Honda F1 Tuscan GP Russian GP race review – notes and quotes

Formula 1 VTB Russian Grand Prix 2020
Sochi Autodrome
Sunday, September 27th  2020

 
 
Max picked up another top-two finish as both Aston Martin Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri can celebrate double-points finishes in the Russian Grand Prix.

 
For the first time since last year’s Monaco GP, all Honda-powered cars finished in the points and Max’s second place means that Honda has now finished on the podium 20 times in the current hybrid-powered era.

After a stunning qualifying performance, Max was slightly slow away on the dirty side of the grid and dropped to fourth on the opening lap but regained third before an early Safety Car period interrupted matters. The Safety Car was required after Carlos Sainz crashed at Turn 2, and Alex – who had to start from 15th due to a gearbox penalty – was shuffled to the back of the field as a result, opting to pit for hard tyres after starting on softs.

Pierre made good progress at the start while Daniil started on hards and was able to run long in the first stint. After Pierre pitted for hards on lap 18 and Max on lap 25, Daniil was running third on the road before Max overtook him two laps after his pit stop, with the Russian extending his first stint to lap 30 before switching to mediums. Max rose to second place behind Valtteri Bottas as Lewis Hamilton had a ten-second time penalty and was well adrift in third, meaning the Dutchman had a comfortable run to the flag and scored Red Bull’s first podium in Russia.

Daniil’s stop saw him emerge in eighth place ahead of Kimi Raikkonen, with Pierre struggling to pass the Finn. The difficulty in overtaking was highlighted as Daniil quickly caught Esteban Ocon but could not find a way through and had to settle for eighth place. Pierre ended up two-stopping as AlphaTauri tried to take advantage of a brief Virtual Safety Car period to switch to a new set of medium tyres with 11 laps remaining and he had to overtake Alex and Lando Norris to get back up to ninth, finishing directly behind his team-mate.

Red Bull committed to a two-stop race early and Alex made a second stop for medium tyres on lap 27 before fighting back through the field, overtaking multiple cars – including an excellent move around the outside of Antonio Giovinazzi at Turn 13 – before getting Norris late on for tenth place and the final point.
 
 

 
Toyoharu Tanabe
Technical Director, Honda Racing F1   

“It was a good day from a Honda point of view, with four cars in the points for the first time since last year’s Monaco Grand Prix. That is particularly satisfying after we had experienced some reliability issues in the last couple of races. Max and Aston Martin Red Bull Racing delivered a good performance to split the Mercedes and finish second. After starting 15th due to a gearbox penalty, Alex made his two-stop strategy work to bring him a valuable point for tenth place.

Scuderia AlphaTauri had a strong race, with both Daniil and Pierre getting some good overtaking moves on their way to eighth and ninth respectively. We now return to Europe and the Eifel Grand Prix in Germany in a fortnight. It will be the first time we have raced at the Nurburgring in this hybrid era, so we will be doing plenty of simulation work in preparation for it.”
 
 

Max Verstappen
Aston Martin Red Bull Racing    Race: 2nd

“We can be very happy with second place today, especially on a track where we know that we aren’t normally so competitive. It is a good amount of points for the Team and what we needed after the last few races. There was very low grip on the inside of the grid at the start, which cost us a bit and the first few corners were pretty interesting, but we stayed calm and I quickly moved past Daniel again.

I struggled to follow the Mercedes cars on the medium tyre as I had a lot of oversteer but once I pitted on to the hard we were more competitive and I focused on my own race which we managed well. It’s good to be back on the podium and we can definitely be pleased to finish within eight seconds of Bottas on this track.”
 
 

Daniil Kvyat
Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda    Race: 8th

“I’m really happy with today, my home Grand Prix couldn’t have gone much better. It was a tough race, I always had to push to make the strategy work, but this is the kind of racing I like. When I saw Hamilton behind me and I was able to keep him behind for a couple of laps, I thought the pace in the race is amazing. I was confident this morning that we could have had a good race as I’m normally quite strong when it comes to Sundays.

It’s just a shame I wasn’t able to force Ocon into a mistake, otherwise P7 was definitely on the table, we were quicker but it’s hard to overtake with these modern F1 cars. I’m happy with my driving and we got some good points for the team. The car is there, the pace is there, so we have to keep pushing for the rest of the season, hopefully we can gain a position in the Championship.”
 




 
Pierre Gasly
Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda    Race: 9th

“It wasn’t an easy race for us. I had a good start and was running in P7, but then we lost quite a lot of time in the middle part of the race when I was fighting with Alex and Kimi. We got overcut by Charles, but I was pretty fast and was trying to catch him. If the Virtual Safety Car period had been a bit longer, it would have certainly helped with a free stop, but it was shorter than expected so I paid for it a bit.

However, I tried to recover as best as I could and was able to overtake a few cars.  It’s a bit disappointing as the car felt great, we had good pace and I think we could have done more today.”
 

 
Alexander Albon
Aston Martin Red Bull Racing    Race: 10th

“Today was a lot of work for one point and it wasn’t an easy race. We struggled at the beginning to overtake and get through the pack on the hard tyre and so we lost a lot of time. When we swapped to the mediums it was a little better and we did as much as we could but it was difficult out there and a frustrating race. We were just in traffic the whole time without any clean air so we couldn’t put down any really good laps.

 After the gearbox penalty, today was about damage limitation and now I’m already focusing on Germany and having a cleaner weekend in two weeks’ time.”
 
 

– Honda – photos Red Bull

 
– Anthony Peacock, photo Pirelli more >> Honda F1 Tuscan GP Russian GP qualifying notes and quotes

26.09.2020 Formula 1 VTB Russian Grand Prix 2020Sochi AutodromeSaturday, September 26th  2020  Max will start from the front row, for the first time since Austria, after an impressive qualifying performance in Russia as three Honda-powered ca more >> McLaren F1 looking forward to an exciting Russian Grand Prix

26.09.2020 Formula 1 VTB Russian Grand Prix 2020Sochi AutodromeSaturday, September 26th  2020CARLOS SAINZ, #55      FP3     1m34.096s (+0.817s)      17 laps    &nbsp more >> A good day for Williams F1 in Russian GP qualifying

26.09.2020 Formula 1 VTB Russian Grand Prix 2020Sochi AutodromeSaturday, September 26th  2020  Qualifying Notes•    George Russell qualified 14th and Nicholas Latifi 19th for the Russian Gra more >> Scuderia Ferrari F1 Russian GP qualifying – Seb crashes, Charles caught in traffic

26.09.2020 Formula 1 VTB Russian Grand Prix 2020Sochi AutodromeSaturday, September 26th  2020Qualifying at the Sochi Autodrom for the Russian Grand Prix did not go well for Scuderia Ferrari. When the race gets underway tomorrow at 14.10 local more >> Pirelli F1 Russian GP qualifying, possible race strategies

26.09.2020 Formula 1 VTB Russian Grand Prix 2020Sochi AutodromeSaturday, September 26th  2020POSSIBLE RACE STRATEGIESThe fastest way to approach the 53-lap race is a one-stopper, as has tradit more >> Aston MartinRed Bull Racing F1 Russian GP qualifying – Max happy with front row

26.09.2020 Formula 1 VTB Russian Grand Prix 2020Sochi AutodromeSaturday, September 26th  2020    MAX VERSTAPPEN, Position: 2nd, 1:31.867 (Practice 3 – P6, 1:34.306)“P2 was very unexpected and I more >> Lewis Hamilton takes pole position for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team in Sochi

26.09.2020 Formula 1 VTB Russian Grand Prix 2020Sochi AutodromeSaturday, September 26th  2020    •    Lewis scored his 96th pole position in Formu more >> Scuderia AlphaTauri F1 Russian GP qualifying -step in the right direction

26.09.2020 Formula 1 VTB Russian Grand Prix 2020Sochi AutodromeSaturday, September 26th  2020  Pierre Gasly (AT01-04, Car 10)Third Practice Session – Best lap: 1:34.792, pos.11th, 12 lapsQualifying – Best lap: (Q1 more >> Renault DP World F1 Team Russian GP qualifying review -both cars in top 10

26.09.2020 Formula 1 VTB Russian Grand Prix 2020Sochi AutodromeSaturday, September 26th  2020Renault DP World F1 Team will line up with both cars inside the top ten on the grid for tomorrow’s VTB Russian Grand Prix with Daniel Ricciar more >> BWT RacingPoint F1 Russian GP qualifying with mixed emotions

26.09.2020 Formula 1 VTB Russian Grand Prix 2020Sochi AutodromeSaturday, September 26th  2020In NumbersSergio PerezFP3  P05  1.34.252  14 LapsQ1  P07  1.33.704  0 more >> Haas F1 Russian GP qualifying review – 16th and 18th at Sochi

26.09.2020 Formula 1 VTB Russian Grand Prix 2020Sochi AutodromeSaturday, September 26th  2020 Location: Sochi Autodrom, RussiaLayout: 5.848-kilometer (3.634-mile), 18-turn circuitWeather: CloudyAir Temps: 27 degrees Celsius (80 more >> Russian Grand Prix Sochi Qualifying classification – Hamilton takes pole ahead of Verstappen and Bottas

26.09.2020 Formula 1 VTB Russian Grand Prix 2020Sochi AutodromeSaturday, September 26th  2020    Round 10 of the 2020 season comes from the Sochi Autodrom, Russia    Lewis Hamilton topped final practice ahead of his team more >> Russian Grand Prix Sochi practice 3 classification – Hamilton ahead of Bottas and Sainz

26.09.2020 Formula 1 VTB Russian Grand Prix 2020Sochi AutodromeSaturday, September 26th  2020    Round 10 of the 2020 season comes from the Sochi Autodrom, Russia    Lewis Hamilton finishes P1 in final practice and looks more >> Honda F1 Russian GP practices review and quotes

25.09.2020 Formula 1 VTB Russian Grand Prix 2020Sochi AutodromeFriday, September 25 2020  Aston Martin Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri both had busy days and completed plenty of running during Friday practice at the Russian Gra more >> Williams F1 Russian GP practices review ups and downs in Sochi

25.09.2020 Formula 1 VTB Russian Grand Prix 2020Sochi AutodromeFriday, September 25 2020  Dave Robson, Head of Vehicle Performance: Grip level this morning was quite low, which caught Nicholas out on his second run. The car was quite b more >> McLaren F1 Russian GP practices – Productive and intense

25.09.2020 Formula 1 VTB Russian Grand Prix 2020Sochi AutodromeFriday, September 25 2020″It’s been a productive Friday with an intense programme in the afternoon”CARLOS SAINZ, #55      FP1    & more >> BWT RacingPoint F1 Russian GP practices review – positive day

25.09.2020 Formula 1 VTB Russian Grand Prix 2020Sochi AutodromeFriday, September 25 2020In NumbersSergio PerezFP1  P04  1.35.796  23 LapsFP2  P06  1.34.890  35 Laps Lance StrollFP1&nbsp more >> Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Russian GP practices -Valtteri quickest in both practices

25.09.2020 Formula 1 VTB Russian Grand Prix 2020Sochi AutodromeFriday, September 25 2020   Valtteri quickest for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team in both practice sessions on Friday at th more >> Haas F1 Russian GP practices review after a run of 110 laps

25.09.2020 Formula 1 VTB Russian Grand Prix 2020Sochi AutodromeFriday, September 25 2020    Location: Sochi Autodrom, RussiaLayout: 5.848-kilometer (3.634-mile), 18-turn circuitFP1 & FP2 Weather: Mostly SunnyD more >> Scuderia Ferrari F1 Russian GP practices -let’s see tomorrow

25.09.2020 Formula 1 VTB Russian Grand Prix 2020Sochi AutodromeFriday, September 25 2020Free practice 2: Charles eighth, Seb tenthCharles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel completed a total of 35 laps of the Sochi more >> Aston Martin Red Bull Racing F1 Russian GP practices review -its going to be tough

25.09.2020 Formula 1 VTB Russian Grand Prix 2020Sochi AutodromeFriday, September 25 2020  MAX VERSTAPPENFirst Practice Session: 1:35.577, Position: 3, Laps: 22Second Practice Session: 1:35.048 Position: 7, Laps: 30 more >> Renault DP World F1 Team Russian GP practices – what we learned today

25.09.2020 Formula 1 VTB Russian Grand Prix 2020Sochi AutodromeFriday, September 25 2020Renault DP World F1 Team completed a productive Friday practice programme for this weekend’s VTB Russian Grand Prix with both Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Oc more >> Scuderia AlphaTauri F1 Russian GP practices review – It’s going to be hot …

25.09.2020 Formula 1 VTB Russian Grand Prix 2020Sochi AutodromeFriday, September 25 2020 Pierre Gasly (AT01-04, Car 10)First Practice SessionBest lap: 1:36.706, pos. 10th, 25 lapsSecond Practice SessionBest lap: 1:35.210, more >> Pirelli F1 Russian GP practices – Bottas and Mercedes dominate Friday in Sochi

25.09.2020 Formula 1 VTB Russian Grand Prix 2020Sochi AutodromeFriday, September 25 2020FRIDAY TYRE SUMMARY  more >> Liberty Media announces Stefano Domenicali to be appointed President and CEO of Formula 1

25.09.2020 Chase Carey to become non-executive ChairmanLiberty Media Corporation (“Liberty Media”) (NASDAQ: LSXMA, LSXMB, LSXMK, BATRA, BATRK, FWONA, FWONK) announced today that Stefano Domenicali will assume th more >> Russian Grand Prix Sochi practice 2 classification – Bottas ahead of Hamilton and Ricciardo

25.09.2020 Formula 1 VTB Russian Grand Prix 2020Sochi AutodromeFriday, September 25 2020    Round 10 of the 2020 season comes from Sochi, Russia    Valtteri Bottas topped FP1 from Daniel Ricciardo and Max more >> Russian Grand Prix practice 1 classification – Bottas fastest in Sochi

25.09.2020 Formula 1 VTB Russian Grand Prix 2020Sochi AutodromeFriday, September 25 2020    Round 10 of the 2020 season comes from the Sochi Autodrom, Russia    Lewis Hamilton is seeking to match Michael Schumacher’s more >> Renault DP World F1 Team Russian Grand Prix factfile

24.09.2020 Renault DP World F1 Team is in Sochi for the tenth race of the 2020 FIA Formula 1 World Championship, the Russian Grand Prix. The circuit • Sochi is the third longest circuit on the calendar stretching 5.848km/3.634-m more >> The post Honda F1 Tuscan GP Russian GP race review – notes and quotes first appeared on monter-une-startup.