Formula 1

F1 2020: Russian Grand Prix Preview

by
Darry Worthington
September 25, 2020

Darry Worthington previews the 2020 Russian Grand Prix, which will be held at the Sochi Autodrom on Sunday the 27th of September.

Image Copyright – Steve Haag Sports
Two women looking excitedly at cellphone

After a two week break, Formula 1 will make its return with the drivers set to take on the challenging Sochi Autodrom. The track has been dominated by Mercedes in recent years with a Silver Arrow winning all six races staged in Russia since the country returned to the circuit back in 2014.

Will anyone be able to stop the dominant force in F1 or will Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes team edge ever closer to yet another championship double?

Russian Grand Prix
Sunday 27 September
Sochi Autodrom
13:10

To Win Race Outright
Lewis Hamilton 4/10
Valterri Bottas 33/10

Max Verstappen 11/2
Sergio Perez 40/1
Daniel Ricciardo 60/1
Lance Stroll 66/1
Alexander Albion 80/1

Carlos Sainz 100/1

Previous Race

After the drama of Monza, the status quo was returned out in Tuscany with Mercedes racking up yet another one-two finish that saw ace Lewis Hamilton claim his sixth win of the season.

His teammate, Valterri Bottas, was followed across the line by Red Bull rookie, Alexander Albion, who managed to make it a good day for his side despite his teammate Max Verstappen failing to finish the race.

The remainder of the top 6 featured some regular faces with Daniel Ricciardo claiming fourth, Carlos Sainz taking fifth and Lando Norris taking sixth.

With Verstappen, Carlos Sainz and Pierre Gasley retiring, there was always going to be room for the likes of Alphatauri to claim some points, and so they did with Danil Kvyat taking seventh. Kvyat was followed across the line by a Ferrari trio with Charles LeClerc taking eight, former driver Kimi Raikonnen claiming ninth, and Sebastian Vettel taking 10th.

Track
Picturesque, yet menacing. The Sochi Autodrom is one of those tracks that split opinion among drivers and fans. Covering some 5.853 kilometres, the circuit is certainly on the long side of the spectrum. It also contains some blindingly quick segments and some incredibly slow corners – like Russia itself, this track is full of contrasts.

In terms of the weather forecast for this weekend, the local weather bureau is predicting clear skies across the three days of action with temperatures ranging between lows of 19 degrees and highs of 27 degrees (*the temperatures are in calculus).

Last year’s race was dominated by Mercedes with Lewis Hamilton taking race honours and the fastest lap, while Valterri Bottas secured second on the podium. The top three was rounded out by Ferrari’s Charles LeClerc who also qualified on pole.

Value Bet

Podium Finish – Danie Ricciardo – Yes @ 6/1
This is a massive speculator and I advise a really small stake on it, but I’m feeling the Daniel Ricciardo podium finish this weekend.

The forgotten man of Formula 1 seems to be getting a bit more out of his Renault with the Australian managing a fourth-place finish in Tuscany, a sixth-place finish at Monza and another fourth-place finish in Belgian.

I reckon Ricciardo will land himself back on the podium sooner rather than later, which is why I’m backing him to come good this Sunday.

To Win Race Outright

Lewis Hamilton @ 4/10
The Brit has won four of the last five Russian Grand Prix and was all-conquering at last year’s event. He has also been in solid touch this season winning six of this year’s eight Grand Prix.

While Hamilton is extremely short for the win here, I do think he’s the right person to back to take race honours.