The Russian Grand Prix is an annual motor racing event held at Sochi Autodrom – a permanent circuit built around the Olympic Park in Sochi – as part of the Formula One World Championship. The race was first held briefly in the 1910s in Saint Petersburg of the Russian Empire.
Sochi GP, Sunday 26th September 2021
Round 15 of the season heads to Russia for the 8th year in a row.
The two title contenders, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, certainly are not heading to Russia with any love lost after coming together last time out in Monza, with the collision forcing them both to retire.
That left the Dutchman still narrowly ahead of his rival in the standings, but the Briton will fancy his chances of changing that in Sochi.
Not only will Verstappen have a three-place grid penalty as a result of the incident in Italy but the track also happens to be a Mercedes stronghold.
Our Picks
Winner – Lewis Hamilton @8/13
Podium – Lando Norris @11/4
Podium – Sergio Perez @9/4
Max Verstappen will most likely land in the points but we think a top 3 spot will be out of reach.
The circuit, designed by renowned architect Hermann Tilke, is built around Sochi Olympic Park, where the 2014 Winter Olympics were held, and is 5.848-kilometres, making it one of the longest tracks on the calendar.
It is also one of the fastest, with an average lap speed of around 134mph and speeds of almost 200mph being reached on the straight between Turn 1 and Turn 2.
On a lap, drivers have to negotiate 18 turns in total, with some high-speed sweeping sections and others of a more technical nature.
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Image Credit: foxsports.com.au