F1Weekly Podcast # 851

CLARK AND NASIR BOTH ENJOYED THEIR 24 HOURS OF LE MANS BREAK AND NOW PREPARE FOR MORE LCH REALITY, MOTOSPORTS MONDIAL IS OUTSTANDING AND GARRY IS OFF TO RUSSIA WITH LOVE!

Five Things to Look Out for in Sochi
After the triple-header of speed, Russia is a different prospect. Gone are the high lateral demands of cornering and in comes what is effectively a street circuit. While it looks low-speed, Sochi features predominantly medium-speed corners – usually in the 120-140km/h speed range. Being mainly 90-degree corners, you spend plenty of time on corner entry and require good traction on exit.

The long sweeping Turn 3 left-hander looks dramatic, but it’s taken flat in Qualifying trim and doesn’t tend to challenge the driver or car dramatically. After experiencing little in the way of stress up until this point, Turn 3 puts a lot of demand on the front-right tyre and requires careful management.

The DRS effect is one of the most powerful on the 2020 calendar, with a benefit of 0.6 seconds per lap in Qualifying with DRS engaged. But it’s also not a simple drag race, with the activation point on exit of the final corner making it essential the driver follows the car ahead closely and gets good traction on in order to get the chance to activate DRS in the race.

The C5 compound will appear for the first time in 2020 at Sochi, and it will also feature at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. In contrast, Mugello featured the C1 due to the high demands on the tyres.

We’ve seen plenty of drama in the past on the opening laps at Turn 2, and this is influenced by the fact drivers approach with tyres and brakes not up to optimum temperature, because Turn 1 is effectively a kink rather than a proper corner.

Play Podcast: 09-22-20f1weekly851.mp3