Russian F1 Grand Prix 2017: Start Time, Drivers, TV Schedule and More
The start to the 2017 Formula One season has been the most fascinating in years and more drama is expected when the drivers head to the Sochi Autodrome for the Russian Grand Prix.
Three rounds in and it's Sebastian Vettel who leads the world championship for Ferrari, having won two of his first three races. However, three-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has been quick in the early stages of the year, with poor strategy and individual errors costing him in Australia and Bahrain.
Hamilton has a strong record in Sochi, too, winning in 2014 and 2015 on his way to successful seasons. A victory here would potentially ignite Mercedes' title charge.
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Here's the key details for Sunday's race, the drivers who are set to be involved in Russia and a preview of what is set to be another absorbing showdown.
Start Time: 1 p.m. (BST), 8 a.m (ET), 3 p.m. (Local)
TV Info: Sky Sports F1 (U.K.) and NBC Sports (U.S.)
Driver List: visit Formula1.com
Race Preview
In recent seasons the dominance of Mercedes has made the front of the grid a little stale in Formula One, with the rivalry between Hamilton and former team-mate Nico Rosberg the only thing to keep fans entertained. With that in mind, Ferrari's emergence is timely.
Having failed to chalk up a single win last season, Vettel and his team have been on it from the off in 2017, utilising some excellent tactics to oust Hamilton in the season opener. While Mercedes bounced back in China, another fine display from Vettel saw him win an absorbing race in Bahrain.
As the official Formula One Twitter feed noted in the buildup to the race in Russia, the omens are good for the German at this stage in the season:
"HISTORY'S HINT? 樂
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 20, 2017"
Since 2000, the championship leader after 3 races (Vettel: 2017) has won the title in 12 of the 17 seasons#F1FastFact pic.twitter.com/YjGZdcNJGr
For much of the year so far, the elite drivers have been keen to play down their own pace. Ahead of Sunday's shootout, Vettel has done the same, insisting Mercedes will be quick around this circuit.
"On paper Mercedes is the clear favourite, as the Sochi track is a circuit made for Mercedes—so the closer we can get the better," he said, per the F1 website. "So let's see. There is a lot of work to do tomorrow to bring the car into a grid position that will help us."
In the three years since Formula One came back to Russia, Mercedes have been the dominant force, with two wins for Hamilton and one for Rosberg.
Hamilton will be out to make up for his error that cost the team a potential win in Bahrain. The Briton was hit with a five-second penalty after he was deemed to be driving too slowly upon entering the pit lane, holding up Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo in the process. "The pit lane was my fault and apologies to the team," he conceded, per Andrew Benson of BBC Sport.
There have been times this season when Hamilton has been a little tentative, which is out of character for a driver that's usually so aggressive. As noted by Phil Duncan of the Press Association, at the start in Bahrain he was bullied by Vettel:
It'll be an intriguing weekend for the team-mates of those drivers—Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari. Both showed encouraging pace in first practice, with Raikkonen leading the standings by 0.045 seconds from his compatriot.
Also hoping for a big weekend will be Red Bull and especially Max Verstappen, who was performing well in Bahrain before he suffered with brake failure. As we can see courtesy of Sky Sports F1, the teenager was far from pleased after he was forced into a retirement:
Practice sessions have been difficult to gauge this season, with teams sandbagging in an attempt to keep their true pace hidden. With that in mind, it's difficult to make too many judgements about any team or any driver until qualifying.
But, as Vettel noted, this is typically a circuit where Mercedes show their best. After a sloppy display in Bahrain, expect Hamilton to bounce back with his second win of 2017.
Prediction: 1. Hamilton, 2. Bottas, 3. Vettel
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