Russian Grand Prix Preview

Sochi

Circuit Length: 5.848 kilometers (3.634 miles)
Laps: 53
Race Distance: 309.745 kilometers (192.467 miles)
Broadcast: ESPN2 (6:30 a.m. EDT on Sunday, Sept. 30)

Haas Team Preview

The battle for the top of the midfield in the 2018 FIA Formula One World Championship remains hot, with Haas F1 Team in the thick of a fight that pits the third-year American outfit against industry stalwarts Renault and McLaren.

Fifteen rounds into the 21-race Formula One schedule, Haas F1 Team is fifth in the constructors’ standings with 76 points, 15 points behind fourth-place Renault with an 18-point advantage over sixth-place McLaren.

In the series’ most recent race in Singapore, Renault was able to extend its advantage while McLaren closed the gap, as Haas F1 Team finished outside the points for the only the second time in the last three months.

After scoring 57 points since the calendar turned to June to legitimately contend for best-of-the-rest status behind the big three of Mercedes, Scuderia Ferrari and Red Bull, Haas F1 Team is in need of another points haul to reel back Renault and keep McLaren at bay.

Magnussen at Sochi last year

That opportunity beckons with the Russian Grand Prix Sept. 30 at the Sochi Autodrom. The 5.848-kilometer (3.634-mile), 18-turn circuit on the grounds of the XXII Olympic Winter Games is a vast departure from the track Formula One just visited – the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore. That course features 23 corners and is contested amid stifling humidity in a city center where in-car temperatures surpass 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit). At the other end of the spectrum in terms of layout and environment is Sochi, which features wide corner approaches and relatively flat curbing that allows drivers to attack each apex amid much more comfortable temperatures, with highs only expected to reach 24 degrees Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit).

Despite these disparate natures, there is one element between Singapore and Sochi that remains the same – tires. Pirelli is bringing the same Yellow soft, Purple ultrasoft and Pink hypersoft tires used in the Singapore Grand Prix to the Russian Grand Prix.

Haas F1 Team struggled with this tire combination, suffering heavy front graining when its cars were outfitted on hypersofts. While the hypersofts delivered the quickest lap times, they did so for only a short period of time. Extreme wear sapped performance in Singapore’s heat, leaving drivers on hypersofts at a disadvantage to those on ultrasofts and softs, which saw a far lower rate of degradation.

But in the absence of points in Singapore, valuable knowledge in regard to tire management was gained that can transfer to Sochi, where Haas F1 Team drivers Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen each have scored point-paying results. Grosjean finished eighth in 2016 and Magnussen has two top-10 efforts – a fifth-place drive in 2014 and a seventh-place run in 2016.

With their eyes firmly pointed toward a fourth-place finish in the 2018 constructors’ standings, Sochi can light the torch for another six-race run of points for Haas F1 Team.

Toto Wolff Talks Russia

Can Bottas win at Sochi again?

“We showed an excellent performance in Singapore and the victory was a fantastic reward for all the hard work that had gone into it. But it also reinforced another point: there are no easy wins this season. We have to fight hard for every bit of performance in order to have a chance to fight for victories.

“This fight will continue in Russia. The Sochi Autodrom features some interesting characteristics, particularly the long straight into Turn 2 which will make the race start very challenging. With the race being held in late September, we’re going back to weather conditions that will be similar to those of 2014 and 2015, when the Russian Grand Prix took place in early October. We don’t have any data from the current regulation cars in those conditions in Sochi, so this adds another challenge to the race.

“We have a good track record in Sochi but we know that Ferrari and Red Bull will give it everything to break our winning streak, so we must fight as hard as ever to make sure we bring home as many points as possible."

Three Questions for Toto

How far will Ferrari be behind at the finish this year?

Toto Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport lead the Constructors’ Championship by 37 points, Lewis leads by 40 points in the Drivers’ standing. How does this change the approach for the rest of the season?

“It’s obviously better to have a lead than to not have it, but there are six races remaining and plenty of points to score, so it doesn’t give us any comfort. We will continue to concentrate on every single session, trying to optimize the car in every possible area – and we will go for the race win. There is no naïve optimism about our situation within the team: our mind-set is very positive, we are energized, the factories are buzzing and we’re excited for the fight that we will certainly have in the next six races."

What are the chances of seeing Esteban and George in a Formula One cockpit next year?

“There are many good drivers who merit a drive in Formula One, both young ones and more experienced ones, but at the moment cockpits are a limited commodity. Both Esteban and George certainly deserve to be in Formula One; we are still working on options and will carefully decide what’s best for them. If that means having to play the long game, then we will continue to prepare and develop them."

Valtteri currently holds P4 with only a very slim chance of fighting for the Drivers’ Championship. What does that mean for a driver?

“For every racing driver, that’s a very difficult situation to be in because everything you dream about and everything you work for is winning the World Championship. When you realize you’re not in the hunt any more, that’s very difficult to handle. But Valtteri has shown that he has the speed, the talent and the work ethic to win in a Mercedes. He has always been a team player and that is one of his greatest character traits. Valtteri could have won races this year, but the odds were against him. However luck isn’t just a one-way street; and I know that Valtteri has every ingredient it needs to win at this level. He just needs to keep working hard to improve and trust that the tables will turn for him."