F1 photos GP Russia 2018: pictures from Thursday

N and six races. The 2018 world championship fight is in the final round. Mercedes has advantages in both ratings. Lewis Hamilton leads the drivers' championship with 40 points ahead of Sebastian Vettel. In the team standings, Mercedes is 37 points ahead of Ferrari. This is a solid cushion in both cases, but certainly not one to relax on.

The Mercedes technical department is therefore pushing the next major upgrade for the Russian GP. There are changes in practically every corner of the Silver Arrow. The rear wing is a new design. The main leaf is supported by two stilts. Before it was just a pillar. The new design could allow more controlled rearward deflection, reducing drag on straights and increasing top speed. Ferrari, HaasF1 and Sauber are using this solution.

eder to evaluate the many other innovations first. With the new front suspension, the strut no longer steers directly to the wheel carrier, but merges into a connecting piece. This type of lever construction should mean that it pulls the car even more strongly into the curve when turning.

Renault is adding a new underbody. The French want to secure fourth place in the team championship. Many teams came with different front wing variants. Including Williams and McLaren. The sixth place in the World Championships wired one of the front wings on Thursday and installed a camera on the guide plate of the end plate.

Little was changed on the track. The route operator had the approach to turns one and eight re-asphalted. There is also a newly asphalted section in the pit entrance. We show you the current pictures from Sochi in the gallery.