F1 Russian GP 2021: full race start time Sochi GP

F1 2021 Russian GP: Timetable and race schedule.

Russian GP, Pirelli’s choice

For the Russian track, Pirelli has always opted for very soft compounds and this year the choice is confirmed as we will see the compounds on the track: C3 (Hard-White Band), C4 (Medium-Yellow Band) and C5 (Soft-Red Band).

Sochi is not a very demanding track for the tyres, but what the riders have to be careful about is above all in the management of the tyre stress caused by the continuous acceleration and braking with the latter that can lead to locks that damage the performance of the tyre.

READ: TYRES – WHAT IS BLISTERING AND GRAINING

The characteristics of the Sochi circuit

The track built around the Olympic village that hosted the Winter Olympics in 2014 is a medium-high downforce track, with many 90° curves characteristic of Hermann Tilke’s hand, but with a very long left turn that is a real semi-circumference.

The best opportunities for overtaking are at the end of the two long straights that are on this track, while the third sector is mainly composed of right-angle corners, where the mechanical grip generated by the suspension can make a big difference.

There will be two DRS zones: the first on the main straight that will be activated shortly after turn 1 until turn two, while the second is the one at the end of the second sector that goes from turn 11 to turn 13.

Giovinazzi trying to ignore rumours as he fights to keep Alfa Romeo seat for 2022

Monza staged the second experiment of the Sprint Qualifying on Saturday after the first act at Silverstone in England. The format led some riders to express their disappointment in front of the Sprint Qualifying, with Sergio Perez who was decidedly drastic in defining the qualifying mini-race as a useless session that offers nothing to the race weekend. Liberty Media and the FIA are trying to carry out experiments to increase the action on the track and make the race weekends more captivating, hence the advance of qualifying on Friday with the introduction of a Sprint Qualifying on Saturday afternoon valid to define the starting grid of the real Grand Prix always scheduled for Sunday.

Alain Prost

“I think F1 has to ask itself why it is experimenting and what it wants to achieve, if it gets to the point for example of introducing reverse grid I will abandon F1. We must not abandon the tradition and DNA of this sport, in which the best driver and the best car win.”

The four-time world champion would not even like the assignment of points for pole position: “For sure it would be more in line with meritocracy to assign points to those who put the car faster on the track than an inverted starting grid, but I would not be in favor of this novelty either”.

Race start time for F1 Russian GP (CEST).

Friday 24th September:

• Free Practise 1       10:30-11:30
• Free Practise 2    14:00-15:00

Saturday 25th September:

• Free Practise 3        11:00-12:00
• Qualifying       14:00-15:00

Sunday 26th September:

• Race                        14:00-16:00