After a weekend off to recover from the triple-header that welcomed Formula One after the holidays, Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN heads to Sochi for the 15th round of the 2021 Championship.

We head to shores of the Black Sea with the spirit and confidence of a team that has seen good signs in the last events - two races in which we started in the top ten, with only unlucky circumstances preventing us from delivering a result in the points. We head to the Caucasian Riviera knowing that, having shown pace on track as different as Monza and Zandvoort, we can expect to be able to mount a challenge in the Olympic Park as well. We head to Sochi determined to stick a whole weekend together and finally bring home a good result, giving a smile to our fans and the hundreds of people working at home.

Running on a track that snakes around Olympic venues is doubly inspiring. It reminds us of the efforts of hundreds of sportspeople who fought against the odds to crown their dreams; of tales of success and perseverance. We hope this aura will rub on us as we race in Sochi.

Frederic Vasseur, Team Principal: "We head to this race determined to build on the positives we have shown in the last couple of races and to finally make our hard work count. On two very different tracks, Zandvoort and Monza, we have been competitive in qualifying and we have to make sure to convert those strong displays into points. Our work at HQ is fully focused on 2022, but trackside we’re still committed to making the best of the final eight races of the season, starting from Sochi."

Kimi Raikkonen: "I’m pleased to be back in the car after missing two rounds. Obviously nobody wants to test positive, but it happened and we had to follow the rules: but that is all in the past and now my focus is on Sochi. The team has shown some potential in the last few races, now we need to convert that into a good result. I don’t think being back will feel any different, I just want to get on with my job and hopefully have a good race."

Antonio Giovinazzi: "This weekend offers us another chance to achieve the good result we have been close to in the last few races. I am excited to be back in the car, both Zandvoort and Monza showed how much pace we had and how we could fight towards the front of the grid. Unfortunately, both times things didn’t go as planned, but we can build on those positives and bring home some points in Sochi. We will give everything we have."

Check out our Thursday gallery from Sochi, here.