planetf1.com

A win for Hamilton will inch him closer to the title. Hoping for an exciting race tomorrow!

UnlikeUday wrote:A win for Hamilton will inch him closer to the title. Hoping for an exciting race tomorrow!

inch?

Vettel starting in 3rd is not a bad position, Hamilton on the dirty side and a double slipstream. With a simple 1 stop race Vettel can finish ahead of Hamilton if he gets him at the start.

Start will be interesting. Think it's between Hamilton and Vettel as Bottas will be a sitting duck into T2.

Black_Flag_11 wrote:Start will be interesting. Think it's between Hamilton and Vettel as Bottas will be a sitting duck into T2.

If I were Hamilton I will be more worried about Vette in the start. He can have Bottas in the pits if he can keep P2 and is close to him. Something that Vettel failed to do in Monza

Black_Flag_11 wrote:Start will be interesting. Think it's between Hamilton and Vettel as Bottas will be a sitting duck into T2.

in 2 out of the 4 races Russia has so far had, the pole sitter was still in the lead at the end of lap 1. Rosberg managed it in both 2015 and 2016. In 2016, he kept Bottas behind and that Williams was faster on the long start. I wouldn't say Bottas will be a sitting duck based on last year and 2014 which were the only years the pole sitter lost the lead this fast. If Bottas gets a good start tomorrow, he'll have a good chance of keeping it. The Ferrari just doesn't seem that quick on the straights here. And Hamilton starts on the dirty side. I think Hamilton is more in danger of loosing a place than Bottas.

If they get equal starts Lewis will be all over him. His car is faster in S1 anyway it seems, and the run to turn 1 is super long, and the long and flat out turn 3 might also be an opportunity. Vettel can still be a factor too of course; Ferrari has shown all year they can get some crazy speeds down the straights and you couple that with the double slipstream. I think the most exciting part of the race might be the start, alas.

TheGiantHogweed wrote:

Black_Flag_11 wrote:Start will be interesting. Think it's between Hamilton and Vettel as Bottas will be a sitting duck into T2.

in 2 out of the 4 races Russia has so far had, the pole sitter was still in the lead at the end of lap 1. Rosberg managed it in both 2015 and 2016. In 2016, he kept Bottas behind and that Williams was faster on the long start. I wouldn't say Bottas will be a sitting duck based on last year and 2014 which were the only years the pole sitter lost the lead this fast. If Bottas gets a good start tomorrow, he'll have a good chance of keeping it. The Ferrari just doesn't seem that quick on the straights here. And Hamilton starts on the dirty side. I think Hamilton is more in danger of loosing a place than Bottas.

Slipstream is more effective on the current gen of cars, plus Ferrari have the mid straight power advantage in their deployment, I can't see Bottas maintaining the lead tomorrow unless Vettel/Hamilton start squabbling.

Mercedes-Benz wrote:

Black_Flag_11 wrote:Start will be interesting. Think it's between Hamilton and Vettel as Bottas will be a sitting duck into T2.

If I were Hamilton I will be more worried about Vette in the start. He can have Bottas in the pits if he can keep P2 and is close to him. Something that Vettel failed to do in Monza

Nah it's not that type of race. The opportuntiy at the start is too great to ignore. There is no settling in for a conservative start to this one. The guys on the second row will be a massive threat. The run to T2 is so long and the Ferraris are lethal in a straight line. If Hamilton doesn't pass Bottas at the start, someone else will.

sandman1347 wrote:

Mercedes-Benz wrote:

Black_Flag_11 wrote:Start will be interesting. Think it's between Hamilton and Vettel as Bottas will be a sitting duck into T2.

If I were Hamilton I will be more worried about Vette in the start. He can have Bottas in the pits if he can keep P2 and is close to him. Something that Vettel failed to do in Monza

Nah it's not that type of race. The opportuntiy at the start is too great to ignore. There is no settling in for a conservative start to this one. The guys on the second row will be a massive threat. The run to T2 is so long and the Ferraris are lethal in a straight line. If Hamilton doesn't pass Bottas at the start, someone else will.

Hamilton just needs to stay out of trouble really, if the Ferrari tyre life issue is as bad as it looks then they are going to be in a fairly bad way near the end of the race and Hamilton still needs to be on the track looking to capitalise. No need to go ultra defensive on lap 1, he has that 40 point lead as a huge buffer and it looks like Merc have edged ahead with the car.

Flash2k11 wrote:

sandman1347 wrote:

Mercedes-Benz wrote:

Black_Flag_11 wrote:Start will be interesting. Think it's between Hamilton and Vettel as Bottas will be a sitting duck into T2.

If I were Hamilton I will be more worried about Vette in the start. He can have Bottas in the pits if he can keep P2 and is close to him. Something that Vettel failed to do in Monza

Nah it's not that type of race. The opportuntiy at the start is too great to ignore. There is no settling in for a conservative start to this one. The guys on the second row will be a massive threat. The run to T2 is so long and the Ferraris are lethal in a straight line. If Hamilton doesn't pass Bottas at the start, someone else will.

Hamilton just needs to stay out of trouble really, if the Ferrari tyre life issue is as bad as it looks then they are going to be in a fairly bad way near the end of the race and Hamilton still needs to be on the track looking to capitalise. No need to go ultra defensive on lap 1, he has that 40 point lead as a huge buffer and it looks like Merc have edged ahead with the car.

A lot of times it's when you get too tentative that incidents happen. A good start will mean he can tuck in behind Valteri and take the lead into T2 and the front is by far the safest place to be.

Black_Flag_11 wrote:

TheGiantHogweed wrote:

Black_Flag_11 wrote:Start will be interesting. Think it's between Hamilton and Vettel as Bottas will be a sitting duck into T2.

in 2 out of the 4 races Russia has so far had, the pole sitter was still in the lead at the end of lap 1. Rosberg managed it in both 2015 and 2016. In 2016, he kept Bottas behind and that Williams was faster on the long start. I wouldn't say Bottas will be a sitting duck based on last year and 2014 which were the only years the pole sitter lost the lead this fast. If Bottas gets a good start tomorrow, he'll have a good chance of keeping it. The Ferrari just doesn't seem that quick on the straights here. And Hamilton starts on the dirty side. I think Hamilton is more in danger of loosing a place than Bottas.

Slipstream is more effective on the current gen of cars, plus Ferrari have the mid straight power advantage in their deployment, I can't see Bottas maintaining the lead tomorrow unless Vettel/Hamilton start squabbling.

Slipstream affect is much larger indeed. That is the key.

Even in 2014, Rosberg got ahead but out braked himself
2015, Hamilton got ahead but was on the outside and yielded.

2016 is the only year the pole sitter was actually ahead approaching T1 and that was because Bottas had an awful get away from P2 that year. That’s the only way I see Bottas keeping the lead, if Hamilton gets a bad getaway so Vettel doesn’t get to slipstream Hamilton (passes him immediately) and is too far back to get a good slipstream off Bottas.

I don't see Lewis contesting Valtteri for the lead as long as Sebastian is still behind him. To me it would seem that Merc might even try for a side by side blocking strategy through the first few turns.
With fourty points in hand Lewis can let Valtteri win as long as Seb hasn't made up points on him.

Seeing this flashback could aid the argument whether a slipstream or a better start will make the difference to lead into turn 1:

Race sets available with the drivers:


Source - www.imgur.com

Pirelli's suggested pit stop strategies for the race:

1 Pit stop strategies(Quickest Strategies):
- Ultrasoft / Soft approach, with a pit stop coming after 15 of the scheduled 53 laps.
- Hypersoft / Soft strategy, with a pit stop coming after 9 of the scheduled 53 laps.

2 Pit stop strategies:
- Hypersoft / Soft / Soft option (7 laps before two 23-lap stints).
- Ultrasoft / Soft / Soft approach (10 laps before two 21- and 22-lap stints).

Mort Canard wrote:I don't see Lewis contesting Valtteri for the lead as long as Sebastian is still behind him. To me it would seem that Merc might even try for a side by side blocking strategy through the first few turns.
With fourty points in hand Lewis can let Valtteri win as long as Seb hasn't made up points on him.

I'm not convinced.

While Vettel is still in with a mathematical chance of overhauling Hamilton, I wouldn't be surprised to see team orders enacted if Bottas & Hamilton are running 1st & 2nd. 1 DNF & 1 bad race out of the last 6 from Hamilton and Vettel is right back in it.

With a Ham, Bot, Vet result this weekend , Hamilton would move to 306 pts, Vettel 256. That's 2 complete race wins in front with 5 to go and a much more relaxed situation.

UnlikeUday wrote:Seeing this flashback could aid the argument whether a slipstream or a better start will make the difference to lead into turn 1:

bottas had a much better start there.

Bottas may have pole but I can't see him defending if Hamilton makes a pass... so team orders will be unnecessary, so Vettel's only hope is a lunge at the pair of them really.

ALESI wrote:Bottas may have pole but I can't see him defending if Hamilton makes a pass... so team orders will be unnecessary, so Vettel's only hope is a lunge at the pair of them really.

Taking all 3 of them out, giving Kimi the win and giving us a real battle for P2/3

I pray to God that this will not be another Mercedes's Boring 1-2 win.Where has the ferrari pace gone? Russia is such a wonderful track,hope there is an excitement in Race too

Still raining I hear...

Any update on the rain?

Going by this pic in the tweet, it looks like it has dried & all starting on their allocated dry tyres:

All storming in the the first (real) corner with cold brakes.

If I was one of the first two cars I think I would deliberately over cook it and run wide if needed just not to get stuffed in the rear end. Easier to regather than have to pit or retire.

It feels like every race since Canada we've almost had rain without a lot of it ever falling.

It's dry but look at that scary sky:


Source - http://www.imgur.com

Herbert said a minute or so ago that this is the direction the weather is going, so those clouds have already been and gone.

I quite like this track but I wish they ran some of the corners to the inside wall to make a really fast complex of corners rather than tightening them all up. It really could've been a great circuit if they'd had the balls.

I'd say this start puts the idea to rest, that Ferrari have the better PU ...

Holy! That slipstream is powerful, Hamilton was going to be overtaken there and ended up side by side with Bottas.

hell of a move by Leclerc

Black_Flag_11 wrote:Holy! That slipstream is powerful, Hamilton was going to be overtaken there and ended up side by side with Bottas.

I don't believe, that was only because of the slipstream.

zaar wrote:

Black_Flag_11 wrote:Holy! That slipstream is powerful, Hamilton was going to be overtaken there and ended up side by side with Bottas.

I don't believe, that was only because of the slipstream.

Must have been surely, Hamilton had a worse start and has the same equipment as Bottas.

Incredible start from Max! A late safety car and he could be looking good for a late dash on the hypers

Great work by Bottas at the start

Black_Flag_11 wrote:

zaar wrote:

Black_Flag_11 wrote:Holy! That slipstream is powerful, Hamilton was going to be overtaken there and ended up side by side with Bottas.

I don't believe, that was only because of the slipstream.

Must have been surely, Hamilton had a worse start and has the same equipment as Bottas.

Bottas helped Hamilton big time then.

8 laps from back to front. I don't if we've seen a great moment of sport or a terrible one.

Bottas is going to lose Mercedes this race, they need to move him out the way.

Vettel will undercut the pair of them

Johnson wrote:Bottas is going to lose Mercedes this race, they need to move him out the way.

Vettel will undercut the pair of them

it does seem Hamilton is faster than bottas