Sochi International Street Circuit, with its wonderful setting, which encompasses everything from mountains to beaches, to the port, popular with tourists and the Olympic Park which is actually home to the circuit, has hosted the Russian Formula 1 Grand Prix every year since 2014.

Features of the Sochi track

At 5.8 kilometres, the Sochi Autodrom is the third longest on the calendar, after Spa and Silverstone. Around 2 kilometres runs on normal roads and therefore the track condition evolves over the course of the weekend, given that the facility is hardly used during the year, meaning there won’t be much grip during the first free practice sessions.

Sochi race track is not particularly demanding on the brakes: there are 12 braking points and the average deceleration is 3.7G. In braking terms, the key to running the race however is as always, to look after the temperatures of the frictional components.

Therefore, choosing the correct size of brake cooling ducts is critical, so as to obtain the optimal operating temperature for the brakes. The hardest point is Turn 2 where the drivers have to hit the pedal with a force of 165 Kg, while being subjected to a deceleration of 5.5G.

Mercedes has won all seven Russian GPs disputed to date on the International Circuit of Sochi, with Lewis Hamilton taking 4 of those victories.