Overview
Sochi will host another race this season, and it is set to be a cracker. The Russian GP will be held at a crucial time in the season, where championship points matter a lot and the midfield battle is only heating up.
The prospect of a wet race is hugely exciting, and it is rumoured to rain as well. Teams will thus have to adapt and evolve, or risk being left behind.
Teams that compete in the Russian Grand Prix
Each of the ten teams who will race at the Russian GP have their objectives, and each of them will want to fulfill them and leave Russia without any regrets. The teams’ goals will also be affected by their position on the Constructors’ Championship standings, and they will look to retain or make up places.
First up is obviously the top tier of this season, and that is Red Bull and Mercedes. The two constructors have been involved in an intense battle for all the glory this season. They will look to outdo the other and bring home crucial points.
With Max Verstappen set to take an engine penalty, he will start the race from the back of the grid. That leaves three drivers from these two teams potentially in front, and they are Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes, and Sergio Perez of Red Bull.
Hamilton and Bottas will be looking to finish above Perez, and more crucially, it will be vice-versa for the Mexican. Meanwhile, Verstappen needs to do damage control and finish high in the points if he is to go at it with Hamilton for the Drivers’ Championship.
The next tier sees Ferrari and McLaren, who are locked in battle for P3. The momentum is with the latter, having taken a stunning victory at the Italian GP, a race Ferrari calls their home race.
Charles Leclerc will be taking an engine penalty and will be joining Verstappen at the back. However, Leclerc is taking the all-new Ferrari engine, which promises more pace. He should storm up the grid, leaving Carlos Sainz to tackle the pair of Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo.
Ricciardo is the driver in form, having taken a victory at Monza. Norris came second that day, and will be looking to do one better and stick it to Ferrari again. It will not be an easy battle, and will need perfect strategy and zero mistakes.
Further down, we have AlphaTauri, Alpine and Aston Martin. These three teams will want to be the best among themselves. With Pierre Gasly, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel leading for them respectively, it will be a cracker of a contest in midfield.
Alfa Romeo, Williams and Haas round out the grid.
Strategies of each team for the Grand Russian Prix
Strategy will be key at Sochi, given the many narratives around the race. The championship race could take a turn here, Ferrari could regain the momentum in the P3 battle, Alpine could spoil AlphaTauri’s fine run, and any rain could suddenly give Aston Martin an advantage.
Hamilton enters this race with 99 wins under his belt. He will look to go for 100, and he will most certainly have a target on his back.
Red Bull will instruct Perez to try his best to hold Hamilton up should he ever find himself ahead of the seven-time world champion. The longer he does, the greater the chances of Verstappen relatively getting more points are.
However, there comes the importance of Bottas. Bottas will be key to how this plays out. Mercedes could ask him to hold up Perez, box early to tangle with Verstappen, or even gun for the win if multiple teams are targeting Hamilton. Given his searing pace at Monza, he could do any of those roles.
It’s a similar run of strategy for McLaren against Ferrari. Ferrari finds themselves in a situation exactly like Red Bull’s. They need Leclerc to make up places, and they need Sainz to duel with Norris and Ricciardo long enough for Leclerc to join the party.
Sainz will thus look to aggressively undercut or overcut the McLarens. Leclerc, meanwhile, might run a one-stop race, and should start on hard tyres to go the distance and join the three other drivers when they pit. It is highly likely that McLaren will start the race on mediums, and Sainz will do the same to mirror their pit strategy.
For AlphaTauri, Alpine and Aston Martin, it is a case of improvising and making a strategy on the fly. These three teams have to be reactive, and have to capitalise on any errors made by the other two.
Prediction of weather on the Russian Grand Prix
Forecasts have shown that there is high chance of rain throughout the weekend, and that means we are in for a cracker. Rain coming as a surprise means any strategy could potentially be thrown off, and if it persists, it will be a very different ballgame.
In fact, qualifying itself may throw up a few surprises. Given what transpired at the Belgian GP, we may just see a Norris or a George Russell or a Lance Stroll at the upper-end of the standings. The race may see them drop back a bit, but unpredictability will the theme if rain strikes at Sochi.
A dry race will see minimal overtaking on a track like Sochi, with only Verstappen and Leclerc almost guaranteed to execute some given their faster cars. However, should it rain, any and all places will be up for grabs.
Read more: Leclerc keen to ‘use’ Verstappen shield during Russian GP