Russian GP 2014: Why It's Too Early to Write off Sochi Autodrom as a Bad Circuit

During the 2014 Formula One season, we've become accustomed to excitement, drama and wheel-to-wheel action. Races like Bahrain, Hungary and Germany conditioned us to expect overtaking, unpredictability and even a little bit of chaos.

So to say the Russian Grand Prix was disappointing would be an understatement. Fans in years to come will remember only two events during the race. Of those, only Nico Rosberg's second-corner lockup occurred on the track.

The other was the embarrassing and uncomfortable fawning over the highly divisive Russian president, Vladimir Putin, by this oh-so-apolitical sport.

Before a single wheel had been turned, Sochi reminded a lot of people of the awful, thankfully departed Valencia Street Circuit. The spectacularly bad race only firmed up those views.

But while it would be easy to write off Sochi as another disappointing Hermann Tilke-designed disaster, maybe we shouldn't be so hasty.

It could still turn out to be a decent venue.

The Tyres Will Be Right Next Time. Hopefully...

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The usually fragile Pirelli tyres appeared to have been eating their spinach before arriving in Sochi, and refused to wear out as they were supposed to.

The result was a dreary, one-stop snoozefest in which it didn't really matter when that stop was taken. No one made any great effort to respond to rivals, no one suffered major wear and, once the order had settled down after a few laps, hardly anyone could overtake.

Prior to the event, Pirelli visited the circuit and took measurements of the racing surface. The data they acquired suggested a soft and medium compound selection would produce two or three stops.

But as we now know, Nico Rosberg effectively did a no-stop strategy.

The FIA lap analysis data shows his fastest lap came on his 52nd tour—on 51-lap-old rubber. Daniel Ricciardo's tyres had 38 laps of experience when he set his best time on them, and Esteban Gutierrez did a 39-lap stint on the softs with very little drop-off.

With 2014's data now stored in the computers back at Milan, Pirelli will hopefully get it right next year.

The track surface should have evolved a little bit too, which will make it a bit more abrasive and harder on the tyres.

Fuel Economy

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Many teams struggled with fuel saving during the race as the Sochi circuit proved surprisingly thirsty. It resulted in many drivers cruising around, unable to use the true pace of their cars and unable to push when attempting to overtake.

None of the three engine suppliers were immune.

Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen felt the pain at Ferrari, while Renault-powered Toro Rosso had their race devastated by high consumption. The team were at a loss to explain why.

Even the mighty Mercedes engines were affected. In his post-race thoughts on the McLaren website, Kevin Magnussen revealed:

"

It was a pretty uneventful afternoon for me. It was almost like a chilled-out Sunday drive, in fact, because I was easing off the power 200 metres before the corners in an effort to save fuel. I was really surprised that no-one was able to catch me, in fact; I guess the guys behind me must have been experiencing the same problem.

"

But the silver lining to this hydrocarbon-laced cloud is that the fuel economy of the V6 turbo hybrids should have improved by this time next season.

One would hope that by the time of the 2015 Russian Grand Prix, all the manufacturers will have got on top of the situation and fuel-saving laps will be the exception, not the rule.

The Track Could Be Slightly Altered

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Few things provoke uncontrolled weeping as much as a horrible circuit which no one ever bothers to fix.

Most design flaws which only become apparent after a race can be ironed out with the right combination of desire and money.

The Sochi track has the backing of Russian president Vladimir Putin. He and his government are unlikely to want their showpiece circuit to be seen as a dull, dreary stain on the F1 calendar.

If they decide it needs changing, funds will be found.

The Sochi track is laid out around the Olympic village used for the 2014 Winter Games, so it can't be hacked and slashed to pieces. Most of the circuit has to remain where it is—so it's fortunate that most of it isn't that bad.

But the useless curved straight after Turn 10, the field-spreading Mickey Mouse section toward the end of the lap and the ridiculous pit lane entry look fixable—if they don't mind shifting an access road and a building or two.

Maybe the run-off can be altered as well. A bit more grass and some beefy speed bumps here and there would help no end.

It's Unlikely We'll Get Many More One-Horse Races

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The race would have been far more enjoyable if we'd had something approaching a battle for the lead. Any chance of that happening disappeared in a puff of Pirelli smoke when Nico Rosberg destroyed his tyres into Turn 2 on the first lap.

Lewis Hamilton got a free pass to the easiest victory of his career.

In future seasons, one car is unlikely to be as dominant as this year's Mercedes. That should result in a closer battle for the lead, hopefully between multiple cars.

But even if we do have one team streets ahead of the rest, both their cars will probably emerge from Turn 2 unscathed.

Even if nothing else changes, that would help a great deal.

It Has People

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Unlike so many of the new races which have popped up in recent years, the Russian Grand Prix was quite well attended.

BBC Sport reports pre-weekend autograph session saw 20,000 people descend on the track on Thursday, and race day saw packed grandstands and a crowd close to the 55,000 capacity.

For a first race in a country with no real F1 history, at a circuit which is a long way away from its major population centres, that's quite an achievement.

Atmosphere and vibe are major parts of a grand prix weekend, and if the Sochi fanbase turns out to be anything like those in "established" F1 countries, they could become an attraction in themselves.

Or Maybe It'll Always Be Bad

Associated Press

"It'll be interesting next time, I promise!" "Hm."

Of course, there's a chance it may never produce good racing.

Sochi is a strange venue which tries to be a street circuit and a "road course" but fails on both counts.

So many of the corners look the same it's difficult for a casual observer to tell them apart, few seem to present any great degree of challenge and the crooked back straight appears to be almost useless for overtaking.

So far, so street.

But the surface is as smooth as glass with none of the unsettling bumps or lumps which make street circuit driving a challenge, and the barriers are so far away from the racing line the drivers can find the limit easily and exceed it with impunity.

Little bit of heart-in-the-mouth wall-brushing? Forget it.

It's a street-style circuit with generous run-off and a beautiful, purpose-built surface. Very modern, very Tilke and—if history is anything to go by—very, very dull.

Take away Turn 3 and it has about as much zest and character as a background extra in a low-budget zombie film.

But all circuits deserve a second chance.

Let's not dismiss Sochi and consign it to the Valencia-shaped rubbish bin before it's hosted at least three grands prix.

Given time, it might just buck the trend.