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2018 Russian Grand Prix – Preview

2018 Russian Grand Prix – Preview
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Throwing forward to Round 16 of the 2018 Formula One season at the Sochi Autodrom in Russia

  • Toto Talks Russia
  • Three Questions for Toto
  • Stat Attack: Russia and Beyond

Toto Talks Russia

“We showed an excellent performance in Singapore and the victory was a fantastic reward for all the hard work that had gone into it. But it also reinforced another point: there are no easy wins this season. We have to fight hard for every bit of performance in order to have a chance to fight for victories.

“This fight will continue in Russia. The Sochi Autodrom features some interesting characteristics, particularly the long straight into Turn 2 which will make the race start very challenging. With the race being held in late September, we’re going back to weather conditions that will be similar to those of 2014 and 2015, when the Russian Grand Prix took place in early October. We don’t have any data from the current regulation cars in those conditions in Sochi, so this adds another challenge to the race.

“We have a good track record in Sochi but we know that Ferrari and Red Bull will give it everything to break our winning streak, so we must fight as hard as ever to make sure we bring home as many points as possible.”

Three Questions for Toto

Toto Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport lead the Constructors’ Championship by 37 points, Lewis leads by 40 points in the Drivers’ standing. How does this change the approach for the rest of the season?

“It’s obviously better to have a lead than to not have it, but there are six races remaining and plenty of points to score, so it doesn’t give us any comfort. We will continue to concentrate on every single session, trying to optimise the car in every possible area – and we will go for the race win. There is no naïve optimism about our situation within the team: our mind-set is very positive, we are energised, the factories are buzzing and we’re excited for the fight that we will certainly have in the next six races.”

What are the chances of seeing Esteban and George in a Formula One cockpit next year?

“There are many good drivers who merit a drive in Formula One, both young ones and more experienced ones, but at the moment cockpits are a limited commodity. Both Esteban and George certainly deserve to be in Formula One; we are still working on options and will carefully decide what’s best for them. If that means having to play the long game, then we will continue to prepare and develop them.”

Valtteri currently holds P4 with only a very slim chance of fighting for the Drivers’ Championship. What does that mean for a driver?

“For every racing driver, that’s a very difficult situation to be in because everything you dream about and everything you work for is winning the World Championship. When you realise you’re not in the hunt any more, that’s very difficult to handle. But Valtteri has shown that he has the speed, the talent and the work ethic to win in a Mercedes. He has always been a team player and that is one of his greatest character traits. Valtteri could have won races this year, but the odds were against him. However luck isn’t just a one-way street; and I know that Valtteri has every ingredient it needs to win at this level. He just needs to keep working hard to improve and trust that the tables will turn for him.”

Stat Attack: Russia and Beyond

2018 Russian Grand Prix Timetable

Session

Local Time

(MSK)

Brackley

(BST)

Stuttgart

(CEST)

Practice 1

Friday

11:00-12:30

09:00-10:30

10:00-11:30

Practice 2

Friday

15:00-16:30

13:00-14:30

14:00-15:30

Practice 3

Saturday

12:00-13:00

10:00-11:00

11:00-12:00

Qualifying

Saturday

15:00-16:00

13:00-14:00

14:00-15:00

Race

Sunday

14:10-16:10

12:10-14:10

13:10-15:10

 

Race Records – Mercedes F1 at the Russian Grand Prix

 

Starts

Wins

Podium

Places

Pole

Positions

Front Row

Places

Fastest

Laps

DNF

Mercedes

4

4

6

3

5

1

1

Lewis

Hamilton

4

2

3

1

2

0

0

Valtteri

Bottas

4

1

2

0

1

1

0

MB Power

4

4

8

3

6

2

5

 

Technical Stats – Season to Date (Barcelona Pre-Season Test 1 to Present)

 

Laps

Completed

Distance

Covered (km)

Corners

Taken

Gear

Changes

PETRONAS

Fuel Injections

Mercedes

5,981

29,569

96,310

284,380

239,240,000

Lewis

Hamilton

2,870

14,242

46,133

136,288

114,800,000

Valtteri

Bottas

2,997

14,827

48,581

143,076

119,880,000

MB Power

16,870

83,293

270,563

796,523

674,800,000

 

All-Time Records – Silver Arrows in Formula One

 

Starts

Wins

Podium

Places

Pole

Positions

Front Row

Places

Fastest

Laps

1-2

Finishes

Front Row

Lockouts

Mercedes

183

83

172

96

171

62

42

54

Lewis

Hamilton

223

69

129

79

127

40

N/A

N/A

Valtteri

Bottas

112

3

28

5

14

7

N/A

N/A

MB Power

453

169

440

179

351

157

67

89

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