Reuters/Sochi, Russia

Mercedes can celebrate their second successive Formula One constructors’ title in Russia on Sunday but Niki Lauda fears they could be forced to wait.
Mercedes chalked up a dominant one-two in Japan last month, with Lewis Hamilton leading home Nico Rosberg, after being strangely eclipsed on the slow and twisty Singapore street circuit.
They need to score just three points more than Ferrari in Sochi to retain the title they won at the inaugural Russian race last year with a one-two flourish.
But Lauda, the retired triple world champion who is now non-executive chairman of the Mercedes team, feared Sunday could be more like Singapore than Suzuka.
“We have to say thank God we came out of the Singapore trauma and we are back,” he said after the team’s normal performance returned in
Japan.
“My worry is that the next race is Sochi which is a Singapore-type of asphalt, so it’s not done and not that easy.
“We have to work hard and stay competitive and then we are looking good. But you only look good when it’s done,” added the Austrian.
Mercedes have a lead of 169 points over Ferrari with five races remaining, and a maximum of 172 will be still up for grabs after Sunday.

NOTHING DECIDED
Hamilton has a 48-point advantage over Rosberg in the driver’s championship, so nothing can be decided there yet.
He made his mark on Sochi last year by lapping fastest in all three practice sessions, taking pole position and leading from lights to chequered flag.
That means the Briton is still the only driver to have led a lap at the circuit winding its way around some of the 2014 Winter Olympic venues.
“It was great to win the first race for Formula One in Russia and a fantastic moment for the team to take the title there last time out,” said Hamilton, winner of eight races so far this season.
“Fingers crossed we can add to those great memories again this weekend—I’ll be pushing as hard as I can to make that happen.”
If Hamilton continues a rich vein of form that has brought eight victories from 14 grands prix, only missing out on the podium twice this season, then his world championship will come sooner rather than later.
Rosberg has all the statistics against him, given that no driver has ever failed to take the title with such an advantage and so many wins as Hamilton, but he has vowed to push as hard as ever.
“I’m not backing down in my fight for the championship,” said the
German.
“We have five races to go and, although the championship gap to Lewis is quite big, in my mind it’s definitely not over yet.”
They are certainly not taking anything for granted as F1 prepares to set up camp in Sochi, despite an eighth one-two finish of the season last time out in Japan.
Toto Wolff, the head of Mercedes motorsport, said: “A repeat performance in Sochi would be fantastic and this is absolutely the target. But we are under no illusions that it will come easy. The job is not done yet.”
Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, the winner in Singapore, will be hoping to postpone Mercedes’ title celebrations but the local crowd will be hoping Red Bull’s Daniil Kvyat can also put himself in the mix after finishing second in Hungary in July.
Red Bull have been making more headlines off the track than on it
this season, thanks to increasing concern about their 2016 engine supply and fears the team could quit altogether, but Kvyat and Daniel
Ricciardo have both been on the podium.
“The atmosphere last year was fantastic, there were so many fans giving me support. It really feels awesome to be there,” said the Russian.
“I’m happy to have the attention, it gives you a bit of a lift.”
STATISTICS FOR THE RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX
Lap distance:
5.848km. Total distance: 309.745km (53 laps)
Race lap record: One minute 40.896 seconds, Valtteri Bottas (Finland) Williams, 2014.
2014 pole: Lewis Hamilton (Britain) Mercedes 1:38.513
2014 winner: Hamilton
Start time: 1100 GMT (1400 local)
Tyres: Soft (yellow), Supersoft (red)
TITLE
Mercedes can retain their constructors’ title this weekend if they score three more points than Ferrari.
Mercedes have 506 points to Ferrari’s 337 - a lead of 169 points. There are a maximum of 215 still to be won.
After Sunday, there will be only 172 still available.
WINS
Mercedes have had eight one-twos this season and won 11 of the 14 races. Double world champion Hamilton has won eight. No driver has ever failed to take the title after winning eight or more races in a season. Hamilton won 11 races last year.
Four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel has won three races for Ferrari this season. That is the same number that Michael Schumacher won in his first season at Ferrari in 1996.
Vettel has 42 career wins and is third on the all-time list, behind Schumacher (91) and Alain Prost (51). Hamilton is on 41 and Fernando Alonso 32. Kimi Raikkonen has won 20 races, Jenson Button 15 and Rosberg 11.
Hamilton’s most recent victory in Japan equalled the career tally of the late Brazilian triple champion Ayrton Senna, his boyhood idol.
Ferrari have won 224 races, McLaren 182, Williams 114 and Red Bull 50. Mercedes have won 40.
McLaren have not won for 52 races, a run that dates back to Brazil 2012 and is the team’s worst since they went 53 races without a win between the 1977 Japanese Grand Prix and 1981 British GP.
POLE POSITION
Hamilton has been on pole in 11 of 14 races this season. The Briton has 49 career poles, Rosberg 17.
Vettel has 46 career poles.
Only two drivers in F1 history have had 50 poles or more: Michael Schumacher (68) and Senna (65).
PODIUM
Nine drivers from five teams have been on the podium in 2015: Hamilton, Rosberg (Mercedes), Vettel, Raikkonen (Ferrari), Valtteri Bottas, Felipe Massa (Williams), Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) and Romain Grosjean (Lotus).
Hamilton, Rosberg and Vettel have shared the podium in seven races. Rosberg has been second on six occasions this season.
POINTS
Hamilton leads Rosberg by 48 points.
RUSSIA
Hamilton was fastest in all three practice sessions, took pole and led every lap on his way to winning the race last year. Bottas took the first fastest race lap of his F1 career in Sochi.


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