The opening practice day for the 2015 Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix was a bit of a washout in Sochi today. Free Practice 1 was delayed by 30 minutes following a diesel spill from a road sweeper that was actually cleaning the circuit. It took some time for the track condition to improve, so in the brief encounter that Roberto Merhi and Will Stevens actually had with the asphalt, they completed just 12 and 6 laps respectively.
Rain started to fall just prior to this afternoon’s Free Practice 2 session, and continued throughout. In light of the wet and greasy conditions, and the fact that the remainder of the weekend is expected to be dry, the team elected to remain in the garage rather than risk damage to the cars.
John Booth, Team Principal
“It’s nice to welcome Roberto back here in Sochi, for one of his two remaining race weekends in the driving seat. There isn’t much to report today, following the sum total of 18 laps between Will and Roberto. After the diesel spill this morning and then a very wet afternoon, there was very little to learn from the track today and more to be lost than gained by venturing out. We expect the weather to be dry for the remaining two days of the weekend, so better to focus our efforts on tomorrow. I would like to take this opportunity to wish Alexander the very best of luck in this weekend’s GP2 Series rounds, as he continues to push the championship leader hard for the title. We’ll be cheering him on in his two races.”
Roberto Merhi
“It’s good to be back in the car, and in Sochi, but less good perhaps to be confined to the garage for most of the day. It was very slippery on the track this morning and a little too wet to gain anything this afternoon, so better not to risk the car at what is a very tight street circuit with little margin for error. It’s good that I have some experience of this track from my FP1 running here last year and I’m looking forward to more mileage tomorrow.”
Will Stevens
“It’s my first time out here in Sochi, so these haven’t been the best circumstances for track familiarisation today. Having said that, we’re all in the same boat, so to some extent I think every team will start the weekend afresh tomorrow. It’s a very technical track, with the added challenge of a tight and twisty street circuit layout, so I’m looking forward to getting to grips with it in FP3.”