Nico Rosberg beat Lewis Hamilton in qualifying for the third time this season, but there are many strategic question marks going into Sunday's race. With so little practice running, no-one is certain whether the soft and supersoft tyres will require a one or two stop race. As one of the toughest tracks on fuel, drivers will have to lift off the throttle for up to five seconds per lap, which could push it towards a one stop race.
Strategy insights
Sochi was a big surprise last year. The tyres lasted much longer than anyone anticipated as wear and degradation were very low. This year Pirelli is bringing soft and supersoft. As the grip level was higher than expected, fuel use was the most critical of the whole season. This is something teams will have to manage this year. There was no safety car in 2014, but as the track is lined with walls, any incident is likely to trigger one.