Russian Grand Prix: Race time, predictions & odds

The 2017 Formula One season continues this weekend, with the Russian Grand Prix taking place at the Sochi Autodrom on Sunday, April 30.

Sebastian Vettel heads into Sunday's race as the early championship leader and will be confident of extending his lead after securing pole in Sochi.

Title favourite Lewis Hamilton, who triumphed in China, and his Mercedes team will have it all to do after a disappointing performance in qualification.

Here, we bring you our prediction from our 'pit-lane insider' while we also have the full weekend race schedule, results, key statistics, track guide and the latest odds.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR FULL 2017 FORMULA ONE SEASON GUIDE

Russian Grand Prix: Weekend Schedule & TV Guide

Friday April 28

Free Practice 1: 1100-1230 (UK time: 0900-1030)
Click for report & times

Free Practice 2: 1500-1630 (UK time: 1300-1430)
Click for report & times

Saturday April 29
Free Practice 3: (UK time: 1100-1200)
Click here for report & times

Qualifying: (UK time: 1300-1400)
Click here for report & times

Sunday April 30
Russian Grand Prix: 1500 (UK time: 1300)
Click here for report & times

TV Coverage
Sky Sports F1 will be broadcasting the race and all the other sessions while Channel 4 will show highlights.  

Russian Grand Prix: Betting tips & Odds

Sebastian Vettel is the new odds-on favourite to claim a third F1 win of the season in the Russian Grand Prix on Sunday.

The German four-time world champion's price was slashed from 7/4 to 8/15 after securing his first pole in two years in Sochi on the eve of the race.

Lewis Hamilton, who was 10/11 ahead of final practice, is now out to 5/1 alongside Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, who will start from second on the grid.

Russian Grand Prix betting preview

Our ‘Pit-lane Insider’  has enjoyed a stunning start to the new season with six winning selections from his nine race picks. Here are his thoughts and best bets for this weekend’s Russian Grand Prix.

Two wins and a second in three races has given Sebastian Vettel a dream start to the season and provided Ferrari with their best start to an F1 season in nearly a decade.

It’s been a remarkable turnabout for the Scuderia who arrived at the Black Sea resort of Sochi with Vettel seven points ahead of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in the Drivers’ Championship.

The German’s classy drive in Bahrain, as he held off a late charge from Hamilton, underlined the growing confidence and belief within the Italian team and provided us with another winning selection for this column.

While it’s tempting to stick with Sky Bet's 7/4 shot Vettel in Russia, it’s world champions Mercedes who are the team to get behind this weekend. 

Remarkably, the Silver Arrows have led every lap at the Autodrom since the race was added to the calendar in 2014 – with Hamilton winning back-to-back in 2014/15 while having to settle for second place behind Nico Rosberg last year. 

The colder conditions (temperatures are set to peak at 23C on race day)  will certainly suit Mercedes down to the ground this weekend as their car tends to energise and warm it’s tyres up quicker than Ferrari.

Post race testing in Bahrain has reportedly gone well for the world champions so I’m happy to get on the Briton at 10/11 to claim a third win in Sochi. 

We’ve already enjoyed quite a bit of success by following Force India’s Esteban Ocon so far this season and I’m happy to get on board again.

The French driver has already secured points finishes in all three races this season and is much better value and just as dependable as team-mate Sergio Perez.

Ocon also has experience on this circuit in GP3 and is worthwhile backing at odds of 11/10.

Sadly, it’s form of the wrong kind that drives my final selection as Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg bids to avoid an unwanted record at Sochi.

The German has retired on the first lap of each of the last two races in Russia and the chances are he could find himself very much in the thick of it heading into turn 2. It’s an unwanted hat-trick but at odds of 18/1 it’s too big not to have a little interest.

Suggested bets:

Race Winner: Lewis Hamilton – 10/11

Points Finish: Esteban Ocon – 11/10

First retirement: Nico Hulkenberg – 18/1

Published before final practice

CLICK HERE FOR ALL SKY BET'S RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX ODDS 

Russian Grand Prix: Track Guide

Venue:  Sochi Autodrom

Circuit length: 5.848 km

Laps: 53

Race distance: 309.745 km

In-race lap record: 1:39.094 (Nico Rosberg, 2016)

2016 pole position: Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) 1:35.417 

2016 winner: Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)

2016 fastest race lap: Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)  1:39.094 on lap 52

Number of corners: 18 (6 left/12 right)  

Tyre compounds to be used: supersoft/soft/medium

Bumpiness: smooth

Overtaking chance: low, mainly into turns 2 & 13 

Russian Grand Prix: Statistics & Facts

* Vettel recorded his second win from three grands prix after seeing off Hamilton in Bahrain. The only other time the four-time champion has enjoyed such a strong start to a season was back in 2011 with Red Bull, when he went on to win his second of four consecutive titles.

* Ferrari are enjoying their best season for some time and Vettel's victory in Bahrain marked the first time since 2008 in which the Italian team have tasted victory in two of the opening three rounds.

* Although Hamilton was disappointed to finish second in Bahrain, his 107th career podium saw him surpass Alain Prost to stand second in the all-time list. Michael Schumacher (155) holds the record.

* Hamilton's Mercedes team also have good form in Russia. They have won all of the three races staged at the track which runs through the Olympic Park, with Hamilton a winner on two occasions.

* Meanwhile, they also hold the record of leading every lap of every race here, while starting from pole position in each of the three previous meetings in Russia.

* Daniil Kvyat is the only home-grown driver to start a grand prix in Russia. But his race last year was notable for all the wrong reasons after he collided with Vettel twice on the opening lap and was subsequently demoted from Red Bull back to their junior team Toro Rosso.

*At 5.853km in length, the Sochi Autodrom is the third longest circuit on the current calendar behind Silverstone (5.891km) and Spa (7.004km).

Latest Formula One Driver Standings 2017

1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Ferrari 68pts
2 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes GP 61
3 Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Mercedes GP 38
4 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 34
5 Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 25
6 Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) Red Bull 22
7 Felipe Massa (Bra) Williams 16
8 Sergio Perez (Mex) Force India 14
9 Carlos Sainz (Spa) Scuderia Toro Rosso 10
10 Romain Grosjean (Fra) Haas F1 4
11 Kevin Magnussen (Den) Haas F1 4
12 Esteban Ocon (Fra) Force India 3
13 Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Renault 2
14 Daniil Kvyat (Rus) Scuderia Toro Rosso 2
15 Pascal Wehrlein (Ger) Sauber-Ferrari 0
16 Antonio Giovinazzi (Ita) Sauber-Ferrari 0
17 Jolyon Palmer (Gbr) Renault 0
18 Stoffel Vandoorne (Bel) McLaren 0
19 Marcus Ericsson (Swe) Sauber-Ferrari 0
20 Fernando Alonso (Spa) McLaren 0
21 Lance Stroll (Can) Williams 0 

Latest Formula One Constructors Standings 2017

1 Ferrari 102 pts
2 Mercedes GP 99
3 Red Bull 47
4 Force India 17
5 Williams 16
6 Scuderia Toro Rosso 12
7 Haas F1 8
8 Renault 2
9 Sauber-Ferrari 0
10 McLaren 0  

Click here for our full Formula One season guide