F1 2021 Round 15:Russian Grand Prix 2021

Joeface · 23-09-2021 9:34am #1

Weather

Schedule

FP1 Fri, 24 Sept 09:30

FP2 Fri, 24 Sept 13:00

FP3 Sat, 25 Sept 10:00

QU Sat, 25 Sept 13:00

Race Sun, 26 Sept 13:00

So yeah Russia . can't say I'm a fan . Leclerc gets the Ferrari Engine up date so that interesting and also Mercedes and Redbull might play engine penalties roulette , that might be fun too , having Those three at the back of the grid might make it fun .

MadYaker · 23-09-2021 1:46pm

Looks like a wet quali and a dry race, the other way around would be more interesting. Is Leclerc definitely starting at the back?

Joeface · 23-09-2021 2:57pm

Yes he is

story linked :D

Ferrari to debut updated F1 hybrid system at Russian GP (autosport.com)

Frank Bullitt · 23-09-2021 2:58pm

The rain there right now is bonkers, Spa 2.0 on the way...

flazio · 23-09-2021 4:46pm

I remain confident that Sochi has a better chance to get a wet race going then Spa.

Bottas must be a rare favourite for the win surely?

klose · 23-09-2021 10:47pm

For the year that's in it an exciting Sochi GP might not be beyond the realms of possibility with what's happened already.

I think a wet quali giving us a bit of a shaken up grid for Sunday could be a good spectacle, even more so of Max takes a new power unit and starts at the bank with Leclerc.

McFly85 · 24-09-2021 9:16am

I can’t stand listening to Hill. Still banging the drum about the crash in Italy.

When Hamilton left a wheel in at Silverstone his response was “we want to see close hard racing”.

I wouldn’t mind nearly as much if I disagreed but he was consistent.

McFly85 · 24-09-2021 9:22am

So looks like it could be relatively dry on Sunday-be interesting to see what RB decide.

I think the only way they don’t take the penalty is if they start inside the top 5, or they get incredibly lucky and Hamilton crashes out of quali.

Frank Bullitt · 24-09-2021 11:58am

From the sounds of it, it will be a wet qualy. So strategies for the race will be interesting.

Joeface · 24-09-2021 12:22pm

FP1

Frank Bullitt · 24-09-2021 1:15pm

All new PU for Max, starts last.

Makes sense.

Joeface · 24-09-2021 2:23pm

This may be relevant if the weather goes as currently predicted and Qualifaction cannot take places , these are the times they will use ...........I probably wont go that way but they insisted on repeating it a number of time during the coverage .

skipper_G · 24-09-2021 2:55pm

It's just dawned on me that they have both F2 and F3 as support races this weekend. That's 6 races to fit in, the schedule for Saturday is packed, any rain delays will wreak havoc

SureYWouldntYa · 24-09-2021 3:02pm

It's such a flat circuit too, I wonder what the drainage is like

Joeface · 24-09-2021 3:43pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117933693#Comment_117933693

They brought the F3 race forward to today to free up some schedule time tomorrow.

MadYaker · 24-09-2021 4:46pm

Verstappen is taking the new engine so him and Leclerc will be starting from the back. Might make it interesting. How do they decide who starts dead last? Will it depend on quali? Leclerc's Ferrari looks quick in practice.

Captain_Crash · 24-09-2021 5:12pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117934180#Comment_117934180

The penalties are added up! Max already has the 3 place pen along with the engine penalty, so if he qualifies 1st and then has a theoretical 23 place grid pen and Le Clerc qualifies 2nd and has a 20 place grid pen then Le Clerc will start 19th and Max 20th. I think it’s 5 places for the engine and additional places for other parts which can be added also! (Like Bottas two weeks ago) so it also depends on how many penalties they each took to begin with vs where each of them qualify.

McFly85 · 24-09-2021 5:23pm

So if Max is going to start from the back, would it not just suit him to skip quali/do a handy lap and go out in Q1 to preserve tyres for the race?

flazio · 24-09-2021 10:28pm

Still has to do a 108% lap of pole doesn't he?

El_Duderino 09 · 24-09-2021 10:48pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117935613#Comment_117935613

True (used to be 107% but might have changed) bit they could do that no bother. There's tolerance of over 6 seconds with a 91 second lap. And the difference between the fastest and slowest quali lap last year was about 4 seconds.

So if max wants to do a lap thst is within the allowed time and still is eliminated in q1, they could do it without issue. I don't think it's Max's brand to take the easy option. But we'll see what he does tomorrow.