Only Stroll will have Racing Point upgrades in Russian GP
Lance Stroll will get exclusive use of Racing Point's latest upgrade in Sochi, after the team ran out of time to get a second version ready for Sergio Perez.

The Silverstone-based outfit had hoped to run both its car with the latest updates for this weekend's Russian Grand Prix, but that plan suffered a setback when Stroll badly damaged his car in a crash at Mugello a fortnight ago.
The incident, which was caused by a puncture after a tyre was cut, meant the team lost all the new parts that it had run there – so had to start from scratch again.
With the factory only able to produce enough parts for one car this weekend, the team has again given them to the driver who is ahead in the drivers' championship standings, which is Stroll.
With a fortnight after this weekend until the Eifel Grand Prix at the Nurburgring, the team is confident that it can get both its car running the upgrades for then.
The latest upgrade is a significant one and includes shrink-wrapped sidepods, new floor, new front, new engine cover and new brake ducts.
Speaking at the Tuscan Grand Prix, team principal Otmar Szafnauer reckoned that the improvement were worth several tenths of a second per lap.
"It is hard to know [exactly]," said Szafnauer about the lap time difference. "However our upgrade was meant to be a couple or three tenths, and that is exactly what the performance difference was [between the two cars]."
Racing Point is currently locked in the fight for third place in the constructors' championship after a season where it has worked hard to better understand its new concept of car.
With its form in qualifying and the race having fluctuated, the team now believes it is better to focus more on how to perfect its setup for Sundays rather than worrying about single lap form.
"Traditionally, we've always set up for race day and I think this year, with the car that we have, we're also looking more towards qualifying form," said Szafnauer earlier this week.?
"But we've now regrouped a bit and reviewed our recent race weekend and decided that we will start focusing more on race day - as we did in Monza and Mugello.
"If you lean towards having a better race car than qualifier, you tend to get the payback on Sunday."
Related video

Previous article
The "neat" solution to spice up F1 strategy
Next article
F1 drivers warned over backing up and track limits at Sochi

About this article
Series | Formula 1 |
Event | Russian GP |
Drivers | Lance Stroll |
Teams | Racing Point |
Author | Jonathan Noble |
Only Stroll will have Racing Point upgrades in Russian GP
Trending
Sergio Perez's First Drive With Red Bull Racing
Alfa Romeo C41 and Alfa Romeo C39 Compared
Say Hello To The RB16B | Unveiling Our 2021 Car
The pros and cons of F1's 2021 rule changes
In the strategy for grand prix racing's future, 2021 represents a significant step towards the goal of closer racing and a more level playing field. That's the theory behind the latest raft of changes, but will they have the desired effect?
What Red Bull is trying to hide with its RB16B launch
Red Bull made no secret of the fact its 2021 F1 car is an evolution of its predecessor, but in keeping the same foundations while hiding some tightly-guarded updates with its RB16B, the team aims to avoid suffering the same pitfalls of previous years
How Albon plans to fight his way out of Red Bull limbo
Alex Albon has faced the media for the first time since he lost his Red Bull drive at the end of 2020 and dropped out of a Formula 1 race seat altogether. He has a history of bouncing back from setbacks, so here's what he must do to rise again
Ranked! Carlin's greatest F1 graduates
Carlin has helped guide enough drivers to Formula 1 to fill out an entire grid, plus a handful of reserves, to create a remarkable alumni list. With Yuki Tsunoda set to join that group, Motorsport.com has ranked its graduates to grace the grand prix scene...
Why Alfa's 2021 launch says more about its 2022 plans
Alfa Romeo launched its C41 with a revised front nose, but there's little to suggest it will surge up the leaderboard in 2021. As the team frankly admits, it's putting its eggs in the basket labelled 2022 and hoping to hold the eighth place it earned last year
Why Gasly’s AlphaTauri haven is a blessing and a curse
Red Bull opted not to re-sign Pierre Gasly even before it decided to drop Alex Albon and so the Frenchman's Formula 1 journey will continue at AlphaTauri. This has positive and negative connotations for one of last season's star performers.
Eight things Red Bull must do to beat Mercedes in 2021
After seven years of defeat at the hands of Mercedes, Red Bull is as hungry as ever to secure a fifth world championship. But there are key challenges it must overcome in 2021 to switch from challenger to conqueror
How AlphaTauri has adapted to F1's new rules
AlphaTauri launched its AT02, complete with a new livery, as it bids to home in on an already-tight midfield battle. Although there were few outright new parts displayed on the launch render, there might be a few clues into further changes down the line…