. In 1948, he finished eighth in the alpine skiiing downhill competition and 16th in the combined event (downhill and slalom). In 1952, he finished 11th in the giant slalom competition. – Ed.

Much has been made of Fernando Alonso opting to compete in the Indianapolis 500 instead of at Monaco. If there’s one race outside of Formula One that you could run, and management approved it, what would it be and why?
“The 24 Hours of Le Mans. That’s the race I want to win before I completely retire. I’m sure I’m going to have some time after Formula One. I’m not in a rush. I’ve raced there once, in 2010, and I fell in love with the whole race. I think it would be great to be a winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.”

Q&A with Kevin Magnussen

Your teammate said in Australia that this year’s car is brutal to drive due to the increased speeds and heightened g-force. After three races, have you become accustomed to how the current car affects your body?
“Yes, I would say so. I feel quite good in the car and I think it’s really fun to drive. It’s much more challenging and tough.”

Track records have been broken at every venue this year, emphasizing the drastic increase in speeds. How has this affected your role as a driver? Is there less margin for error because you have to be more precise, more accurate?
“You could say so, but in another way it gives you more room to push hard and search for the limit. It’s not so easy to get to the limit, so in a way you have more room to push.”

Coming into the season there was a question as to how much overtaking was actually possible, and between China and Bahrain there seemed to be a lot of passing. Are you surprised at the amount of overtaking opportunities this year and do you feel it puts more of the race in your hands?
“I think it’s as expected, at least that’s how I expected it to be. Some tracks are fine, others are a bit more difficult, like Australia showed. It’s going to be no different in the likes of Monaco and Singapore.”

You’ve said all along that the Haas VF-17 has speed and a good overall balance. Does that make DNFs (Did Not Finish) a little easier to handle because the next race really does afford a new opportunity?
“Yes, it’s a little easier to handle when you have a bad weekend, because the potential is there and you have something to look forward to.”

You’ve finished fifth and seventh in your two career Formula One starts at the Sochi Autodrom. Is there something about the track that suits your driving style?
“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.”

In each of those starts, you made up significant ground to score points – 11th to fifth in 2014 and 17th to seventh in 2016 for a total of 16 positions. How did you do it, and was one race drastically different from the other?
“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.”

The Sochi Autodrom seems to emulate Bahrain in terms of setup. How much of what you learned in Bahrain can be transferred to the Russian Grand Prix?
“I think you learn every weekend more and more about the car. You get a better understanding overall, which is going to help everywhere.”

What is your favorite part of the Sochi Autodrom and why?
“I like turns six, seven and eight as they’re high speed.”

Is there a specific portion of the Sochi Autodrom that is more challenging than other aspects of the track?
“Turn three is a bit hard for your neck, it goes on and on. It can be a little bit tiring on your neck.”

The Sochi Autodrom runs around the Olympic Village, as Sochi hosted the 2014 Winter Olympics. Do you follow the Olympics when they take place? Do you have a preference for either the Winter or Summer Olympics, and is there a specific event you like to watch?
“I don’t really follow the Olympics so much. I watch the 100-meter sprint sometimes.”

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Autosport Podcast: What's going wrong for Red Bull in F1 2017?

Red Bull went into the 2017 Formula 1 season as favourite to take the fight to Mercedes, and the latest Autosport Podcast explains why it has failed to live up to expectations.

Autosport Editor-in-Chief Edd Straw is joined by Glenn Freeman and Scott Mitchell to discuss both the chassis and the Renault engine weaknesses that have left Red Bull a distant third so far this year.

There's also a look at the implications of Helmut Marko's recent comments on Red Bull's F1 future potentially depending on an independent engine appearing in 2021, and an explanation of how a throwaway comment from Max Verstappen in Bahrain was spun into an international incident.

Josef Newgarden's emergence as a true IndyCar star with his first Penske victory is also discussed, while Stephen Lickorish joins us for the latest on F4 driver Billy Monger after the 17-year-old's horrific accident at Donington Park.

We also look ahead to the Russian Grand Prix, and discuss whether it will be a Mercedes or a Ferrari weekend at Sochi.

The Autosport Podcast is available to subscribe to free via iTunes and all major podcast suppliers.

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F1's 2021 engine answer difficult to find, Renault's Abiteboul says

Formula 1 faces a major struggle to come up with 2021 engine regulations that will attract broad support, believes Renault Sport boss Cyril Abiteboul.

An initial meeting last month resulted in an agreement to replace the current turbocharged V6 hybrids with simpler, cheaper and noisier engines after 2020.

But Abiteboul says that getting a consensus on what was wrong with the present rules was the easy part, and fears agreeing the detail of a solution acceptable to all parties - including fans - will be less straightforward.

"That's typically an area where solutions will not be easily found, because of the complexity of the technology, because of the complexity of the question," he told Autosport.

"You need to satisfy carmakers who are financing the sport in the current model.

"Maybe a different model could be found where carmakers are not so important for the business model of the sport, but it's not [currently] the case.

"You need also to satisfy the fans, you need to satisfy the customer teams, so that question is not an easy one to resolve.

"There can be some consensus found on the diagnosis - what's good, and what's bad with the current formula.

"I think a solution will be more difficult to find, but not just because of political reasons, or because of competitive advantage, although there will always be a little bit of that with people that are currently at the top who will try to protect the advantage that they built, and that's fair enough.

"What will be a struggle for the group will be to find the right answer to a diagnosis which I think is well shared between the teams, the FIA and Liberty."

Key outcomes of the initial meeting included an agreement that a hybrid element should remain part of the new formula, and that there should be a focus on engine noise.

"Electrification is never going to go away, that's for sure, so we need electrification, we need hybrids," said Abiteboul.

"We need possibly more in the mix between [internal combustion engines] and hybrid, but having said that we cannot do that to the detriment of the show.

"We need noise, we need F1 to be blasting for the fans, and we don't deliver that at the moment."

Renault has long stressed the importance of cost control in F1, and the company has been pushing for a budget cap.

"Without going into technical details, and again all the analysis is shared by everyone, it's also too expensive for the carmakers, it's too expensive for the customers," Abiteboul said.

"So a budget cap will help, all of that we agree.

"But where do we go next? That will be the challenge, but it's a challenge that is a common challenge.

"So with a common challenge I'm hopeful that with all the brains that we have in this paddock, we'll be able to find solutions."

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Formula 1 overtaking more fun this year, Max Verstappen believes

Red Bull's Max Verstappen says overtaking in Formula 1 in 2017 is more enjoyable because drivers have to work harder to make a move stick.

This year's new-generation F1 cars have significantly more downforce, resulting in higher cornering speeds and shorter braking distances, making passing much more challenging.

Fears that the number of overtaking moves would be cut have been realised, as the table below shows, in each of the first three grands prix of 2017 compares to last year.

The 2016 Chinese Grand Prix figure at 128 overtakes is skewed slightly by Lewis Hamilton starting at the back of the grid, and that race featured the most pitstops of 2016 with 66, but the difference remains notable.

After three races in 2016, the average number of overtaking move in each grand prix was 73, while so far this season it is 21.

When the DRS overtaking aid was introduced in 2011, the number of passes nearly doubled from 452 to 821 and was nearly four times that of seasons during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

On the evidence of this year so far, the total number of overtaking moves is set to return to being closer to those figures around the turn of the century.

But while the total number has reduced, the quality has arguably increased with a series of thrilling moves made in China and Bahrain.

Verstappen, who in 2016 broke the record for the passes in a single season with 78, believes DRS has had less of an impact this year, which is a good thing.

"It's harder than it was last year but it's definitely not too bad," he said.

"If you are on new tyres you still have one or two laps to really fight for it.

"This season the DRS is not as helpful.

"In China most of the passes were done without the DRS - it gives you more fun as well.

"Into Turn 6 in China is nice to overtake, especially when you are quite late on the brakes and if you go even later on the brakes is good."

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Force India F1 team expects new floor to solve aerodynamic problems

Force India deputy team principal Bob Fernley expects Force India's new Formula 1 floor, which will be part of a Spanish Grand Prix upgrade package, to solve its aerodynamic problem.

Although Force India has finished with both cars in the points in all three races in 2017, the team has been disappointed with the pace of its Mercedes-powered VJM10.

Fernley blames a windtunnel-to-track correlation problem for the car's weakness in slow and medium speed corners, but he is confident the team can correct that with the upgrade to be introduced in Spain next month.

"We know exactly what it is, Andy [Green, technical director] and the team have determined that there's a correlation issue, we knew that in Barcelona testing," said Fernley.

"The effects were identified, [solutions] put in place and it's just a production process and it will hopefully bolt on in Barcelona and we can go toe-to-toe again as opposed to having to defend.

"It's related to our aero platform. The problem is that you pick one bit up and it affects different areas and you've got to go back through it, correct it and then produce the new part for it.

"The new floors and things will be available for Barcelona."

When pressed on the exact reasons for the problem, Fernley confirmed that the car was suffering from aero stalling.

He is also hopeful that Force India can further reduce the problem for this week's Russian Grand Prix based on work done in the post-Bahrain GP test.

"Yes, there's a whole number of other issues as well, it's a major upgrade, but part of that upgrade will also be the correcting of some of the issues that we had or we identified in Barcelona [testing]," said Fernley.

"The drivers say they have instability and it's stalling and [downforce is] coming in and out and it's slow to medium corners.

"Bahrain highlighted it particularly, Russia will probably do the same but we can do some testing.

"We won't solve it, but we might be able to mitigate it."

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RUSSIA F1 GRAND PRIX PREVIEW: WILL SOMEONE OTHER THAN MERCEDES LEAD A LAP IN SOCHI?

This weekend the F1 cars will race at the Sochi Autodrom, a circuit where Mercedes has the unique accolade of being the only team to have led a lap.

In the three previous 53-lap editions Lewis Hamilton has won twice and Nico Rosberg once, without any other team getting a chance to lead a single lap.

This year with Ferrari on form, having won two of the three races so far, the competition should be tighter, but this is more likely to be a track that suits Mercedes, with cooler track temperatures.

However Mercedes’ other weakness so far this season has been its performance on the softest Pirelli tyre compounds, the Ultra Soft and the Super soft, both of which will feature in Sochi.

After the fascinating strategic battle in Bahrain, this race will be a bit of an anti-climax as it is going to be likely a standard one-stopper. The asphalt in Sochi is kind on the tyres and a one stop strategy should take the cars to the chequered flag.

The ultra-to-soft plan is pretty close in overall race time to the ultra-to-superSoft plan. The teams will need to check wear values as usual during practice but will also need to make a good measurement of the tyre warm-up particularly on the soft. This could be a game changer for the midfield cars; with less downforce, they may well struggle to get the soft tyre up to racing speeds quickly after a pit stop.

It could lead to some tight moments in the event of an undercut situation and much will depend on a team’s confidence on how quickly it can switch on the soft.

Strategically the alternative strategy for cars starting outside the top ten of doing soft tyres for the first stint and then ultra softs for a 20 lap final stint ends up being almost as fast, but much will depend on being held up by traffic.

In terms of race starts, despite big changes to the clutch mapping regulations to hand control back to the drivers, not much has occurred of interest off the startling yet;

Mercedes have lost just one position in three races thus far – Hamilton dropping behind Vettel’s Ferrari in Bahrain under braking into Turn 1, having started on the dirty side of the grid.

This is a track with a reasonably high probability of a Safety Car; we have seen three in total during two of the races to date. It is not a particularly good overtaking track, despite two DRS zones. There were 26 overtakes in total at last year’s race, half of them due to DRS. So this could be another one of the tracks where the new generation F1 cars may be expected to struggle to overtake.

Statistically it is Valtteri Bottas’s strongest track; he has never qualified lower than 3rd here and has had a podium and a fourth in a Williams. He will be highly motivated to bounce back from his disappointing race performance in Bahrain after taking his first pole position on the Saturday, although it has since emerged that Lewis Hamilton had a problem with his DRS in qualifying at Sakhir.

The Russian GP in numbers

The fourth Russian Grand Prix at former Winter Olympic venue, Sochi, will be the sixth Russian race in history – St Petersburg hosted the remainder in 1913-1914. Sochi Autodrom unfurls on the streets around the Olympic park and is the fourth-longest track on the calendar at 5.85km, just shorter than Silverstone.

Mercedes has won all five of those races over 103 years, with Lewis Hamilton having taken victory in 2014-15 and retiree Nico Rosberg first in 2016. This year, the team is looking for its 400th podium finish in F1. If Hamilton takes pole this weekend it will be the 250th of all time for a British driver.

Last season, this race had the fewest pitstops of any in the calendar, with 26 over the whole field. Any driver who stops more than once here has never finished higher than fourth, Rosberg having pitted at the end of lap one in 2014 for Medium tyres, ending up second after 52 laps on them.

Incidents in Turn 1 have brought out the Safety Car for the last two years and Nico Hulkenberg has been taken out in both of those. Most notably, it was here where Daniil Kyvat and Sebastian Vettel came together twice in 2016 on the first lap.

Championship leader Vettel will be hoping for a reversal in fortunes from 2016, though the Ferrari driver has never started in the top-three in Russia – qualified second last year though a five-place grid penalty set him back.

But, this year is proving to be a huge turnaround as Vettel has never led the championship in the turbo-hybrid-engine era and in his four titles from 2010-2013, the German hasn’t lost a championship once leading it. In contrast, team-mate Raikkonen is looking for his first podium in 15 Grands Prix.

Debutant Lance Stroll hasn’t finished a race in 2017 and only 12 laps of the last two races have been completed by the young Canadian – fewer than McLaren’s Stoffel Vandoorne. His counterpart Felipe Massa is on a 32-race spell without a podium, since Italy 2015.

The situation is far from dire for Williams here, however, as the team has finished in the top-four at every Sochi race so far and qualified in the top-three for the same. This year, Massa has a chance of out-qualifying his team-mate here for the first time.

Indy 500 starter Fernando Alonso hasn’t finished a race yet this season but he has had two top-six finishes at Sochi and 100% finishing record here. Still, with his McLaren coming in 10mph slower than Hamilton’s Mercedes in Bahrain last time it’s not so promising now. Last year, Sergio Perez of Force India hit 207.5mph, the highest race speed recorded – Alonso clocked in at 203.8mph, which falls far short of the 225mph he could hit at Indianapolis next month.

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SAUBER PREVIEW THE RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX

The Olympic city of Sochi will again host the Russian Grand Prix – the fourth round of the 2017 FIA Formula One World Championship, as well as the fourth round for the Russian Grand Prix itself, in the Krasnodar region.

After two productive testing days in Bahrain last week, the Sauber F1 Team heads – after a short stopover in its headquarters in Hinwil – to the Sochi Autodrom on the Black Sea coast.

Marcus Ericsson: “The Russian Grand Prix is always an interesting race. I like racing there. The track stands out a bit, being located in the Olympic Park, surrounded by the Olympic arenas and buildings, which is very impressive. The track itself is fun to drive. The last sector is the most challenging and lap time sensitive as it is quite technical. All in all, I am looking forward to the Russian Grand Prix. I hope that the Russian Formula 1 fans enjoy the race – we will do our best to put in a good show for a great race weekend.”

Pascal Wehrlein: “The Russian Grand Prix is a nice race weekend. The Sochi Autodrom is located on the Black Sea coast, in the centre of the Olympic Park. The Olympic flair makes it a special race weekend. The track itself is nice, I enjoy racing there. It is not an easy one, as some corners are quite technical. With this year’s cars, I assume that some corners will be very quick to drive through. There are also some 90 degrees corners, which are challenging. Overall I am looking forward to racing at Sochi again. I do have some Russian fans, because I was racing in Moscow for the DTM. They are really great. I got some nice drawings and Russian Matryoshka dolls. I can’t wait to be back in the car again in Sochi.”

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VETTEL LEADS THE RED REVIVAL TO RUSSIA

Formula 1 World Champions Mercedes have led every lap of every Russian Grand Prix since the race made its debut around Sochi’s Olympic Park in 2014 but Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel will aim to break that streak this weekend.

The four times world champion is enjoying his best start to a season since he was at Red Bull in 2011, leading Lewis Hamilton by seven points after two wins and a second place from the first three races.

Another win, at the street circuit where the German finished second in 2015, would signal Ferrari’s best opening four races since 2008.

“Things start to click and hopefully that sort of success now in the first couple of races helps us to build up some sort of momentum that maybe these guys (Mercedes) had in the past,” said Vettel after winning in Bahrain on April 16.

Hamilton, presented with the winner’s trophy by Russian president Vladimir Putin in 2014 and 2015 before now-retired Mercedes team mate and champion Nico Rosberg won from pole position last year, felt the pain in Bahrain.

“We’re going to push hard together, re-gather as a team and come back fighting,” he said after collecting a time penalty and finishing second.

Mercedes, who still look faster over a single lap in qualifying, have done plenty of homework since then but recognise they have a battle on their hands.

“In this season with these new regulations, you can’t take anything for granted,” said team boss Toto Wolff.

“The trophies of previous years don’t guarantee that we’ll be winning in Russia when you have a very fierce competitor like we do in Ferrari. We’ll take it one step at a time…”

Hamilton saw team mate Valtteri Bottas take a career first pole position in Bahrain and the Finn has a good track record in Sochi too, setting aside a last lap collision with Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen in 2015 while battling for third place.

Bottas set the first fastest lap of his career there in 2014, on his way to third place, and it is a layout that he likes.

“I have always been comfortable there so we will see. It’s a completely different type of track again, completely different kind of temperatures, different asphalt so many different things. We’ll see,” he said.

Red Bull, the only team to beat Mercedes last season, have yet to reach the podium in Sochi but both Australian Daniel Ricciardo and Dutch teenager Max Verstappen are hoping for more excitement this time with cars loading more G-forces than previously.

“I expect this year for the track to be grippy and with these cars it should be quite fast,” said Ricciardo. “I would say it’s going to be more enjoyable than it has been so I’m looking forward to that.”

Behind them, Force India’s Sergio Perez is chasing his 14th successive scoring finish while Sauber and McLaren have yet to open their accounts for the season.

Toro Rosso’s Spanish driver Carlos Sainz has a three-place grid penalty for his Bahrain collision with Williams’ Canadian rookie Lance Stroll, who has yet to see the chequered flag.

Facts & Stats by Reuters: 

• Lap distance: 5.848km. Total distance: 309.944 km (53 laps)
• Race lap record: One minute 39.094 seconds, Nico Rosberg (Germany), Mercedes, 2016.
• 2016 pole: Rosberg 1:35.417
• 2016 winner: Rosberg
• Start time: 1200 GMT (1500 local)

Race Wins

• Sebastian Vettel’s victory for Ferrari in Bahrain was the German’s second in three races this season. That is Ferrari’s best start to a season since 2008 when they won four of the first five races.
• Champions Mercedes have won 52 of 62 races since the introduction of the 1.6 litre V6 turbo hybrid power units in 2014.
• Mercedes’ triple world champion Hamilton has 54 career victories, putting him second in the all-time list behind Michael Schumacher (91). Vettel has 44, McLaren’s Fernando Alonso is on 32 and Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen 20.
• Ferrari have won 226 races, McLaren 182, Williams 114, Mercedes 65 and Red Bull 52. McLaren and Williams have not won a race since 2012.

Pole Position

• Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas took his first career F1 pole in Bahrain, ending a run of six in a row for team mate Hamilton.
• Hamilton has 63 so far, leaving the Briton two short of the late Ayrton Senna’s career total and five behind Schumacher’s record 68.
• Mercedes have been on pole in 59 of the last 62 races and for the last 18 in a row. Williams hold the record of 24 successive poles, set in 1992/93.

Podium

• Hamilton’s second place in Bahrain was his 107th podium finish. He is second on the all-time list behind Schumacher on 155. The Briton is on a run of eight successive podiums. Schumacher holds the record of 19.

Points

• Force India’s Mexican Sergio Perez has finished the last 13 races in the points, the longest current run among those on the grid.
• Only Ferrari, Mercedes and Force India have scored with both cars in every race this season.
• Renault scored their first points of the season in Bahrain with German driver Nico Hulkenberg.
• Sauber and McLaren have yet to score in 2017.

Russian Grand Prix

• Mercedes are the only team to have won in Russia so far, with Hamilton triumphant in the first two Russian Grands Prix and Rosberg taking the third. Mercedes have also led every racing lap (159 in total) at the circuit.
• The race was first held in 2014 as a legacy of the Winter Olympics that year.
• Bottas took the first fastest race lap of his F1 career in Sochi with Williams in 2014. The Finn last year became the first non-Mercedes driver to start on the front row in Sochi.
• The layout is designed by Hermann Tilke and runs clockwise around the Olympic Park venues, partly on public roads. There are 12 right and six left-hand corners.
• Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat is the only Russian racing in Formula One at present although Sergey Sirotkin will drive in Friday practice for Renault. Kvyat has yet to finish higher than fifth in his home race.
• Hulkenberg has crashed out on the first lap of the last two Russian Grands Prix.

 

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NEW YORK BACK IN THE RUNNING TO STAGE GRAND PRIX

In September 2013 it was announced that the New York Grand Prix was on the 2014 Formula 1 calendar, however financial shortcomings resulted in the race dropping off the radar but now Liberty Media are keen to revive the project with a race said to be penciled in for 2019.

With Malaysia dropping off the calendar and Singapore in doubt, alternative venues are a high priority for the sport’s new owners and a race in the vicinity of the Big Apple is high on their wishlist, with word out that the sport’s bosses Chase Carey, Ross Brawn and Sean Bratches are working on a plan to revive the race.

In 2012 Herman Tilke was tasked, by Port Imperial Racing Associates, to design the original street circuit in New Jersey along the Hudson river banks, with the New York skyline as a back drop.

The mandate was to build a 4.9 kilometre Grade 1 street circuit over 52 hectares including pit building, 33 pit bays, grandstands to seat 106,000 fans, a media centre, a medical centre, team buildings and commentary booths.

At the time Tilke said of the track, “It’s a very fast track. It looks to be very interesting, and it’s all on existing roads. The paddock will be where the ferry terminal is, so people can move easily from the hotels in Manhattan to the circuit.”

“The track goes uphill and downhill – the height difference is almost 60 metres, which is a lot. And there are no houses inside the circuit, so it doesn’t create too many problems with the organisation,” added Tilke.

More races in the United States has always been part of the Liberty Media big picture for Formula 1, with Carey adamant, “We would like to add a destination race in the U.S. in a location like New York, L.A., Miami, Las Vegas.”

“We think we can create something that will be a really special event. Obviously the U.S. is all upsides for us. We haven’t invested in the way we need to build the U.S. market,” added F1’s new chief.

MIKA: Great news about the race but PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD don't use Herman Tilke to design another snore fest.

Apart from COTA, Tilkes tracks are s**t, and often end up being wide tracks, huge run offs and very little overtaking. Surely they can tender out such jobs to other designers.

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BOULLIER: AFTER 10 LAPS BUTTON WILL BE FINE

Jenson Button will be back on the grid for McLaren at the Monaco Grand Prix, where he will replace Indy 500 bound Fernando Alonso, but the 2009 World Champion will not have tested the new generation Formula 1 cars before his return.

However McLaren F1 team chief Eric Boullier does not believe that lack of testing and experience, in the more physical cars, will hamper Button who last drove a very different ‘beast’ at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last year.

Boullier explained to El Confidencial, “Given the technology of this car, we decided that organising a test would not have been useful.”

“The simulator is very realistic so it’s best for him to test the car there. After 10 laps, he’ll be fine,” predicted Boullier.

Bahrain testing was an opportunity for Button to sample the new cars but did not take up the opportunity and will instead do time in the team’s simulator, the wisdom of which Brazilian veteran Felipe Massa questioned, “If the simulator is good enough, why don’t most of the top drivers want to use them?” 

Button believes he is up to the task, “I’ve done a lot of triathlon training recently, so I have no worries.”

On the day in Monaco, Button will make his 309th grand prix start, having won the race through the streets of Monte Carlo in 2009.

Big Question: Was it wise for Jenson to turn down the chance to test the McLaren MCL32 before his Monaco Grand Prix comeback?

MIKA: Of course Button will be fine after 10 laps, the bloke will be sipping a cup of tea in the pits after his McLaren s**ts itself on lap 9 

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Mercedes knows F1 W08 weaknesses – Toto Wolff

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says the team understands where it needs to improve in Formula 1 this season, having been beaten by Ferrari in two of the opening three Grands Prix.

Mercedes has controlled qualifying this season, but Ferrari has turned the tables both dry-weather races, with Sebastian Vettel utilising superior tyre performance to claim victories in Australia and Bahrain.

Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas concentrated on long-run tyre performance during in-season testing at Sakhir last week, and both expressed encouragement regarding the work undertaken.

Wolff is confident that Mercedes swiftly address its issues and return to winning ways.

“Second and third place is definitely not a disaster, but if you have a car and two drivers capable of winning races and it hasn't materialised, then it feels painful – and this is how it should feel,” Wolff said

"We know what weaknesses we need to tackle and where we need to be even more diligent for the coming races in order to win.

“You have to confront each issue, analyse it properly and come up with a plan for how to avoid repeating those mistakes in the future. This is an exercise which we have done a number of times over the last few years.”

Mercedes has dominated the Russian Grand Prix since its arrival on the calendar in 2014, having taken every pole position, victory and led each lap of racing at the Sochi Autodrom.

Wolff, however, has warned that Mercedes’ supremacy at the former Winter Olympics venue is no guarantee that it will be able to emerge on top this weekend.

“It's a totally different kind of track this weekend in Sochi [to Sakhir] and, in this season with these new regulations, you can't take anything for granted,” said Wolff.

“The trophies of previous years don't guarantee that we'll be winning in Russia when you have a very fierce competitor like we do in Ferrari.

“We'll take it one step at a time, start the weekend well and hopefully have a good result on Sunday.”

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Sochi track guide with Sergio Perez

Watch as Force India driver Sergio Pérez provides us with his guide to the Sochi Autodrom, which hosts this weekend’s Russian Grand Prix.  

 

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Early planning for 2017 paying off for Haas - Steiner

The Haas Formula 1 team's decision to start planning early for 2017 is already paying off, says team principal Gunther Steiner.

The American outfit scored points in three of the first four grands prix in its debut season last term, but managed just two more top 10 finishes in a season blighted by peaks and troughs.

Haas was not quick enough analysing data during a race weekend last year, causing it to lose its way too many times - but the evidence so far this year suggests progress has been made in that area.

"We've made a step forward, which is good, which is natural," said Steiner. "Last year was our first year and for our first year we didn't do bad but we need to show progress and we showed progress.

"The car seems to be more competitive than last year's car and the team seems to be working better to sort out what we planned last year.

"What we always said we needed to get stronger in race preparation.

"But to get good people in takes time because they all have long-term contracts, they came on board at the end of last year, beginning of this year and it seems to be working."

Romain Grosjean pinpointed the Haas team's recruitment drive, which began early last year with an eye on this term, as key to improving its approach during a race weekend.

"We have got more people onboard, we have more understanding and more data to look at so that's great," he said.

"When we struggle, we've got people helping us finding essential things like tyres, aero, diff. All areas are covered. From there, we can work harder and find where the problems are."

Kevin Magnussen scored the outfit's first points in China with eighth, while Grosjean got on the board by repeating that feat in Bahrain.

F1's midfield is much tighter this term, with Haas locked in a battle with Williams, Renault and Toro Rosso.

The fact Haas, in only its second season, is able to fight consistently with established teams on three very different circuits so far is encouraging for Steiner.

"We are much more solid, we are only in our second season and compare ourselves with the Williams or the Renault, which was Benetton, Toleman whatever," said Steiner. "I think it shows that we are doing a decent job - that's what we want to do.

"To challenge the big ones is a long way away but to be in the midfield and always trying to be in the top of the midfield is already for us quite satisfying.

"But it is hard work, it doesn't come for free, there is a lot of people, good people, and to try to beat them is challenging but also satisfying and good fun."

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Renault brings new front wing to help cure race pace issues

Renault believes a new front wing it tried in the Bahrain Formula 1 test could resolve the race pace problems that have afflicted it in 2017's opening grands prix.

Though Nico Hulkenberg put Renault seventh on the grid in both China and Bahrain, his ninth place in the Sakhir event is the team's only points finish of the season so far as it has been unable to replicate its qualifying form in race trim.

Renault's chief technical officer Bob Bell said the team understood why this was happening and had parts arriving to tackle it.

"It's pretty clear and we're not under any illusion; we are currently qualifying better than we race and that's a symptom of our current car performance," he said.

"We have a reasonable understanding of why this is and have a number of developments to address this in the realm of aerodynamics and suspension.

"We tested new parts – including a new front wing - in Bahrain designed to add more aero-performance to the car and also make it slightly more benign to engender better race pace. The RS17 is not as well balanced as we'd like over a full stint.

"Whilst you can get away with this over the course of a qualifying lap - where fresh tyres can mask the balance issue – the performance is less consistent when you take to the longer runs of race stints.

"We believe the problems are aero related, so we're primarily looking for the solution there. Once we have the entry-phase of the corner sorted, the rest should follow more easily."

Bell said that the fact the car was qualifying so well had reassured Renault over its ultimate potential.

"If you have the pace the key is maintaining it," he said. "It's easier to translate qualifying pace to race pace than to find basic performance."

The team's managing director Cyril Abiteboul recently suggested its aero flaws this year were still a consequence of under-investment prior to Renault reacquiring it ahead of last season.

"We are still paying everywhere," he said. “We're in the process of rebuilding everything. In the previous ownership, there had been a pause of development for maybe 18 months.

"We're lucky there has been a reset to the downforce element, which is why we look much better compared to last year. In thermal management of tyres, that's an area where there has not been any reset and it's even more important that before.

"In that area, we're still paying - the team has lost contact with what has been done."

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Circuit training – The 2017 Russian GP: Full on-board lap of Sochi autodrom

Designed by Herman Tilke, the Sochi Autodrom circuit has been a regular fixture on the Formula One series calendar since 2014. Ahead of the 2017 Russian Grand Prix, Mobil 1 The Grid takes a lap of the 5.848 km circuit. 

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VETTEL: SOCHI IS A VERY, VERY STRONG CIRCUIT FOR MERCEDES

Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari have had the upper hand so far in Formula One, but they don’t expect to have it against Lewis Hamilton this weekend at the Russian Grand Prix.

The long straights in Sochi suit Mercedes, which has won all three races to date around Olympic Park.

With two wins from three races, Vettel is seven points ahead of Hamilton in the standings, but expects that lead to come under pressure from the Mercedes drivers on Sunday.

“On paper, it’s a very, very strong circuit for them,” Vettel said. “A lot of straights, a power-sensitive circuit, so we’ll see, but there’s also a lot of corners where I believe last year already the [Ferrari] car was very good.”

Vettel’s wins in Australia and last time out in Bahrain have already disrupted the Mercedes dominance of the previous three seasons. Turning those promising signs into a serious title challenge over the remaining 17 races is a different proposition.

“We had a great start, yes. We’re very happy about it, yes. But have we, you know, achieved anything yet? No,” said Vettel, a four-time champion with his previous team Red Bull. “Head down and full steam for this race.”

Hamilton said he was hoping for a “counterattack” in Russia, but warned that Mercedes’ history of dominance in Sochi – winning four out of four races and leading every lap around the Olympic complex based circuit – doesn’t mean an easy win is on the cards.

“If we win, it’s going to be earned, and we’re here to earn it,” he said. “We’re just going to have to drive the socks off the car.”

Hamilton and Vettel have beaten their respective teammates Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen in all three races this season. As the title race takes shape, Bottas and Raikkonen face being forced to sacrifice their own opportunities to help a more successful teammate’s title chances.

When Mercedes teammates Hamilton and Nico Rosberg fought for last year’s title with other teams far behind, letting them fight it out on the track carried less of a risk. In 2017, Ferrari and Mercedes know that if one of their drivers fights his teammate, it could allow the other team to steal valuable points.

Raikkonen, a former champion who hasn’t won a race since 2013, said he’d help Vettel’s title hopes “if it comes to that at the end of the year,” but doesn’t see himself as No. 2. Vettel said it was too early in the season to talk team orders.

At Mercedes, there’s a stark contrast between Bottas and Rosberg, who had a fierce rivalry with Hamilton for years before winning the 2016 title and promptly retiring.

“Our job is to get maximum points (for the team). If I’m ordered to move over, I will,” Bottas said. “But I’m working to make sure I’m not in that position.”

No fan of team orders, Hamilton said Mercedes will order one of its drivers to let the other pass only in “special circumstances,” but added: “Our approach is, the team needs to win.”

Bottas was ordered to let Hamilton, who was on fresher tires, pass in Bahrain so that the British driver could attack Vettel.

“Whilst it was very tough for him, he was a great gentleman about it,” Hamilton said, adding he’d have done the same for Bottas if ordered to.

The Finn admitted he’s still learning how to get the most out of the car after joining Mercedes in January at short notice when Rosberg announced his retirement.

“It’s all about fine details in the fight between us and Ferrari and obviously it’s also very close between teammates as well, so every little bit helps,” Bottas said. “These 100 days, I’ve never in my life learned so much.”

The only team capable of challenging Mercedes and Ferrari so far is Red Bull, which showed its potential with third in China for Max Verstappen.

However, reliability has stopped Red Bull gathering much momentum, with brake failure for Verstappen at the last race in Bahrain, and a fuel pressure issue for Daniel Ricciardo in Australia.

Ricciardo said he’s hoping for “a bit of a bullet” when promised upgrades arrive at the next race in Spain. That could make the championship a “three-way fight” with Ferrari and McLaren, he added.

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FORMULA 1 DRIVERS SPLIT ON AERO SCREEN DEVICE

Formula 1 drivers are split over plans to test a new aero shield device to protect against flying debris.

The FIA will trial the transparent screen in the coming months for a potential introduction in 2018, as it pushes for greater head protection for drivers. Recent years have seen major head injuries in several motorsport series.

“I wouldn’t mind trying out the shield, seeing how is the visibility,” Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas said on Thursday. “In terms of safety it would be a good step compared to what we have now.”

Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo was another supporter, saying “we’ve still got to see a bit more, but first impressions seem OK.”

The FIA previously seemed to favor a metal frame known as the “halo,” which was designed to stop a flying wheel hitting a driver’s head but was criticized by some drivers on aesthetic grounds.

Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat said on Thursday he was “quite against” the shield and the halo. “The way Formula One should look should remain the same,” he added. “We have enough protection.”

Romain Grosjean of Haas voiced concern the “next step” would be completely closed cockpits.

Recent years have seen several high-profile head injuries, including the deaths of Formula Two driver Henry Surtees in 2009 when he was hit by a loose wheel and IndyCar driver Justin Wilson, who was struck by debris, in 2015.

In Formula One, Brazilian driver Felipe Massa missed the second half of the 2009 season when a loose spring from another car hit his helmet, leaving him needing surgery.