Russian Grand Prix Preview and Betting Tips

The pendulum swung back in Ferrari’s favour after a tight and tense Bahrain Grand Prix – now all eyes are on Russia as this fast-developing title race continues to unfold.

Betsafe have joined forces with leading Formula 1 website Planet F1 and former F1 driver Johnny Herbert to bring you all the latest ahead of Round Four in Sochi.

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Advantage Vettel

Sebastian Vettel re-opened a seven-point gap to Lewis Hamilton in the World Championship after a thrilling Bahrain Grand Prix in Sakhir.

The German managed to hold off a late charge from Hamilton as a frustrated Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas finished third for the second time this season.

Vettel, who started in third place, got the jump on Hamilton once the lights went out in the twilight of the hot and breezy desert, and went in pursuit of pole sitter Bottas.

The Finn was unable to pull out a clear advantage and soon a fascinating high-speed train took centre stage as the lightning-quick Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo also entered the fray.

Ferrari were then the first to show their hand with a very aggressive call to bring Vettel into the pits as early as Lap 10, attempting to undercut their way to victory.

Verstappen followed suit a lap later, but while Vettel had some clear track to work with in P12, the young Dutchman soon crashed out at Turn Four after his brakes suddenly failed.

Then, just seconds later, Carlos Sainz collided with Lance Stroll as he exited the pit lane and tried to seize an advantage on the inside of Turn One, prompting the rare appearance of the safety car and a three-place grid penalty for the former at the next race in Sochi.

The safety car ensured that Mercedes had to double stack their cars, but Hamilton’s very slow entry into the pit lane, which severely hindered Ricciardo in the process, saw him punished with a five-second timed penalty that would prove to be a very costly mistake.

Once the safety car came in, Vettel would find himself installed as the new race leader and Hamilton, down in P4 and at that point still under investigation, made light work of Ricciardo and was allowed to pass Bottas as he desperately tried to reel in the Ferrari.

Vettel eventually pitted again on Lap 33, putting Hamilton in the lead for the next eight laps before it was time for the Brit to complete his second stop and also take his timed penalty.

Hamilton surprisingly re-emerged with new soft tyres rather than switching to the quicker supersofts and while he was once again allowed to pass Bottas after team orders were given at this very early stage of the season, he quite simply had too much work to do to catch Vettel, who claimed victory by 6.6 seconds.

Vettel’s team-mate Kimi Raikkonen was forced to settle for P4, while Ricciardo fell way out of contention in P5.

Felipe Massa would finish best of the rest in sixth, with Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon claiming a double-points finish for Force India.

Romain Grosjean and Nico Hulkenberg also earned their first points of the season for Haas and Renault respectively, while there was yet more doom and gloom for McLaren as Stoffel Vandoorne failed to start the race and Fernando Alonso retired for the third race running.

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What to expect in Russia

Mercedes promised, and ultimately delivered, an immediate response in China after their opening race defeat in Australia – and another one is needed in Sochi, a track where they have performed well over the past few years.

The Silver Arrows were guilty of making a number of mistakes in Bahrain and what is absolutely clear now is that Ferrari have the race pace to punish them all season long. Australia was no one-off for the Prancing Horse.

Red Bull could have had more of a say in the matter in Bahrain if Verstappen had not retired so suddenly, but it appears they are still going to be very much on the fringes as Ferrari and Mercedes set the standard out in front.

Force India and Williams are spearheading the midfield battle with just a point separating the two teams in the Constructors’ Championship, but rookie Stroll is certainly due a bit more luck after three retirements in his first three starts.

There may also be improvement to come from Haas as they hope to end their long-running brake issues by trying out a new supplier in the two-day test in Bahrain that will take place before the Russian Grand Prix.

It is a test that McLaren-Honda desperately need as they frantically search for solutions to their plethora of problems.

Sochi Autodrom

Russia is still a baby of the bunch having only joined the Formula 1 calendar in 2014 after a lot of fluttering of eyelashes between themselves and then owner Bernie Ecclestone.

There were plans to build a track near Moscow, then near St Petersburg, before president Vladimir Putin gave the green light for the purpose-built Sochi Autodrom, situated on Russia’s Black Sea coast, to be constructed.

The 5.848km circuit is ranked the fourth longest track of the season, with Spa, Baku and Silverstone the only layouts that can boast longer distances. 53 laps lay ahead for the drivers, and their tyre management will come under serious scrutiny in the chilly spring air.

Some seriously high speeds can be accomplished at this circuit, though, especially on the run down to Turn Two which is actually the first real corner that the cars will face.

After a near 90-degree right-hander, a long, left-turning horseshoe appears before yet another sudden change in direction to the right again at Turn Four.

A combination of sharp corners and short straights then await, and it is only until after Turn Eight that drivers are able to be aggressive on the throttle once again with the slight right-left arc at Turns 11 and 12.

Then comes the return of the tight corners and short straights, with a clean entry into the final Turn 18 crucial if you want to capitalise on any potential overtaking opportunities in the very early stages of the next lap.

Previous winners and track suitability

Currently, this track belongs to one team and one team only: Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton won the first two races in Sochi for the Silver Arrows in 2014 and 2015 respectively, while Nico Rosberg continued his excellent run at the start of last season here with a comfortable victory over the Brit.

While Russia is still very much in the embryonic stages of being an F1 host, it is developing a reputation of throwing up a few surprises on the podium.

In the inaugural race back in 2014, Bottas claimed third spot in the Mercedes-powered Williams and 12 months later saw Sergio Perez reach the podium in another Mercedes-powered car in Force India. And while Raikkonen finally gave Ferrari a slight moment of joy by finishing third in 2016, it was Williams who caught the eye once again after finishing P4 and P5 respectively with Red Bull nowhere to be seen near the front of the grid.

Sochi really is Mercedes’ playground and, with track conditions closer to resembling those that we saw in China [where Mercedes won], it is difficult to look beyond them again come race day.

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