Russian Grand Prix: Presentation of the Sochi Circuit
The Russian Grand Prix of Formula 1 will be the only race of the season held on an entirely new track. An opportunity to look back at its history and features.
Circuit sheet
Name: Sochi Autodrom
Location: Sochi
First race: 2014
Number of laps: 53
Circuit length: 5.8 km
Race distance: 310.3 km
History
This weekend marks a historic first: Formula 1 is setting foot in Russia. Despite its significant sports history, Russia does not have a rich history in motorsports. The last Grand Prix held in Russia was in Saint Petersburg in 1914. It was not until the 1980s that the idea of bringing F1 to the country was considered.
In 1982, while the Cold War was still in full swing, Bernie Ecclestone met with the President of the USSR, Leonid Brezhnev, to set up a Soviet Union Grand Prix around Red Square, scheduled for 1983. However, for logistical reasons, it was canceled. Discussions only resumed in 2001 following the rise to power of current President Vladimir Putin. Several projects were proposed, mainly in Moscow, but ultimately, Sochi ended up securing the deal in 2010, capitalizing on the momentum from the 2014 Winter Olympics. The contract duration is seven years.
The circuit in detail (from the Renault Sport F1 press release)
The characteristics of the Sochi track are not unknown to the small world of Formula 1; the circuit resembles the layouts of Singapore, which F1 has been visiting since 2008, and Valencia, where Formula 1 last raced in 2012. A high-speed layout interspersed with tight corners that winds through the streets of the Olympic Village from the 2014 Winter Olympics.
The lap will be negotiated at an average of 200 km/h, and full throttle should reach 56% of the lap. With a lap distance of 5.848 km, it is one of the longest circuits of the year. The lap begins with a first full-throttle period of about 14 seconds, including the pit straight and then a right-hand curve which shouldn’t be slowed down for, before reaching turn 2. The engine as well as the turbocharger will be subjected to high stress.
The second sector is more conducive to energy recovery through the MGU-K, with two deceleration zones located at turns 2 and 4, each braking phase reducing speed to 100 km/h and lasting about 2.5 seconds. The section at the other end of the circuit consists of similar sequences, which will be tricky to negotiate, but it offers several overtaking opportunities like at turn 13, where drivers will be at around 85 km/h.
In the final sector, we find the second full-throttle section which is located between turn 10 and turn 13, the sector ends with a series of corners between turns 14 and 19 where we find the famous 90° corners specific to street circuits.
The circuit will feature two DRS zones: the first one from turn 1 to the braking of turn 2, with a detection point located just after the start/finish line, and the second one from turn 11 to the braking of turn 13, with a detection point located before the braking of turn 10.
Every new race brings its share of uncertainty and requires particularly intense preparation; the proximity to the Singapore Grand Prix helps in the combination of tight corners and straights where engine power plays a key role.
