F1 News
'Red Bull Racing and Verstappen can benefit from low grip and soft tyre'
- GPblog.com
Dutch-Chinese racing driver Ho-Pin Tung has just returned from Le Mans, where he participated in the 24 hour race. However, he already has an analysis ready about Max Verstappen's chances in Russia this weekend. He thinks it could be more exciting than people expect.
"If we look at history, the Mercedes has won every race on this circuit so far. And yet I think this edition is an opportunity for Max Verstappen and Red Bull. It may be a relatively fast circuit but over the past two years he has had to start further back due to grid penalties. Then he managed to catch up very nicely."
Low grip an advantage for Red Bull
One of the reasons why Tung thinks that Verstappen can compete with Mercedes this weekend is the fact that Sochi is a street circuit after all. For the rest of the year, the asphalt at the Olympic Park is hardly used, so there is very little grip.
"Red Bull also seems to be good on circuits where there is low grip. Softer tyres seem to be in their advantage anyway and it gets nice and warm again. I also expect the McLarens to be at the front of the midfield again," said Tung on Grand Prix Radio.