2021 Russian Grand Prix – Preview

It was a drought-breaking victory at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix for both Daniel Ricciardo and McLaren, with the Australian claiming his first race victory since the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix, and McLaren not only getting their first race victory since the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix, which they won with Jenson Button, but also their first one-two race finish since the 2010 Canadian Grand Prix, where Lewis Hamilton came home ahead of Button for what was a second-straight one-two finish for McLaren back in 2010!

Ricciardo’s win in the 2021 Italian Grand Prix was one that was on-merit, and after starting the official race on the front row, and then taking the lead at Turn One, ahead of Max Verstappen, it never really looked in-doubt, while the race for Verstappen really started to fall apart at the pit-stops, and then once again being a part of a collision with his championship rival Lewis Hamilton, who was recovering from his difficulties in sprint qualifying, which saw them both out of the Italian Grand Prix, and Verstappen receive a three-place grid penalty for being predominantly responsible for the collision, an act which you sense was one of pure frustration in that moment from Verstappen, and with the halo in-place, Hamilton was lucky not to sustain any real serious injuries in the collision!

However, as a result of Verstappen’s penalty, you sense Hamilton and Mercedes are in the box seat to reclaim the championship lead as the grid heads to the Sochi Autodrom for the 2021 Russian Grand Prix, Round 15 of the 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship.

At the front of the championship, it remains the status quo between Verstappen (226.5 points) of Red Bull Racing-Honda, and Hamilton (221.5 points) of Mercedes after tangling with each other at Monza, and as a result for Hamilton, with the exception of the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix, which he missed after contracting COVID-19, it was his first race retirement since the 2018 Austrian Grand Prix, which was due to a fuel pressure issue, and his first race retirement due to a non-mechanical issue since the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, where Hamilton came together with his teammate and championship rival Nico Rosberg on the opening lap in what was an infamous incident in the history of Formula One!

However, with Verstappen being penalised for being predominantly to blame for what happened in Monza, you sense Hamilton is primed to reclaim the lead in the world championship, and it is also going to be interesting to see if Verstappen takes on extra power-unit components, thus a grid penalty, this weekend, or whether he believes he can still fight for the race victory this weekend after taking into account the disadvantage of the three-place grid penalty.

Valtteri Bottas (141 points), who claimed victory in sprint qualifying at Monza ahead of Verstappen and Ricciardo, is third in the standings for Mercedes after fighting his way from the back of the grid after a grid penalty for taking on extra power-unit components to finish in third behind both McLaren-Mercedes drivers at the Italian Grand Prix, and remains ahead of Lando Norris (132 points) in the battle for third in the world championship, who helped complete the first one-two for McLaren since the 2010 Canadian Grand Prix.

Sergio Pérez (118 points) is fifth in the standings for Red Bull Racing-Honda after finishing fifth in the Italian Grand Prix, and really needs to lift his form if he is to help ease the pressure on Verstappen as far as the championship is concerned, and help Red Bull Racing-Honda in their battle with Mercedes for the Constructors’ Championship.

Just behind the Top Five in the standings are the two Ferrari drivers in Charles Leclerc (104 points) and Carlos Sainz (97.5 points), who finished fourth and sixth respectively in the Italian Grand Prix, with Daniel Ricciardo (83 points) jumping into eighth in the championship after his drought-breaking performance at Monza, and you sense that while he probably won’t be fighting consistently for wins in the rest of 2021, he will probably be fighting consistently for podiums for the rest of 2021, and I think he will play a role in deciding who wins the world championship between Verstappen and Hamilton!

Completing the Top 10 in the championship is Pierre Gasly (66 points) for AlphaTauri-Honda who not only crashed out of sprint qualifying, but also retired from the official race due to suspension issues, and Fernando Alonso (50 points) of Alpine-Renault, who finished eighth at the Italian Grand Prix.

Looking at the Constructors’ Championship, Mercedes (362.5 points) extend their lead over Red Bull Racing-Honda (344.5 points) to 18 points, while McLaren-Mercedes (215 points) overtake Ferrari (201.5 points) back into third. The battle for fifth remains a battle between Alpine-Renault (95 points) and AlphaTauri-Honda (84 points) with Aston Martin-Mercedes (59 points) in seventh, Williams-Mercedes (22 points) in eighth, Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari (three points) in ninth, while Haas-Ferrari (zero points) are last.

So, who is going to win the 2021 Russian Grand Prix?

A lot of things this weekend depend on who are taking grid penalties (or further grid penalties), and perhaps the weather as well, but all signs point to a Mercedes victory at a place where they have never lost at, and if Max Verstappen takes further grid penalties for extra power-unit components, it will most likely be a Mercedes one-two finish, barring reliability issues, at the 2021 Russian Grand Prix, and if that is the case, I think Lewis Hamilton will become the first driver in Formula One history to claim 100 race victories, with Valtteri Bottas coming home in second, and if Verstappen is starting way down the grid, I think Daniel Ricciardo can finish on the podium again for McLaren-Mercedes!

2020 Russian Grand Prix – Preview

It was dramatic race at the Mugello Circuit a fortnight ago with the safety car out three times, and the race red flagged twice, one an incident at the restart after the first safety car, the second after Lance Stroll’s tyre puncture, which saw him and his car crash into the wall at Turn Nine on Lap 43, but in-front of all the carnage was Lewis Hamilton, who took his 90th career win in Formula One to move to within one of Michael Schumacher for most race victories in Formula One.

Now, the grid heads to Sochi, the city that hosted the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, and the Sochi Autodrom, keen to see if Hamilton can equal Schumacher on 91 races wins, and move closer to equalling Schumacher’s record of seven world championships at the 2020 Russian Grand Prix, Round 10 of the 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship.

Hamilton (190 points) leads the championship by 55 points over his Mercedes teammate in Valtteri Bottas (135 points) after winning the inaugural Tuscan Grand Prix in a Mercedes one-two, winning his sixth race of 2020, and barring any strange or unusual curve balls, looking close to unbeatable as far as the 2020 championship is concerned.

As for Bottas, you sense he needs to start winning races on a consistent basis if he is to be any hope of winning the 2020 world championship, but right now, you sense that even Bottas believes that this year’s championship is out of reach already with still eight races remaining.

Max Verstappen (110 points) is still in a very comfortable third in the standings for Red Bull Racing-Honda despite a second race retirement in as many weeks, with Verstappen being involved in the opening lap chaos after appearing to lose power with his engine for the second time in as many weeks, and you sense that any small hope that he had for winning the 2020 championship is now gone.

However, 45 points behind Verstappen in the world championship is the battle for fourth, and the remainder of the Top 10 in the standings is covered by 22 points, led by McLaren-Renault’s Lando Norris (65 points), who finished a solid sixth in Mugello, and is two points ahead of Verstappen’s teammate Alexander Albon (63 points), who finally grabbed his first podium in Formula One, finishing third behind the two Mercedes.

Stroll (57 points) slips from fourth to sixth in the standings for Racing Point-BWT Mercedes after crashing out of the Tuscan Grand Prix, with Daniel Ricciardo (53 points) just four points behind after just missing out on what would have been his first podium for Renault, finishing fourth, and Charles Leclerc (49 points) a further four points behind after finishing eighth in what was a disappointing result in Ferrari’s 1000th race.

Sergio Pérez (44 points) is ninth in the championship for Racing Point-BWT Mercedes, who he will be leaving at the end of the year, being replaced by Sebastian Vettel, after finishing in a solid fifth-place at Mugello, while Pierre Gasly (43 points) is 10th in the world championship for AlphaTauri-Honda after going out on the opening lap, along with Verstappen, at the Tuscan Grand Prix.

Looking at the Constructors’ Championship, Mercedes (325 points) have a dominant 152-point lead over Red Bull Racing-Honda (173 points), with a large gap to McLaren-Renault (106 points), who are in a battle to keep third in the standings ahead of both Racing Point-BWT Mercedes (92 points), and the reasonably consistent Renault (83 points).

Ferrari (66 points) continue their horrible season in sixth, and are just 13 points ahead of AlphaTauri-Honda (53 points), with Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari (four points), Haas-Ferrari (one point), and Williams-Mercedes (zero points) under new leadership and ownership complete the standings.

So, who is going to win the 2020 Russian Grand Prix?

All the signs point to Mercedes, having won all six races at the Sochi Autodrom since the start of 2014, with four of those six race victories going the way of Lewis Hamilton, and given the car perfectly suits this circuit, it is very hard to see it not being a Mercedes one-two finish, and I think Hamilton will win for the fifth time in Sochi, and move alongside Michael Schumacher (91) for most race victories in Formula One!

2019 Russian Grand Prix – Preview

It wasn’t the greatest race of all-time, but it was the end of a 392 day victory drought for Sebastian Vettel, undercutting Lewis Hamilton and most crucially his teammate Charles Leclerc during the pit-stop period to claim the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix, his 53rd race win in his Formula One career, and the third-straight victory for Ferrari in what was Ferrari’s first one-two finish since the 2017 Hungarian Grand Prix.

It is just the second time since the start of 2014 that Mercedes haven’t won over a three-race period, and they will be determined to turn their recent form around at the Sochi Autodrom, a place where they not only haven’t been beaten at, but have also had three one-two finishes.

It is the 2019 Russian Grand Prix, Round 16 of the 2019 FIA Formula One World Championship.

Lewis Hamilton (296 points) still leads the championship by 65 points over his Mercedes teammate in Valtteri Bottas (231 points), and both will be desperate to end Ferrari’s great run of form.

Charles Leclerc (200 points) is up into third in the world championship for Ferrari, and ahead of Max Verstappen (200 points) from Red Bull Racing-Honda based on having one more second-place finish compared to Verstappen after finishing behind his teammate Vettel in Singapore, and given his form since the mid-season break, he could potentially challenge Bottas for second in the championship, something which Verstappen will also fancy his chances of grabbing with a couple of rounds coming up that he and Red Bull should enjoy, in particular in Mexico at high altitude, which will take away the power-unit advantage that both Mercedes and Ferrari have over the Honda (and the Renault).

Vettel (194 points) will also have this same mindset after ending his victory drought in Singapore, and you wouldn’t bet against him in challenging Bottas for second-place in the world championship.

Behind the Top Five in the championship, Pierre Gasly (69 points) remains in sixth in the standings after finishing eighth for Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda, ahead of McLaren-Renault’s Carlos Sainz Jr. (58 points), while Alexander Albon (42 points) moves into eighth in the world championship after finishing sixth in his third race for Red Bull Racing-Honda, and is ahead of Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo (34 points) and Gasly’s teammate Daniil Kvyat (33 points), who both failed to score in Singapore.

Looking at the Constructors’ Championship, Mercedes (527 points) have a lead of 133 points over Ferrari (394 points), with Red Bull Racing-Honda (289 points) continuing to consolidate third in the standings.

Behind the Top Three, McLaren-Renault (89 points) pull away slightly from Renault (67 points), with Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda (55 points) closing in slightly on the French constructor, followed by Racing Point-BWT Mercedes (46 points), Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari (35 points), Haas-Ferrari (26 points), and Williams-Mercedes (one point).

So, who is going to win the 2019 Russian Grand Prix?

Ferrari on paper look very competitive at the Sochi Autodrom, but you feel you need a well-rounded, all-round car in Sochi, and Mercedes have that, and have shown this throughout 2019, consistently having the best race pace, but if Ferrari can win this weekend, they could start changing the face of this championship, if not for a championship challenge at Lewis Hamilton this season, a championship challenge at him and Mercedes in 2020.

2018 Russian GP – Preview

Lewis Hamilton took a potentially-decisive stranglehold on the 2018 FIA Formula One World Championship by winning the Singapore Grand Prix for the fourth time, converting from pole position, the 200th by a English driver in Formula One, to claim his fourth win in the last five races, and put Sebastian Vettel firmly on the back foot as they head to Sochi for the Russian Grand Prix.

Hamilton (281 points) for Mercedes leads by 40 points over Ferrari’s Vettel (241 points) as the quest for five world championships swings heavily in the British driver’s favour. If Hamilton claims pole position in Russia, it would be his 80th in Formula One, and should he win on Sunday, it would be the 70th win of his career, and move him to within 21 of Michael Schumacher’s record of 91 wins, who Hamilton replaced of course after Schumacher retired from the sport for a second time at the end of 2012.

Behind the championship battle, the fight for third is intensifying with Kimi Räikkönen (174 points) and Valtteri Bottas (171 points) now being separated by just three points after finishing fifth and fourth respectively in Singapore, and are most certainly looking very much the support cast in their teammates quest to claim their fifth world championship.

Max Verstappen (148 points) has moved closer to the battle for third in the championship after finishing in third in Singapore, but his Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer teammate Daniel Ricciardo (126 points) is falling away from this battle despite ending a run of two-straight retirements with a sixth-place finish at the Singapore Grand Prix. Ricciardo is now officially out of contention for the 2018 FIA Formula One World Championship, even though it wasn’t expected that he could fight for the championship in 2018.

Behind the clear top six, there are eight drivers fighting for seventh in the world championship, as well as places inside the top 10, with those eight drivers separated by 26 points with six races left in the season.

In terms of the Constructors’ World Championship, Mercedes (452 points) extended their lead to 37 points over Ferrari (415 points) after their shock performance in Singapore, with Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer (274 points) in a clear third. Behind them, Renault (91 points) pull away again from Haas-Ferrari (76 points) in the battle for fourth, while McLaren-Renault (58 points) are in a clear, but stagnant sixth, followed by Force India-Mercedes (32 points), Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda (30 points), Sauber-Ferrari (21 points), and the hapless Williams-Mercedes (seven points), whose best chance for points in the final six races might be here in Sochi.

So, who will win the Russian Grand Prix?

Since the race came into the championship in 2014, Mercedes have won each of the four races in Sochi, with Lewis Hamilton taking the first two in 2014 and 2015, before Nico Rosberg won in 2016 to complete a run of seven-straight wins, including four at the start of 2016, and Valtteri Bottas claimed his first race victory in his Formula One career after holding off Sebastian Vettel in 2017.

Overall, I think Mercedes are going to have a tough battle with Ferrari once again, but it won’t be just Hamilton and Vettel, but both Bottas and Kimi Räikkönen will play a huge part. In my opinion, it is most certainly a must win for Vettel, but whoever finds their stride the best at the start of the weekend will most certainly be the ones to beat, and I think Hamilton might just snatch another race from underneath the noses of Ferrari, and pull the world championship further away from Vettel.