Russian Grand Prix 2021 — Weekend Preview

Round 15 of the 2021 Formula 1 World Championship takes the field to Sochi, Russia. Lewis Hamilton leads the championship with 25 points, 7 points ahead of Max Verstappen.

Driver Championship (entering R15):
P1: Lewis Hamilton — 25 pts (1W, 1P)
P2: Max Verstappen — 18 pts (0W, 1P)
P3: Valtteri Bottas — 16 pts (0W, 1P)
P4: Lando Norris — 12 pts (0W, 0P)
P5: Sergio Perez — 10 pts (0W, 0P)

Constructor Championship:
P1: Mercedes — 41 pts
P2: Red Bull Racing — 28 pts
P3: McLaren — 18 pts
P4: Ferrari — 12 pts
P5: AlphaTauri — 2 pts

Sochi is a balanced challenge.

Recent winners at Sochi:
- 2020: Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
- 2019: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
- 2018: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

Tyre strategy data will be available after practice sessions provide degradation information.

Battles to watch:

Championship battle: Lewis Hamilton vs Max Verstappen — 7 points separate them.

P3 vs P4: Valtteri Bottas (16) vs Lando Norris (12) — just 4 points apart.
P4 vs P5: Lando Norris (12) vs Sergio Perez (10) — just 2 points apart.
P5 vs P6: Sergio Perez (10) vs Charles Leclerc (8) — just 2 points apart.