Russian Grand Prix 2014 Preview: Start Time, TV Times, Weather, Schedule, Odds
The Russian Grand Prix will be the 16th round of the 2014 Formula One world championship season.
It will be the first-ever race in the world's largest country, and the venue will be the Sochi Autodrom. The circuit threads its way through the Olympic Park built and used for February's Winter Games.
Designed by Hermann Tilke, the semi-permanent facility consists mostly of street-circuit style, 90-degree corners, but there are enough variations to keep everyone on their toes.
Never before used for competitive top-level motorsport, all the drivers will have a lot of learning to do when practice starts on Friday.
High on the list of priorities for title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg will be working out what sort of advantage, if any, pole position will provide. The extremely long run down to the first braking zone could make the opening lap very tricky indeed.
Read on for a full preview of the race weekend, including current standings, a circuit map and guide, TV times, tyre and DRS information, weather forecast, odds and session times.
Current Standings
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Lewis Hamilton's victory in Japan saw him extend his lead in the drivers' championship to 10 points. Nico Rosberg remains second, with Daniel Ricciardo third.
The current top 10 are:
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 266 |
| 2 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 256 |
| 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull | 193 |
| 4 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull | 139 |
| 5 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 133 |
| 6 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams | 130 |
| 7 | Jenson Button | McLaren | 82 |
| 8 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India | 76 |
| 9 | Felipe Massa | Williams | 71 |
| 10 | Sergio Perez | Force India | 46 |
In the constructors' championship, Mercedes could clinch the title this weekend. Ferrari and Williams continue to fight over third, while McLaren and Force India are locked in battle for fifth.
The current standings are:
| 1 | Mercedes | 522 |
| 2 | Red Bull Racing-Renault | 332 |
| 3 | Williams-Mercedes | 201 |
| 4 | Ferrari | 178 |
| 5 | Force India | 122 |
| 6 | McLaren | 121 |
| 7 | Toro Rosso | 29 |
| 8 | Lotus | 8 |
| 9 | Marussia | 2 |
| 10 | Sauber | 0 |
| 11 | Caterham | 0 |
Standings data from Formula1.com.
Sochi Autodrom
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The Sochi Autodrom is laid out around the Olympic Park used for the 2014 Winter Olympics. Part of the circuit is on normal public roads, while the rest will be off-limits to everyday traffic.
It was designed by Hermann Tilke, so many fans already have an opinion of the place before a wheel has been turned in anger. But as with all new circuits, it deserves to be given a chance.
As no proper laps have been completed, this guide is based by necessity on aerial views of the circuit and a number of simulated lap videos.
Turns 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
A lap begins on the pit straight. The cars stream through the flat-out right-hand kink of Turn 1 before setting off on a long run down toward Turn 2.
This could prove especially interesting at the start. There appears to be at least 800 metres of what is essentially a straight between the start line and the first proper corner. Maybe being on pole, creating a nice slipstream for everyone else, won't be much of an advantage.
The full pack racing together and braking from close to full speed may also have "interesting" results.
At the end of this straight comes Turn 2, a tight 90-degree right-hander. The track immediately flicks through a left-hand kink (Turn 3).
A few seconds of straight follows, then the drivers turn into the extremely long left-hander of Turn 4. Though not quite as extreme and long as it looked on early track maps, this one looks like the most interesting corner on the circuit, and should be very quick.
At the end of the corner the track straightens for the braking zone of Turn 5, another tight, 90-degree right.
Turns 6, 7 and 8
A short straight follows before the slightly more rounded 90-degree right of Turn 6. It's then on to another straight and through a right-hand kink (Turn 7).
The braking zone for Turn 8 follows. This corner—a near 90-degree right—looks like it'll be medium-speed. It leads into a short, very street-circuit-typical straight.
Turns 9 and 10
At the end of the straight is Turn 9. It has two parts—the first is another near-90-degree corner, this one a fairly tight left-hander, and the second is a slight left-hand kink which shoots the cars off onto another tiny straight.
At the end of this one is Turn 10, yet another 90-degree corner. This right-hander looks quite slow, and a good exit will be crucial because it leads out onto the long, not-quite-straight back straight.
Turns 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16
The straight meanders right through Turn 11. Toward the end of the straight, it flicks left at Turn 12 before ending immediately with the heavy braking zone of Turn 13. This is a very tight right-hander, and looks like one of the slowest corners on the track.
It's not clear whether the kink preceding the braking zone will help or hinder overtaking efforts.
Turn 13 leads into the fairly open, medium-speed left of Turn 14. A very short straight follows, then it's braking again for the 90-degree right of Turn 15.
This is followed by another 90-degree corner, this one a left, which leads onto a short straight.
Turns 17 and 18
Turn 17 is a yet another 90-degree (again) right-hander, and after a short straight comes an identical right (Turn 18) which sends the cars back onto the long pit straight.
Pit Lane
The pit lane entry is on the inside between Turns 17 and 18, and the exit is on the pit straight just after Turn 1.
Tyres and DRS
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The Sochi Autodrom's brand-new surface will almost certainly have very low levels of grip at the start of first practice. As rubber is laid down this will improve, but it's unlikely to reach the high levels experienced at a long-standing, purpose-built venue.
Pirelli expect the circuit to have average tyre energy demands, coupled with a low-abrasion surface.
The Italian company is bringing the yellow-marked soft and white-marked medium compound tyres.
The aim is for two or three stops, but simulations and calculations are no match for the real thing. We won't have a true idea of likely race strategies until the end of second practice.
Drag Reduction System
The FIA has announced there will be two DRS zones for the Russian Grand Prix.
The first will have its detection point at the start-finish line. The activation point is just after the right-hand kink of Turn 1 on the pit straight and will end with braking into Turn 2.
The second will have its detection point just before Turn 10. The activation point will be a little less than halfway through the long right-hand sweep of Turn 11, and the zone will end with braking for the Turn 12/13 pair.
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Weather Forecast
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When thinking of Russia in mid-October, one could be forgiven for conjuring up an image of rapidly dropping temperatures and locals making the most of the final days of autumn before the famous Russian winter sets in.
But the world's largest country plays host to a wide range of climates, and Sochi's is about as far from the stereotype as it's possible to get. It lies at the same latitude as Monaco and enjoys a humid subtropical climate, with an average October day seeing temperatures of around 21 degrees Celsius.
The forecast for the race weekend is for clear blue skies and temperatures a touch above average. Any change to that in the coming days seems unlikely, so we're set for a dry race.
BBC Weather will have the latest.
Odds
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Lewis Hamilton enters yet another race as pre-qualifying favourite. Team-mate Nico Rosberg is a close second, with the Red Bulls close behind.
The top 10 favourites are:
| Lewis Hamilton | 8-11 |
| Nico Rosberg | 9-4 |
| Daniel Ricciardo | 14-1 |
| Sebastian Vettel | 22-1 |
| Valtteri Bottas | 25-1 |
| Fernando Alonso | 33-1 |
| Felipe Massa | 50-1 |
| Kimi Raikkonen | 150-1 |
| Jenson Button | 150-1 |
| Kevin Magnussen | 200-1 |
Selected Others
A British winner is 4-6, and a German 13-8. Sole Russian Daniil Kvyat isn't heavily fancied—a home win is 500-1.
Sauber continue to hunt for their first point of the season, but time is running out and the bookies have little confidence either will get the job done. Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez are both 16-1 to finish in the top 10.
And with walls surrounding the circuit, a safety car appearance (4-9) is considered more likely than a no-show (13-8).
All odds sourced from Oddschecker.com and correct at the time of publication.
TV Times and Session Times
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As always, the Russian Grand Prix weekend will consist of three free practice sessions, qualifying and the race.
The session times are as follows:
| Practice One | Friday | 10 a.m. |
| Practice Two | Friday | 2 p.m. |
| Practice Three | Saturday | 12 p.m. |
| Qualifying | Saturday | 3 p.m. |
| Race | Sunday | 3 p.m. |
All times given are Sochi local time (MSK). Formula1.com has a handy one-click tool to convert them to your own time zone.
TV Times
In the United Kingdom, live coverage of all sessions will be provided by Sky Sports F1 and the various BBC channels. Their programming times are as follows (all times BST):
| Practice One | Friday | 7 a.m. | 6:45 a.m. | 6:55 a.m. (Two) |
| Practice Two | Friday | 11 a.m. | 10:45 a.m. | 10:55 a.m. (Red Button) |
| Practice Three | Saturday | 9 a.m. | 8:45 a.m. | 8:55 a.m. (Two) |
| Qualifying | Saturday | 12 p.m. | 11 a.m. | 11:15 a.m. (One) |
| Race | Sunday | 12 p.m. | 10:30 a.m. | 11 a.m. (One) |
In the United States, live coverage of selected sessions will be provided by NBCSN. Live coverage of second practice starts at 6 a.m. on Friday, with live qualifying coverage beginning at 7 a.m. on Saturday. Live race coverage starts at 6:30 a.m. on Sunday (race time 7 p.m.). All NBC times given are Eastern Time.
After the dreadful injuries sustained by Jules Bianchi in Japan, let's all hope for a trouble-free race in Russia.
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