Daimler : 2018 Russian Grand Prix - Preview

Throwing forward to Round 16 of the 2018 Formula One season at the Sochi Autodrom in Russia

• Toto Talks Russia
• Three Questions for Toto
• Stat Attack: Russia and Beyond

Toto Talks Russia

'We showed an excellent performance in Singapore and the victory was a fantastic reward for all the hard work that had gone into it. But it also reinforced another point: there are no easy wins this season. We have to fight hard for every bit of performance in order to have a chance to fight for victories.

'This fight will continue in Russia. The Sochi Autodrom features some interesting characteristics, particularly the long straight into Turn 2 which will make the race start very challenging. With the race being held in late September, we're going back to weather conditions that will be similar to those of 2014 and 2015, when the Russian Grand Prix took place in early October. We don't have any data from the current regulation cars in those conditions in Sochi, so this adds another challenge to the race.

'We have a good track record in Sochi but we know that Ferrari and Red Bull will give it everything to break our winning streak, so we must fight as hard as ever to make sure we bring home as many points as possible.'

Three Questions for Toto

Toto Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport lead the Constructors' Championship by 37 points, Lewis leads by 40 points in the Drivers' standing. How does this change the approach for the rest of the season?

'It's obviously better to have a lead than to not have it, but there are six races remaining and plenty of points to score, so it doesn't give us any comfort. We will continue to concentrate on every single session, trying to optimise the car in every possible area - and we will go for the race win. There is no naïve optimism about our situation within the team: our mind-set is very positive, we are energised, the factories are buzzing and we're excited for the fight that we will certainly have in the next six races.'

What are the chances of seeing Esteban and George in a Formula One cockpit next year?

'There are many good drivers who merit a drive in Formula One, both young ones and more experienced ones, but at the moment cockpits are a limited commodity. Both Esteban and George certainly deserve to be in Formula One; we are still working on options and will carefully decide what's best for them. If that means having to play the long game, then we will continue to prepare and develop them.'

Valtteri currently holds P4 with only a very slim chance of fighting for the Drivers' Championship. What does that mean for a driver?

'For every racing driver, that's a very difficult situation to be in because everything you dream about and everything you work for is winning the World Championship. When you realise you're not in the hunt any more, that's very difficult to handle. But Valtteri has shown that he has the speed, the talent and the work ethic to win in a Mercedes. He has always been a team player and that is one of his greatest character traits. Valtteri could have won races this year, but the odds were against him. However luck isn't just a one-way street; and I know that Valtteri has every ingredient it needs to win at this level. He just needs to keep working hard to improve and trust that the tables will turn for him.'

Stat Attack: Russia and Beyond

2018 Russian Grand Prix Timetable
Session	Local Time (MSK)	Brackley (BST)	Stuttgart (CEST)
Practice 1 Friday	11:00-12:30	09:00-10:30	10:00-11:30
Practice 2 Friday	15:00-16:30	13:00-14:30	14:00-15:30
Practice 3 Saturday	12:00-13:00	10:00-11:00	11:00-12:00
Qualifying Saturday	15:00-16:00	13:00-14:00	14:00-15:00
Race Sunday	14:10-16:10	12:10-14:10	13:10-15:10

Race Records - Mercedes F1 at the Russian Grand Prix
	Starts	Wins	Podium Places	Pole Positions	Front Row Places	Fastest Laps	DNF
Mercedes	4	4	6	3	5	1	1
Lewis Hamilton	4	2	3	1	2	0	0
Valtteri Bottas	4	1	2	0	1	1	0
MB Power	4	4	8	3	6	2	5

Technical Stats - Season to Date (Barcelona Pre-Season Test 1 to Present)
	Laps Completed	Distance Covered (km)	Corners Taken	Gear Changes	PETRONAS Fuel Injections
Mercedes	5,981	29,569	96,310	284,380	239,240,000
Lewis Hamilton	2,870	14,242	46,133	136,288	114,800,000
Valtteri Bottas	2,997	14,827	48,581	143,076	119,880,000
MB Power	16,870	83,293	270,563	796,523	674,800,000

All-Time Records - Silver Arrows in Formula One
	Starts	Wins	Podium Places	Pole Positions	Front Row Places	Fastest Laps	1-2 Finishes	Front Row Lockouts
Mercedes	183	83	172	96	171	62	42	54
Lewis Hamilton	223	69	129	79	127	40	N/A	N/A
Valtteri Bottas	112	3	28	5	14	7	N/A	N/A
MB Power	453	169	440	179	351	157	67	89