Untouchable in Sochi, has Mercedes already secured victory in Russia?

Men lie, numbers don't. In Russia, Mercedes displays, at least in the race, a success rate of 100%. Integrated into the World Championship calendar F1 in 2014, the Russian round saw only three drivers leave with the winner's trophy: Nico Rosberg (2016), Lewis Hamilton (2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019) and Valtteri Bottas (2017 and 2020). A fact that could happen for the 8th time this weekend.

« We can't wait to race in Russia, admit Toto wolff who never lacked champagne on site. It's a circuit that has been successful for us over the years and our two drivers have achieved very good results there. We hope to continue our run of success but we know it's a completely different story this year. We are expecting an intense weekend ».

Bluff?

If Toto Wolff is wary as the 15th round of the season approaches, Mercedes is currently the big favorite for victory in Sochi. And for good reason ! Penalized by three places after his collision with Lewis Hamilton at Monza, Max Verstappen will not be able to do better than 4th place in qualifying, giving the Silver Arrows a first advantage even before the race. In addition, the Dutchman could be forced to start from the back of the grid since he will have to use a 4th engine, thus exceeding the allocation authorized by the sporting authorities. It remains to be seen if Red Bull will do it now or will wait to see how the weekend progresses to make a final choice.

Lewis Hamilton has won 4 times in Russia. ©DPPI/A. Vincent

Max Verstappen sanctioned and potentially last on the grid, Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas therefore appear as the main candidates for their own succession in the lands of Vladimir Putin. In a circuit where the recent single-seaters manufactured in Brackley have been impressive in recent years, the two strong men of Toto Wolff could “fight” among themselves again for victory in Russia without being pushed around by their racing colleagues.

On the way to the 8th

With a Valtteri Bottas with an almost new engine and a vengeful Lewis Hamilton after the trans disappointmentalpine a fortnight ago, Mercedes has all the cards in its hands. On a track where top speed is crucial with fast turns in the first part, the W12s could do well to offer an 8th victory in a row in Russia to the German manufacturer.

Mercedes, a team that knows the taste of champagne in Sochi. ©DPPI/X. Bonilla

« Our goal is to have a solid weekend, starting in FP1 and going session by session., explains Toto Wolff. Lewis is in the 10th title battle of his career and he is very focused on what he needs to do in the next 8 races. As for Valtteri, he is driving better than ever as we saw at Monza. He will be on the floor every weekend ». 

While Max Verstappen seems doomed to the feat this weekend, the Silver Arrows seem destined to once again achieve glory on the shores of the Black Sea. It is now up to Mercedes to make the right strategic choice to return to success even if we already have a small idea of ​​what should happen on the track on Sunday if the Englishman and the Finn dominate.

What to start with @ValtteriBottas 🤯

The Flying Finn shot for the stars and succeeded in this spectacular Sochi run 💫#RussianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/L2jI9vahfw

- Formula 1 (@ F1) September 22, 2021