Sahara Force India in Sochi. Image courtesy of Sahara Force India
Russia. A new destination for Formula 1. A green, untried track, a street-like circuit, and a shadow hanging over F1 after Jules Bianchi’s horrific crash in Japan, which sees him still in hospital, and still not having recovered consciousness.
As with every Grand Prix this year, you can enter our FVL F1 Podium Winners Competition to win £50 of vouchers if you correctly guess the podium. Click here to enter by adding your prediction – full terms and conditions here.
Big news of the day: Massa starts P18; Vettel fails to qualify for Q3
Qualifying was notable for the dropping of Felipe Massa in Q1, with as yet unknown engine or fuel pressure problems in a car that both he and his team-mate Bottas had proved in practice to be very fast. Q2 held few surprises, other than Sebastian Vettel’s elimination, as he struggled to control the back end of the car throughout his laps, acknowledging that he had perhaps a too aggressive strategy, expecting the track’s grip to evolve faster.
Bottas was close to snatching pole from Hamilton, but just lost it on the penultimate turn with a lockup, and then slid into the final turn having to apply opposite lock. But the Williams looks fast for the race. Russian Daniil Kvyat pleased himself and the Russian crowd to put his Toro Rosso fifth on the grid. Both Toro Rossos were strong in practice, so don’t rule out a podium for the young man headed to Red Bull next year. The McLarens both showed good pace, and it looks like race strategy and the timing and reaction to any safety car appearance might be the decisive factor in deciding the result behind the dominant Mercedes.
Qualifying results
Qualifying results courtesy of Formula1.com
Enter our free FVL F1 Podium Winners Competition to win a £50 Voucher
- Add your prediction with a comment below… good luck!
As with every Formula 1 race this year, we are holding the FVL F1 Podium Winners Competition – just guess the correct 1-2-3 on the podium by entering your prediction at least an hour before the race starts, to win.
The prize for a correct entry is the winner’s choice of a £50 value of either an iTunes Gift Card, a Google Play Gift Card or an Amazon Gift Card. A winner will be drawn at random if more than one entrant correctly posts the winning 1-2-3. Full Competition Terms and Conditions are here but in essence, you have to be UK resident, and aged 18+. We won’t add you to any mailing lists, or share your details.
Add your 1-2-3 prediction in a comment below – at least an hour before the race starts, please! For example, you might enter –
- Hamilton
- Rosberg
- Kvyat
by Jim Richards, Manchester
- Please use the hashtags #f1fvl and #myfvl if you share your entry socially, and do join FVL socially online. Good luck!
No winning entries for the Russian GP. Podium result was 1: Hamilton 2: Rosberg 3: Bottas. See you in 3 weeks time!