Thousands of fans, a taboo and special numbers: everything about the Russian GP

For the Russian Grand Prix, Formula 1 is opening its doors significantly wider to spectators for the first time. According to the organizers, around 31.000 fans should be in the stands for the tenth race of the season on Sunday (13.10:XNUMX p.m.), even though the number of people infected with corona in the vast country has recently risen significantly again. Lewis Hamilton could achieve a special record in front of what is by far the biggest crowd this season so far. Who is the favorite at the Sochi Autodrom? World Cup leader Hamilton probably only has to fear his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas at the 2014 Olympic site. A Silver Arrows driver won all six races in Sochi, four of which were Hamilton. Extra motivation for the 35-year-old is the chance to equal Michael Schumacher's fabulous record with his 91st Grand Prix victory. In the overall World Cup standings, Hamilton is already 55 points ahead of the Finn Bottas, who won his first Formula 1 race in Sochi three years ago, at the halfway point of the season. What are Ferrari's chances this time? Ferrari is likely to be just as hopelessly inferior in Sochi as it was two weeks ago in Mugello at the team's 1000th Grand Prix. In the chaos of the accident in Tuscany, Sebastian Vettel and stable rival Charles Leclerc barely saved a few points in tenth and eighth place. But the season has long been written off. Even a slight aerodynamic update in Sochi will not change this. “We don’t expect this small package to make a big difference,” said Ferrari sports director Laurent Mekies. That's a bleak outlook for Vettel's 250th Grand Prix start. And who else is in focus? Kimi Räikkönen also reached a milestone this weekend. With his 322nd start in Formula 1, the Finn equalized the record set by the Brazilian Rubens Barrichello. It was 19 years, six months and 23 days ago on Sunday that Räikkönen made his debut in the premier class of motorsport in a Sauber racing car. The “Iceman” achieved 21 victories in Formula 1, reaching his peak in 2007 with the World Cup triumph. Räikkönen is still the last Ferrari world champion to date. The 40-year-old is now driving an Alfa Romeo and is a blatant outsider in Sochi.

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Thousands of fans, a taboo and special numbers: everything about the Russian GP

The Formula 1 guest appearance in Russia could provide some statistical milestones. Sebastian Vettel is starting a Grand Prix for the 250th time, Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Räikkönen are even setting extraordinary records.

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