In past years, there was talk around the Russian Grand Prix that it would be better to postpone the race from early autumn to the May holidays in order to attract as many spectators as possible from all over the country.
Fortunately, the stage retained its place in the calendar, and this essentially saved it from being canceled.
If the races at Sochi Autodrom were scheduled for the end of spring, it is quite possible that they would have suffered the fate of a number of Grand Prix, which never took place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a result, the Russian Grand Prix became one of the few races, the conduct of which was not widely doubted by anyone.
The fall stage near Europe turned out to be the perfect option to help the season in distress due to the coronavirus, and instead of the 17th serial number, he received the tenth.
The only thing that will distinguish the next racing weekend on the Black Sea coast from all previous ones is the number of spectators in the stands.
Their number had to be reduced to 32 thousand, but against the background of all the previous stages of the season, which were attended by a total of less than three thousand guests, this will be a real influx of fans.
Speaking about the favorites of the race, they remain unchanged in Sochi.
Mercedes pilots have never in the history of the Russian Grand Prix suffered a defeat on it.
Different riders climbed to the top of the podium, but they all represented the German team.
Lewis Hamilton did it more often than others - Sochi Autodrom has already brought him four victories, becoming one of the most successful for the Briton.
Now this track can help him match Michael Schumacher's record for the number of career wins.
The great German won 91 races, and Hamilton is just one triumph behind him so far.
The results of the current season do not yet give reason to assume that the winning streak of Mercedes in Sochi will be interrupted.
The advantage of Hamilton in the individual competition is so great that he can go out of the race at least three times in a row, and still Max Verstappen, who was left without points in the last two races, will not be able to overtake him.
In the worst case, the Briton will hand over the leadership to his team-mate Valtteri Bottas, who is himself an impressive 55 points behind Hamilton.
However, Mercedes is in no hurry to celebrate the victory in advance.
Before the race, the head of the team, Toto Wolf, recalled that anything can happen at the start, and this season his wards just let the rivals go ahead.
The track in Sochi just allows the pursuers to get ahead before the first sharp turn.
“There is a good track for us in Sochi, we have an excellent track record on it.
The circuit has a rather unusual layout, and one of its features is the long way from pole position to the first braking zone.
Because of this, the winner of the qualification is not always in the best position at the start of the race, as the pursuers can use the slipstream, ”Wolf shared his expectations.
The words of the head of Mercedes are confirmed by the results of the last three Russian Grand Prix, in which the winner was the one who did not have pole position.
But it is unlikely that the pilots of the German team will voluntarily refuse to win the qualification, since Ferrari - their only competitor in the past years - is now struggling for points, and Verstappen has already forgotten what the finish looks like under the checkered flag.
Only a whole series of unforeseen circumstances can prevent the leaders of the Constructors' Cup now, as it was at the Italian Grand Prix.
At the same time, the weather has always been on the side of Mercedes - there has not been a rain race in Sochi yet.
Russian fans will be interested in the performance of Daniil Kvyat.
His results in the last two races so far are encouraging - the AlphaTauri driver finished ninth and seventh places, gaining four times more points than in all previous races of the season.
But do not forget that both stages passed according to a non-standard scenario, and the Russian was lucky that he even reached the finish line.
In Sochi, Kvyatu is traditionally unlucky - except for the 2015 race, when he had a Red Bull car at his disposal, he never entered the top ten again.
With the current car, it will be very difficult to reverse the trend, although his team-mate Pierre Gasly succeeds not only in gaining points, but also in winning.
For Kvyat it will be much more important to achieve the optimal state of the car and try to bypass his teammate on his track.
In addition to the royal races, Sochi will host the Formula 2 stage, the season in which is already coming to an end.
And this means that the fight for the championship in the junior series is now in full swing.
Two Russians, Robert Shvartsman and Nikita Mazepin, are fighting for him.
The winner of the season will have the opportunity to go up and sign their first contract in Formula 1, so they do not want to miss the chance on the home track.
The leader of Formula 2 before the Sochi stage is Mick Schumacher, the son of Michael Schumacher.
Shvartsman loses to him by 21 points, and Mazepin - 34. On the one hand, this is quite a lot, but on the other hand, one Grand Prix can theoretically earn up to 48 points, and there are only three stages in the calendar.
Both Russians should be familiar with Sochi Autodrom, so the Russian fans of the Formula 2 race may find it even more interesting than the likely success of Mercedes on duty in the main race of the weekend.