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We might be on a collision course between tyre suppliers and the teams ahead of this weekend’s Formula One race in Sochi.
Although I thought the Japanese Grand Prix offered punters reasonable value for money, as the Russian Grand Prix weekend rolls around we should all remember what a shocking Formula One weekend really looks like.
Perhaps Daniil Kvyat at his home event can make some headway on the leaders after his failed efforts last year where he qualified in fifth place but fell back through the field to eventually cross the line in P14.
“The race was just… how can I say this… well, it was crap,” Kvyat reflected.
“We had problems with fuel consumption during the race and it was just a really disappointing day. I’m hoping we will be able to give the fans there something more to cheer about this year.”
I’ve always thought it was important for the health of the sport to have a solid performance from the local drivers in front of their home crowd, and the next four rounds – Russia, USA, Mexico and Brazil – have the potential to deliver positive results for the local fans.
Things have settled down in the aftermath of the Belgian Grand Prix during which some high-profile tyre failures cost Sebastian Vettel third place and forced Pirelli to defend their product for the umpteenth time.
Regardless, a number of drivers are still complaining that the tyres simply aren’t durable enough.
We now return to Russia following last year’s borefest, punctuated by Rosberg’s 52-lap marathon on the prime tyre. With little to no tyre wear, Pirelli are offering teams soft and super-soft for this year’s event. We can only hope it’ll liven things up in the mid-field and encourage the teams to take some strategic risks.
Russia was, however, a happy hunting ground for Valtteri Bottas who will again be hungry for a swag of points after rounding out the podium last year while also snatching the fastest lap of the race.
“What’s really important is that there is quite a lot of room for overtaking,” Kvyat said of the track, “which usually makes for good racing.”
I’m sure the track designer had the best intentions, but if last year’s event was anything to go by we won’t see the pack bunch up and at best the softer compound tyres might allow some driver strategy through degradation. That’s what we saw in Japan where Mercedes ordered Nico Rosberg to pressure Bottas and diminish the life in his tyres.
It’s a shame that we have to hope for degrading tyres to improve the spectacle, but if the tracks, cars and regulations don’t offer too much to get excited about what else is there?
After all, Max Verstappen can only do so much.
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