F1 | GP Russia, Pirelli confirms the gap of six tenths between the various compounds used in Sochi

Satisfactory behavior for the Pirelli compounds at the end of the first day of work on the Sochi track, scene of the next Russian Grand Prix.

Despite the lack of grip on the track, mainly due to the rain that fell in recent days, and the low temperatures present on the shores of the Black Sea, in fact, teams and drivers managed to complete the work programs on the compounds without any type of problem, collecting data important in view of tomorrow's qualifying.

It should be noted that between the various compounds chosen by Pirelli for this weekend, namely C2, C3 and C4, there is a gap of close to six tenths, an aspect that makes qualification in Q3 possible with medium compounds, especially for the top teams.

WHAT WE LEARNED FROM FP1 AND FP2

*Despite the tougher nomination than 2018, the times recorded today improved on the 2018 equivalents, in line with what we have seen so far this season.
* Today there were no episodes of graining equivalent to those seen last year on P Zero Pink hypersoft.
* Overcast skies and rather cool temperatures characterized Friday in Sochi, with 24° ambient and 28° asphalt in the afternoon.
* According to the weather forecast, it should rain from tonight and throughout tomorrow. This makes the data collected today on all three dry compounds even more important.
* Although Sochi is a track famous for its particularly smooth asphalt, in reality it proves to be quite complex to interpret given the difference between micro and macro roughness, one of the aspects that makes this circuit unique.
* So far the gap between medium and soft is around 6 tenths per lap, as is the gap between medium and hard.

“Today the lap times are already faster than in 2018, despite one step harder compounds which however turned out to be the most suitable nomination for this track, with Sunday's race shaping up to be a one-stop race,” said Mario Isola. “The gap between the teams is very small: there are three teams in the top three positions in FP2, with Max Verstappen the fastest on track, while this morning the best time in FP1 was set by Charles Leclerc.”

“However, the bad weather could definitely affect the rest of the weekend, given that it should rain from tonight and throughout tomorrow, while on Sunday the race should be dry,” he continued. “Consequently, today the Teams concentrated on collecting data on all three available compounds which could play a crucial role in the race strategy.”