2014 Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix

[Killramos]

Originally Posted by thebishman

You might want to remember that prior to the Olympics, the Russians had not invaded a sovereign European country, (Ukraine); annexed Crimea, and shot down a commercial airliner. There are now large economic sanctions against Russia in force not just by the U.S. but also the EU.

This is all about money as far as Bernie is concerned. He cares nothing about "sport being above politics".

And to our Canadian friends, I personally am appalled at some of the bonehead moves that the U.S. and UK have done in the last 10 years or so.

What do the US and UK have to do with Canada?

[E90SLAM]

F1 drivers expect the Sochi Autodrom, which will host the first Russian Grand Prix this weekend, to be similar to former F1 venues Valencia and South Korea – as well as Yas Marina.

The 5.8-kilometre Sochi Autodrom, designed by Hermann Tilke, is laid out around the site used for the Winter Olympics earlier this year.

Jenson Button compared the track to two venues which are no longer on the F1 calendar.

“From what I’ve seen of the place, it’s sort of a mix between the tracks we raced on in Valencia and Korea,” he said. “Plenty of long, fast straights hemmed in by concrete walls and high barriers, and a selection of medium-speed corners that seem to have been designed to test the abilities of a car.”

However McLaren team mate Kevin Magnussen likened it to the circuit which will host the final round of this year’s world championship.

“The layout sort of looks a little bit like Abu Dhabi,” he said. “It has the curving straights into very precise, tight corners, which will really require a lot from the car because it’ll be trying to snap away mid-turn. Like Yas Marina, it looks pretty flat, too.”

Magnussen expressed concern about the difficulty of overtaking at the Sochi circuit. “There are no particularly big stops or opportunities where you can really place your car up the inside,” he said.

“Turn 11, which is the right-hander at the end of the back straight, might be a good possibility. Turn 13 could be an option, too.”

However Romain Grosjean said he had a more positive impression of the circuit after driving it on the Lotus simulator.

“It didn’t look very sexy from the outside but it actually seems to be really good fun,” he said. “There’s a great mix of corners and some good high speed areas too.”

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2014/10/0...a-south-korea/

[E90SLAM]

All drivers will put this sticker on their helmets on this weekend's Russian GP.

Forza Jules!!!!

[E90SLAM]

Sad press conference.

[ashtaron14]

Lets hope Sochi F1GP will be more exciting than Formula E's Beijing Race (other than the last corner of the last lap).

[E90SLAM]

Only 21 cars will be running this weekend.
Marussia will run just one car in respect of Jules.

[E9TOU]

Despite Jules' situation, I was hoping to see Alexander Rossi participate in his first F1 race this weekend. There's always the chance that he'll get to race in the US GP which should be fitting. It's great to see all the drivers coming together in support of Jules.

[E9TOU]

In other news: Honda's engine sound debuts in this video.

[onatuesday]

Originally Posted by jsublime

My thoughts exactly, hey let's make every turn a 90 degree corner. Track has no flow. I'm sure it would have looked better if he was driving an M4/5/6.

I agree with Kevin Magnussen it reminds me a lot of Abu Dhabi. I can't comment what it's like to watch a race there, but driving on the track is actually quite fun. I'd say even more fun that COTA

[E90SLAM]

Jules car in the garage

[solstice]

Originally Posted by E90SLAM

Jules car in the garage

Powerful image, really hard to to look at taken the emotions it stirs.

[hellrotm]

Hopefully they let Rossi race at COTA.

[escobar929]

Originally Posted by E90SLAM

Only 21 cars will be running this weekend.
Marussia will run just one car in respect of Jules.

would have liked to see Alexander Rossi but I'm glad they're doing this

[E90SLAM]

Qualifying result

1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1’38.513
2 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1’38.713
3 Valtteri Bottas Williams-Mercedes 1’38.920
4 Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1’39.121
5 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso-Renault 1’39.277
6 Kevin Magnussen McLaren-Mercedes 1’39.629
7 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull-Renault 1’39.635
8 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1’39.709
9 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1’39.771
10 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Renault 1’40.020
11 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1’40.052
12 Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1’40.058
13 Sergio Perez Force India-Mercedes 1’40.163
14 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1’40.536
15 Adrian Sutil Sauber-Ferrari 1’40.984
16 Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1’41.397
17 Marcus Ericsson Caterham-Renault 1’42.648
18 Felipe Massa Williams-Mercedes 1’43.064
19 Kamui Kobayashi Caterham-Renault 1’43.166
20 Pastor Maldonado Lotus-Renault 1’43.205
21 Max Chilton Marussia-Ferrari 1’43.649

[M_Six]

Bottas brought the only drama to an otherwise ho-hum quali. Shame Massa had fuel pressure problems.

Ferrari lagging again.

[hellrotm]

Originally Posted by M_Six

Bottas brought the only drama to an otherwise ho-hum quali.

It isn't ho-hum when you want Mercedes to win everything.

[escobar929]

Originally Posted by BlackJetE90

It isn't ho-hum when you want Mercedes to win everything.

[SenorFunkyPants]

Rossi will race at Austin.

[solstice]

Good to see JB being fast for a 2nd time in a row and I was hoping for Bottas to claim pole, it was so close but then nooooo at the very end. Could be pretty interesting tomorrow behind Lewis.

[dim635csi]

Slow (square) 15-16-17-18 turns and tricky pit entry...

[jhynes]

Originally Posted by Petros

Russia's transgressions are trivial compared to what the US has done, so maybe there should be sanctions on the US and the US GP should be canceled

Are you kidding? Do you understand anything about geopolitics? The US is no angel, but at the end of the day is a true functional democracy with rule of law, real competitive elections, a true independent judiciary, an independent media, and general transparency at all levels of government (if somewhat imperfect).

Russia has again become a police state controlled by a single party/leader, aggressively using KGB-style tactics and military power to impinge on the sovereignty of Ukraine, and other regions.

There is a world of difference between these two countries...

[Petros]

Originally Posted by jhynes

The US is no angel, but at the end of the day is a true functional democracy with rule of law, real competitive elections, a true independent judiciary, an independent media, and general transparency at all levels of government (if somewhat imperfect).

.

And............ we have the first Canadian brainwashed Faux News fanboy. Let me guess, you also think Harper is a great leader too, right?