Unpredictable weather: 'We think the race is going to be sunny'

Yuki Tsunoda experienced two instructive free practice sessions during the first day of the Russian Grand Prix on Friday. The Japanese rider set the sixteenth fastest time in the morning, while a few hours later he finished in eighteenth place.

Tsunoda is satisfied with the sessions though, he told Sky Sports. "We know the performance is there in the car so I just need to go away tonight, look at the data and see how I can improve for tomorrow. We don’t know what’s going to happen with the weather, so we just need to be as prepared as possible going into FP3 and Qualifying."

As the weather forecast is not reliable for now, AlphaTauri, like the other Formula 1 teams, has to wait and see what is to come. "I’ve struggled with the general grip here so far in Sochi, but I’ve managed to gain important mileage in the car today, particularly for Sunday, as we think the race may be sunny."

Alpine vs AlphaTauri

For AlphaTauri, the points are very important again this weekend. The team is battling with Alpine for fifth place in the constructors' championship. So far Alpine is eleven points ahead of its competitor, but anything can happen during the upcoming races.