Слава Родине, товарищ GP of Sochi

[Everso Biggyballies]

Bottom post of the previous page:

.... and this is possibly the easiest circuit left on the calendar to overtake at is perhaps the main reason it is taken here. Re the 8 races for the engine, dont forget they still have other engines in the pool to use for practice etc so it is not that the engine has 8 full weekends running to do. Even the engine damaged at Silverstone can be repaired enough for Friday use,just not with the reliability needed for a race engine.

[Ruslan]

We shall see where Verstappen ends up on Sunday. But he ends up lower than third, then I am not sure this was a good idea.

If they had other good engines in the rotation, then why not use one of them and secure a third place finish now and change the engine later? My suspicion is that they really don't have other good engines.

[DoubleFart]

Honda have introduced an engine upgrade. They have apparently gone all out to win in their final year.

[Mawerick]

If they had other good engines in the rotation, then why not use one of them and secure a third place finish now and change the engine later? My suspicion is that they really don't have other good engines.

Because

1) this isn't a good track for Red Bull
2) they're already serving a penalty
3) they need to change the engine anyway at some point

Essentially they're calculating that they will lose three less places due to the engine change penalty, when they do it now. When this is combined with the track that doesn't favour them, it simply makes sense to do it all at once.

[White six]

If they had other good engines in the rotation, then why not use one of them and secure a third place finish now and change the engine later? My suspicion is that they really don't have other good engines.

Because

1) this isn't a good track for Red Bull
2) they're already serving a penalty
3) they need to change the engine anyway at some point

Essentially they're calculating that they will lose three less places due to the engine change penalty, when they do it now. When this is combined with the track that doesn't favour them, it simply makes sense to do it all at once.

Not that he should be serving a penalty, but there's a loophole there. The 3 place should really have to be served in a different race

[John]

Looking at the weather in Russia, we're looking at another Spa today.

Edit: Or at least a delay.

[Circuitmaster]

I'm looking to another session of rain delays. Who wants to play commentator wet session bingo/drinking game

1 shot - Visibility is much worse for the drivers
1 shot - Aquaplaning is the real danger (Bonus shot for 'You're just a passenger')
2 shots - Nothing disperses water like a formula one car
2 shots - These are the best drivers in the world
3 shots - The cars should be redesigned to work in these conditions
3 shots - Lovely shots of Bert Mylander

[John]

Amazing how we have an outdoors sport that has to cancel at the slightest instance of rain.

[Everso Biggyballies]

F2 race has been postponed due to the rain..... it was delayed but then called as postponed until a time TBCp

[MonteCristo]

I'm looking to another session of rain delays. Who wants to play commentator wet session bingo/drinking game

1 shot - Visibility is much worse for the drivers
1 shot - Aquaplaning is the real danger (Bonus shot for 'You're just a passenger')
2 shots - Nothing disperses water like a formula one car
2 shots - These are the best drivers in the world
3 shots - The cars should be redesigned to work in these conditions
3 shots - Lovely shots of Bert Mylander

4 shots - Everybody wants to be out there right now

And everyone gets drunk in 3 minutes.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Masi has outlined the options for today in "Soggy Sochi"

Michael Masi has outlined the options available should weather affect Saturday’s running at the Sochi, with the potential for qualifying for the Russian Grand Prix to be moved to Sunday morning.

Torrential rain, as well as thunder and lightning, hit the track on Saturday morning, leading to doubts over the running of the day’s programme – with Masi revealing what he and his team were seeing on their weather radars. F2 was Postoned.

“As we can see already this morning, the weather’s gone up and down like a yoyo, and the intensity of the rain has been increasing, with some thunder also joining us,” said Masi. “But effectively the procedure per today will be that we will aim to start all sessions, get everything ready from an operational perspective, and then judge the conditions at the time.

“What we’re seeing from the forecast side is that we will have… rain until about 1330-1430 local time, and then it decreasing in the afternoon.

“The priority from today’s perspective is obviously Formula 1 qualifying this afternoon,” Masi went on.

“So Formula 1 will take priority, then we were fortunate in restructuring the programme to have the first Formula 3 race yesterday, pre-empting the weather that was going to happen this morning, which based on what we saw when we came out to the circuit this morning was absolutely the right decision; it was torrential at the time we would have been having the F3 race. So we did that, and now we’ll just sort of look at the day ahead and just take it step by step.”

Free Practice 3 is due to take place at 1200 local time – with Masi saying that the session could be abandoned if heavy rain continues.

“We would have a couple of options, as we’ve seen before, so we could start the session and red flag it immediately and let the clock run down and let’s judge what the weather’s like at that time,” said Masi. “Alternatively, if we can see that it’s just going to be torrential for the entire session, we would just abandon FP3 and aim for qualifying.”

The 2019 Japanese Grand Prix was the last time we witnessed a Sunday qualifying. And Masi said that, if the start of Saturday qualifying got pushed back to the point where light became an issue, the plan would be to move the session to Sunday morning, with the Russian Grand Prix then taking place in the afternoon.

“The determining factor this afternoon [for qualifying] will be the light,” said Masi. “Sunset locally is about 1815… but with weather conditions like this, obviously light diminishes far earlier, so that will ultimately be our cut-off point. If qualifying isn’t able to happen today, as we’ve seen a few times before in the past, then we will re-do a programme and hold qualifying on Sunday morning.”

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/arti ... 406aR.html


It does seem like P3 might be abandoned but it seems there may be a window to have qualy today at some stage. Unless we get bad light stopped play....

[John]

Seeing as lightning strikes are pummelling the circuit, it’s probably a good idea to scrap FP3.

[Everso Biggyballies]

As hinted .....

Heavy rain at the Sochi Autodrom has led to the cancellation of FP 3 for the Russian Grand Prix – with doubts remaining over the possibility of holding qualifying on Saturday afternoon.

FP3 had been due to start at 1200 local time. But with heavy rain, along with thunder and lightning, having hit Sochi on Saturday morning, the decision was made to cancel the third practice session.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Latest update.....

F1 qualifying is currently set to take place 1500 local time – but FIA Race Director Michael Masi touted the possibility of moving the session to Sunday morning if the weather persists,

“If qualifying isn’t able to happen today, as we’ve seen a few times before in the past, then we will re-do a programme and hold qualifying on Sunday morning.”

Stay tuned

[caneparo]

This is absolutely embarassing. They make f1 a pathetic tv talk show

[Everso Biggyballies]

In the meantime.....