Sochi Tag

Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen set the pace in the opening practice session for this weekend’s Russian Grand Prix, beating Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas by 0.045 at the Sochi Autodrom. Bottas’ team-mate Lewis Hamilton was third, more than half a second off the pace. After running on soft tyres early on, Räikkönen’s time of 1:36.074 came midway through the session, with the Finn bolting on a set of supersofts to better the earlier efforts of the Mercedes drivers on the same compounds. Hamilton had made the early running but it was Bottas whoRead More

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief For the fourth consecutive year, Formula One heads to Sochi for the Russian Grand Prix. Mercedes is undefeated since F1’s return there in 2014, with Lewis Hamilton taking the first two events and reigning F1 World Champion Nico Rosberg taking last year’s race. Our friends from Mobil 1 The Grid have brought together an on-board lap around the 3.634-mile circuit. Video Credit: Mobil 1 The GridRead More

By Adam Tate, Managing Editor Word on the street is that Daniil Kvyat’s days at Red Bull Racing may be numbered. His clumsy double punting of Sebastian Vettel in the opening of last weekend’s Russian Grand Prix may well be the undoing of the promising young Russian’s season. According to multiple reports Red Bull boss Helmut Marko, not one to show mercy, may swap Kvyat with Max Verstappen for the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix. The move, which sounds unusually harsh even by Marko’s standards, may be more strategic than the kneeRead More

By Steve Aibel, Senior F1 Writer Nico Rosberg flattened the field again en route to his 7th race win in a row across two seasons and his 18th Formula 1 victory. The win at the Russian Grand Prix was the 4th in a row for Rosberg this year. He now has a perfect, 100 points for the season, which amounts to a 43 point lead over teammate and three time champion Lewis Hamilton. Rosberg finds himself in rare company! With 7 wins in a row, Rosberg ties Alberto Ascari and MichaelRead More

By Steve Aibel, Senior F1 Writer Nico Rosberg added the Russian Grand Prix pole position to his impressive set of credentials as we wind up the first set of flyaway races.  Rosberg showed the dominance of the Mercedes package as both cars were comfortably ahead of the field during the qualifying session. This is Rosbergs second pole of the season. Hamilton again suffered disaster, experiencing the same MGU-H power issue  as  he did in China.   This left him out of the final qualifying session and again will see him fighting fromRead More

By Steve Aibel, Senior F1 Writer Lewis Hamilton led Free Practice 2 in Sochi, Russia concluding the first day of the Formula 1 weekend in Russia.  Nico Rosberg brought the #6 Mercedes home in 3rd position after leading the first practice earlier on Friday. Hamilton bested Rosberg by .867 seconds although Rosberg’s flying lap was affected by the spin and subsequent yellow flag caused by Romian Grosjean of Haas F1 Team. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel split the two Silver Arrows cars before an electrical problems ended the session for the 4 timeRead More

Following a last lap collision of the Russian Grand Prix that saw Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas wreck while battling for a podium, the 2007 Formula One champion maintained his stance on the racing incident during a press conference leading up to the United States Grand Prix. “Well it hasn’t changed,” said Raikkonen. “Obviously there were some discussions and penalties given to me, but I would still do it tomorrow again, that doesn’t change the story. Unfortunately, we came together in the end and we both lost a bit, butRead More

Mercedes are FIA Formula One Constructors’ Champions elect, with the team taking an unassailable lead in the team title standings after Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen received a post-race penalty for causing a collision in today’s Russian Grand Prix. Drivers’ Championship leader Lewis Hamilton won the race, but his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg dropped out of the race after seven laps with a throttle problem. With Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel finishing second and team-mate Kimi Raikkonen crossing the line in fifth place, Mercedes did not have a sufficient advantage in the standings toRead More

Lewis Hamilton moved within touching distance of a third F1 drivers’ title as he took a dominant Russian Grand Prix victory ahead of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, while Hamilton’s team-mate Nico Rosberg retired from the race with a mechanical failure soon after the start of the race. Hamilton’s 42nd win also saw him surpass boyhood hero Ayrton Senna’s career wins total. With Vettel second, Sergio Perez claimed his and Force India’s first podium finish of the year, the Mexican profiting from a final-lap collision involving Williams’ Valtteri Bottas and Ferrari’s KimiRead More

Nico Rosberg took his second consecutive pole position and his third of the season in Sochi, beating team-mate Lewis Hamilton to the front of the Russian Grand Prix grid by three tenths of a second. Third place in the session went to Williams’ Valtteri Bottas. The first segment saw Mercedes Nico Rosberg go quickest with a lap of 1:38.343 that left him just over a tenth of a second ahead of Williams’ Valtteri Bottas. Hamilton was third fastest in the second Mercedes ahead of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and Felipe MassaRead More