?? THE 2018 VTB RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX
Round 16. 28th – 30th September.
992nd F1 Grand Prix | 7th Russian Grand Prix | 5th Grand Prix at the Sochi Autodrom
2017 POLESITTER: SEBASTIAN VETTEL | 2017 WINNER: VALTTERI BOTTAS
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday 28th September
Free Practice 1 (11am Local Time/ 9am UK Time)
Free Practice 2 (3pm Local Time/ 1pm UK Time)
Saturday 29th September
Free Practice 3 (12pm Local Time/ 10am UK Time)
Qualifying (3pm Local Time/ 1pm UK Time)
Sunday 30th September
The 2018 Russian Grand Prix (2:10pm Local Time/ 12:10pm UK Time)
Stats and Facts
- Mercedes are the only team to have taken a win in Russia.
- Mercedes have taken three out of four poles here, Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari took the 2017 pole.
- This weekend marks milestones for the two Force drivers. It’s Esteban Ocon’s 50th start and Sergio Perez’s 150th start.
- Valtteri Bottas has the opportunity to equal Lewis Hamilton’s record tally of two victories in Sochi this weekend.
- Both Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel have taken one pole here. Either of them could equal Nico Rosberg’s record this weekend.
Find more track facts in the Ultimate Guide to the Sochi Autodrom!
?? Local Heroes
Sergey Sirotkin becomes the second Russian to start his home Grand Prix in Formula One. Sirotkin made his debut F1 appearance at this track in 2014, where he drove in First Practice for Sauber. He also made Practice appearances at the Sochi Autodrom in 2016 and 2017 with Renault. The Russian finished fourth here in the Feature Race in the 2015 GP2 Series.
Press Conference Schedules
The Drivers’ Press Conference will take place on Thursday 27th September. The press conference will be split into two parts, with three drivers appearing in the first part, and a further three in the second part. The drivers appearing in front of the media will be:
| Valtteri Bottas |
| Marcus Ericsson |
| Charles Leclerc |
| Sergey Sirotkin |
The Team Principals’ Press Conference will take place shortly after Free Practice 2. Appearing in front of the media will be:
| Cyril Abiteboul |
| Mario Isola |
| Otmar Szafnauer |
| Toto Wolff |
Driver Steward
Each weekend a former Formula One driver, or a driver from another prominent series of motorsport, joins the stewards to help judge any incidents from a drivers’ perspective. The Driver Steward for the 2018 Russian Grand Prix is Emanuele Pirro.
Weather Forecast
The weather forecast for the week ahead at the Sochi Autodrom currently looks like this:
Fastest Ever Lap
1:33.194
The fastest ever lap of the circuit was set by Sebastian Vettel in 2017. Will it be beaten over the 2018 Russian Grand Prix weekend?
Tyre Choices
Pirelli will supply Soft, Ultrasoft and Hypeersoft tyres for the Russian Grand Prix.
Each driver’s choice of tyre can be seen below.
2017 Fastest Lap in each Session
The table below shows the fastest lap set in each session of the 2017 Russian Grand Prix weekend:
| Free Practice 1 | 1:36.074 (Kimi Raikkonen) |
| Free Practice 2 | 1:34.120 (Sebastian Vettel) |
| Free Practice 3 | 1:34.001 (Sebastian Vettel) |
| Qualifying | 1:33.194 (Sebastian Vettel) |
| Grand Prix | 1:36.844 (Kimi Raikkonen) |