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Formula One’s 2017 world championship has ebbed and flowed beautifully, following the first three rounds of the season. Join us on The Roar from 10pm AEST for live blog coverage of the Russian Grand Prix.
Now with a return to continental Europe the Russian Grand Prix, the newfound rivalry between championship leaders Ferrari and defending champions Mercedes AMG – continues to intensify.
On the site of the 2014 Winter Olympics, is situated the 5.8km Sochi circuit – a venue which has never seen any team barring the Silver Arrows ever attain success.
53 laps are to be contested across the smooth surface of Sochi, which combines high-speed corners with some challenging low-speed turns in the final sector.
Traditionally with such low tyre wear, a one-stop strategy can be expected for most and if the previous races are anything to go by – timing will be crucial.
After teasing us all season with their Friday practice pace, Ferrari have at last broken their drought of pole positions – with Sebastian Vettel on pole for the first time since the 2015 Singapore Grand Prix.
The Scuderia quite convincingly, locked out the front-row of the grid also with Kimi Räikkönen qualifying second; a feat not achieved by the Maranello marque since the French Grand Prix in 2008.
All this leaves Mercedes AMG with a bit of head scratching coming into the race, with under pressure Valtteri Bottas heading his three-time world champion teammate Lewis Hamilton on the second row.
Behind the leaders, Williams’ strong form at this venue continues, as Felipe Massa split the Red Bull cars in sixth place.
Daniel Ricciardo qualified fifth, ahead of teammate Max Verstappen in seventh – but along with all Renault powered outfits this weekend, have been struggling.
The mid-field once again looks to be a melee, as Force India stake a claim with both their cars starting inside the top ten.
Nico Hulkenberg flies the flag again for the factory Renault team in eighth, though with some fast cars behind the German – maintaining that position may prove challenging.
Twelve months ago, the headlines were squarely on Russian driver Daniil Kvyat following his shunt with Vettel. Can the home driver have a clean race this time round?
With Ferrari and Mercedes AMG said to almost be on par now in terms of horsepower, the continuous drag down to the first braking zone at Turn 2 will be intriguing.
With a salivating contest on the cards, join us on The Roar from 10pm AEST for live blog coverage of the Russian Grand Prix.
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