Russian F1 Grand Prix 2015: Start Time, Drivers, TV Schedule and More
Lewis Hamilton will be looking for his second consecutive win at the Russian Grand Prix 2015 on Sunday, with the defending world champion in an excellent position to deliver a crushing blow to team-mate Nico Rosberg's title chances in Sochi.
The Brit comfortably won last year's race, the first-ever at the Sochi Autodrom, and he's once again the pre-race favourite after a strong showing in Japan.
While Mercedes have looked slightly more vulnerable in 2015 than they did last year, the team remains miles ahead of the pack, and one of Hamilton or Rosberg should once again surface as easy winners on Sunday.
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TV coverage will be provided by the BBC and Sky Sports in the UK and NBC Sports in the U.S. Here's a look at the full TV info for the upcoming race:
| Practice 1 | Friday | 8 a.m. | 3 a.m. | 7:45 a.m. | 7:55 a.m. (Two) | 3 a.m. (SLE) |
| Practice 2 | Friday | 12 noon | 7 a.m. | 11:45 a.m. | 11:55 a.m. (RB) | 7 a.m. (NBCSN) |
| Practice 3 | Saturday | 10 a.m. | 5 a.m. | 9:45 a.m. | 9:55 a.m. (Two) | 5 p.m. (SLE) |
| Qualifying | Saturday | 1 p.m. | 8 a.m. | 12 noon | 12:10 p.m. (One) | 8 a.m. (NBCSN) |
| Race | Sunday | 12 p.m. | 7 a.m. | 10:30 a.m. | 11 a.m. (One) | 7:00 am (NBCSN) |
The drivers for Sunday's Grand Prix:
| Mercedes | Lewis Hamilton | Nico Rosberg |
| Red Bull | Daniel Ricciardo | Daniil Kvyat |
| Ferrari | Sebastian Vettel | Kimi Raikkonen |
| Lotus | Pastor Maldonado | Romain Grosjean |
| McLaren | Fernando Alonso | Jenson Button |
| Force India | Nico Hulkenberg | Sergio Perez |
| Sauber | Marcus Ericsson | Felipe Nasr |
| Toro Rosso | Max Verstappen | Carlos Sainz Jr. |
| Williams | Valtteri Bottas | Felipe Massa |
| Manor | Will Stevens | Roberto Merhi |
Preview
Sochi didn't provide fans with the most entertaining Grand Prix of the 2014 season, and judging by the practice and qualification sessions we've already seen during the race weekend, things may not be different in the race's second edition.
Friday's sessions were overshadowed by the current controversy surrounding Red Bull and their struggles to find an engine for 2016, per Sky Sports' James Galloway.
The Sochi Autodrom lies somewhere between a street circuit and a classic, technical course, and it will remind fans of Valencia. Overtaking isn't made easy by the narrow corners, but there are plenty of stretches where the drivers can push the pedal to the metal.
Last year's race saw few surprises, with Hamilton underlining his strong form with a dominant performance, and Niki Lauda thinks he may be even better coming into this year's race, per ESPN's Nate Saunders:
"He wins everything. He makes very few mistakes. He is the quickest guy. If you want the rankings from me now, Lewis is absolutely the number one. To beat Lewis today the other guys have a hard time because he is on a high. He knows what to do with the car and he gets the last hundredth of a second out of it.
Lewis was top last year anyway because he was world champion but I can only evaluate [the difference in 2015] is because of Nico. Last year they were very even and racing hard but over the winter Lewis became even quicker and he sorted his head out as well. Nico is suffering because at the moment Lewis is unbeatable.
"
Hamilton's lead over Rosberg is up to 48 points following his win at Suzuka, and while the Brit can't mathematically claim the title in Sochi, Rosberg's chase will be all but over if the gap grows any larger.
Per Luke Smith of NBC Sports, the German maintains he still has a chance as things stand, but he's in real danger of repeating last year's scenario, where he all but gifted his team-mate the title due to a poor run in the second half of the season:
"Once I got back from Japan, I was able to focus on the positive elements from my weekend in Suzuka: pole position, the on-track pass on [Valtteri] Bottas and then having the speed to undercut [Sebastian] Vettel’s Ferrari at the second pit-stop.
I’m not backing down in my fight for the championship and gaining those positions back fair and square showed that. We have five races to go and, although the championship gap to Lewis is quite big, in my mind it’s definitely not over yet.
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Rosberg hasn't won a race since the Austrian Grand Prix back in June; if he wants to put any real pressure on Hamilton, that needs to change on Sunday.
Sebastian Vettel is still the only driver not racing for the Silver Arrows to win a Grand Prix this season, and he currently sits just 11 points behind Rosberg in the standings. As a result of Mercedes' dominance, they have the chance to lock up the constructors' championship in Sochi, and they're widely expected to do so.
Behind those two, Williams will be looking for a strong showing from Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa to gain some confidence ahead of next season, while the uncertainty surrounding Red Bull could have an impact on how their drivers perform during the race.
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