2014 Russian GP Pre-Race Stats

Right, Russian GP, always easy to write stats for a track that’s never been used, even harder for a country that’s never hosted an F1 race.

The Sochi Autodrom is 5.848km long with 53 laps, total race distance of 309.732km making it the second longest race of the season, behind only Sepang, and the third longest lap behind Spa and Silverstone. Hard to really tell with no data to go on, but I estimate that the laptimes at the Russian GP will be between 1:45 and 1:55.

There has never been an F1 race in Russia before, but there were two Russian GPs in the 1910s, both won by Benz cars, so that makes Mercedes the most successful team in Russia, right?

Just two Russian drivers have raced in F1, Vitaly Petrov from 2010 to 2012 and soon to be Red Bull driver Daniil Kvyat.

Can’t really think of anything else to put, so, Bianchi. His accident should never have happened and I hope it never will again, something needs to be done. In the short term throwing out a safety car every time a vehicle needs to be recovered could work. Long term? Perhaps purpose built FIA recovery vehicles, designed to be as safe to crash into as possible, lower to the ground, nothing around head height. Or even enclosed cockpits with jet fighter-like canopies, which is something the FIA have tested previously.

The Silly Stats

You would need 13,883,126 bottles of Vodka to cover the Sochi Autodrom track surface. That is enough Vodka to fill over five Olympic sized swimming pools.

#ForzaJules