There are just three rounds left of the 2015 GP2 Series as this weekend the teams and drivers head to the Russian circuit of Sochi. Although neither of the Racing Engineering drivers, Alexander Rossi and Jordan King, have raced here before both men will be looking to continue their success in the previous two race weekends which has seen Alexander take two wins at Spa and Monza while Jordan was second at Spa.
Racing Engineering is currently lying second in the Team Championship and Alexander is also second in the Drivers’ Championship and he will be wanting to score as many points as possible to help secure his position and Jordan will fight to be on the podium once again.
The Autodrom is located at the Black Sea resort of Sochi and is 5.843 kms in length making it the third longest track on the GP2 calendar, it is built around the site of the 2011 Winter Olympics and is a semi-perman! ent street circuit so it will be vital that the teams come up with a setup that combines speed and consistency. The track surface is not abrasive so tyre wear and degradation is low therefore Pirelli will be providing their medium and soft compounds.
Timetable:
Practice: Fri 09 Oct 2015, 12:00 (GMT+4)
Qualifying Session: Fri 09 Oct 2015, 16:00 (GMT+4)
Race 1: Sat 10 Oct 2015, 16:40 (GMT+4)
Race 2: Sun 11 Oct 2015, 11:05 (GMT+4)
Length of lap:
5.872 km
2014 best Racing Engineering:
P5 in Qualifying – P3 in R1 – P8 in R2
Tyre Wear:
Medium/High
Brake Wear:
Medium/High
Downforce:
High
Throttle Average:
75%
Fastest turn:
4
Hardest Braking Point:
2
Gear shifts per lap:
45
Top Speed:
300 km/h
Average Speed (Qualifying) 2014:
199.738 km/h
Average Speed (Race) 2014:
182.400 km/h
Pole Position Time 2014:
1:45.402s
1. The Sochi Circuit is situated around the Olympic Village that hosted the last Olympic Winter Games in 2014.
2. Racing Engineering finished the first GP2 race ever held at this track on the podium.
3. The Sochi Circuit has a length of 5.848 meters and is between 13 and 15 meters wide.
4. The circuit can accommodate up to 55,000 spectators.
5. The main straight of the Sochi Circuit measure 650 meters and situated between the first and second corner.
6. The Russian circuit is the 13th designed by Hermann Tilke to host an F1 race.
7. Before the Olympics and F1, Sochi was already a popular summer resort. The city averages 200 days of sunshine each year.
8. The Sochi Circuit features many of the characteristics of a street circuit, including plenty of 90-degree turns.
9. The Sochi Circuit is a street circuit in the Bla! ck Sea resort town of Sochi in Krasnodar Krai, Russia.
10. The track is characterized by a series of changes in direction at right angles and a very long 180° corner that could put a lot of strain on the tires, particularly the fronts.
1. F1 top speed peaking at 325 km/h down the pit straight just before T2, whereas in GP2 the top speed goes up to 300 km/h without DRS.
2. Pole position in F1 was set in 2014 at 1:38.513 – Pole position in GP2 was set in 2014 at 1:45.402.
3. The average speed in F1 is 215km/h and 190 km/h in GP2.
4. F1 throttle usage is 74% vs 75% of the lap that the engine spends at full throttle in GP2.
5. F1 drivers will change gear 59 times per lap against 45 times that a GP2 driver will have to do so.
6. Race distance is not so different: F1 go around the circuit for 53 laps and GP2 do a total of 49 laps in two days- 28 laps in Feature Race and 21 in the Sprint Race.
David Martin-JaniakMotorsports has always been a passion for me, I've raced in Karting and now I have my own Motorsports news website, so i can help other racers convey their passion to the world!
