Full Race Weekend LIVE Coverage
Russian Grand Prix
Sochi Street Circuit, Sochi
Race: Podium
1
Valtteri Bottas Mercedes
Nationality
2
Sebastian Vettel Ferrari
Nationality
3
Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari
Nationality
4
Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
Nationality
Sochi Street Circuit, Sochi RACE TRACK, 30 Apr 2017
Winner
Valtteri Bottas
Mercedes
live

28 Apr 2017

As it happened: 2017 Russian GP

Last Updated
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30 Apr 2017

Join us for the 2017 Spanish GP from May 12 - 14.
Join us for the 2017 Spanish GP from May 12 - 14.

30 Apr 2017

Congratulations, Valtteri Bottas!
Congratulations, Valtteri Bottas!
What a race! Bottas wins nail-biting 2017 Russian GP

30 Apr 2017

Who's your driver of the day - Bottas or Vettel?

30 Apr 2017

Congratulations, Bottas! Taking his first win in F1!

30 Apr 2017

Bottas wins the Russian GP from Vettel, Raikkonen and Hamilton.

30 Apr 2017

Bottas takes his first win in F1!

30 Apr 2017

And that's that: Felipe Massa obscures Vettel's racing line and gifts the win to Bottas.

30 Apr 2017

Final lap!

30 Apr 2017

This is exciting stuff!!

30 Apr 2017

Two laps remaining!

30 Apr 2017

Vettel is in DRS detection!

30 Apr 2017

Three laps remaining, and Vettel is chasing after Vettel!

30 Apr 2017

Vettel seems to be stronger in sectors 1 and 2, but it's in the 3rd sector that Bottas makes up the time.

30 Apr 2017

Hamilton driving in a very lonely 4th place.

30 Apr 2017

7 laps remaining. Has Bottas done enough?

30 Apr 2017

Bottas telling his team not to talk to him. He's focusing on keeping Vettel in 2nd place.

30 Apr 2017

Bottas doing enough for the moment to keep Vettel at bay.

30 Apr 2017

It's on! Gap between Bottas and Vettel: 1.3sec!

30 Apr 2017

10 laps remaining. If Vettel can't get close enough Bottas will surely take the win.

30 Apr 2017

Bottas and Vettel coming up to Lance Stroll in a Williams. They're about to lap him.

30 Apr 2017

Gap between Bottas and Vettel: 1.9sec.

30 Apr 2017

Ferrari telling their lead driver that Bottas is struggling with his tyres.

30 Apr 2017

The gap between Bottas and Vettel now only 3sec.

30 Apr 2017

Vettel eats into Bottas' lead. It now sits at 3.2sec.

30 Apr 2017

Bottas maintaining his gap to Vettel. It remains at 4.5sec.

30 Apr 2017

Nico Hulkenberg locking up, but he's back on again.

30 Apr 2017

Vettel's tyres are 7 laps fresher than Bottas'. He can chase him down and give fans a real fight.

30 Apr 2017

Vettel clears the backmarkers and sets off chasing after Bottas.

30 Apr 2017

Vettel rejoins the race 4.6sec behind Bottas. And on much fresher tyres. We're in for a humdinger of a finisher!

30 Apr 2017

Vettel pits. 

30 Apr 2017

Vettel is increasing the pace. What is happening at Ferrari?

30 Apr 2017

Did Ferrari throw the win away by keeping Vettel out for too long?

30 Apr 2017

Hamilton pits. Bottas moves into second place.

30 Apr 2017

Ferrari pits Raikkonen first. Interesting...

30 Apr 2017

Bottas rejoins in fourth place behind his team mate Hamilton.

30 Apr 2017

Bottas enters the pits. How will Ferrari react?

30 Apr 2017

Ferrari and Vettel are coming into the race again. Is the final battle going to be between Bottas and Vettel?

30 Apr 2017

Vettel cutting into Bottas' lead. It's now 2.5sec.

30 Apr 2017

How will Ferrari react to Mercedes' pace? Can Vettel do something to push Bottas into a mistake?

30 Apr 2017

Verstappen tells his team that a blister on one of his tyres are opening up. That will surely unsettle his car a bit.

30 Apr 2017

Where did Bottas' sudden pace come from? He is really putting himself in the title picture with this drive.

30 Apr 2017

Vettel complaining about blisters on his left front tyre.

30 Apr 2017

And Bottas' gap over Vettel is 5sec. Uhm, jaaa... Provided nothing bad happens, Bottas will win this race.
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#
Driver
Team
Time
Gap
Laps
1
Nationality
Valtteri Bottas
Mercedes
1:38.871
1:28:08.743
52
2
Nationality
Sebastian Vettel
Ferrari
1:38.728
0.617
52
3
Nationality
Kimi Raikkonen
Ferrari
1:40.369
11.000
52
4
Nationality
Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes
1:41.979
36.320
52
5
Nationality
Max Verstappen
Red Bull
1:38.543
60.416
52
6
Nationality
Sergio Perez
Force India
1:38.755
86.788
52
7
Nationality
Esteban Ocon
Force India
1:38.868
95.004
52
8
Nationality
Nico Hulkenberg
Renault Sport
1:38.418
96.188
52
9
Nationality
Felipe Massa
Williams
1:42.353
1 LAP
51
10
Nationality
Carlos Sainz
Toro Rosso
1:38.858
1 LAP
51
11
Nationality
Lance Stroll
Williams
1:39.966
1 LAP
51
12
Nationality
Daniil Kvyat
Toro Rosso
1:38.334
1 LAP
51
13
Nationality
Kevin Magnussen
Haas
1:39.844
1 LAP
51
14
Nationality
Stoffel Vandoorne
McLaren
1:39.889
1 LAP
51
15
Nationality
Marcus Ericsson
Sauber
1:39.944
1 LAP
51
16
Nationality
Pascal Wehrlein
Sauber
1:50.912
2 LAPS
50
R
Nationality
Fernando Alonso
McLaren
RETIRED
52 LAPS
0
R
Nationality
Jolyon Palmer
Renault Sport
RETIRED
52 LAPS
0
R
Nationality
Romain Grosjean
Haas
RETIRED
52 LAPS
0
R
Nationality
Daniel Ricciardo
Red Bull
RETIRED
47 LAPS
5

30 Apr 2017

Thanks for joining our live coverage. Make sure to join us again in two weeks' time for the Spanish Grand Prix!

30 Apr 2017

He may have finished second but Vettel has extended his World Championship lead to 13 points. Mercedes, though, have re-taken top spot in the Constructors' Championship.

30 Apr 2017

Verstappen finishes fifth with Perez, Ocon, Hulkenberg, Massa and Sainz collecting the rest of the points.

30 Apr 2017

Vettel settles for second and Raikkonen completes the podium. Hamilton was cut well adrift in fourth place.

30 Apr 2017

BOTTAS WINS THE RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX! That's his first-ever win of his F1 career and had to work very, very hard to claim it.

30 Apr 2017

We're on the final lap and Bottas manages to clear Massa a lot more cleanly than Vettel does. The gap extends to 1.3 seconds and the Finn looks to have done just enough!

30 Apr 2017

Vettel gets DRS again down the long, sweeping run to Turn Two and gets to within seven tenths of Bottas.

30 Apr 2017

Two laps remaining, can Bottas hang on?!

30 Apr 2017

Vettel has the DRS open for a brief moment but Bottas scratches and claws his way out of the activation zone.

30 Apr 2017

Vettel is flying through the middle sector and sets the fastest lap of the race. He is 1.2 seconds away from Bottas.

30 Apr 2017

And Vettel suddenly finds four tenths on Bottas is three tenths away from being able to activate the DRS. This is a tight and tense finish!

30 Apr 2017

Vettel could do with some more traffic to play with but it appears unlikely that he and Bottas will catch Massa in P9 before the chequered flag waves.

30 Apr 2017

Bottas finds another half second on Vettel. He is dealing with the pressure very well at the moment.

30 Apr 2017

"I want less talking," says Bottas over the team radio. He is totally in the zone now as he tries to see out the last eight laps.

30 Apr 2017

Bottas finds a little extra and the gap is back out to 1.5 seconds. He appears to be settling down after his mistake at Turn 13.

30 Apr 2017

Vettel is getting to within one second of Bottas. This is going to feel like a very long 10 laps for the Finn.

30 Apr 2017

Nico Hulkenberg is the last driver to make his pit stop. He made the ultrasofts last 39 laps! He returns to the track in P9.

30 Apr 2017

Vettel is told about Bottas' mistake and that gives him the extra motivation to push. The gap has tumbled to 1.9 seconds with 12 laps remaining.

30 Apr 2017

Bottas' lead to Vettel is down to three seconds and the Finn has suffered a huge lock-up of his front left tyre. That will not help matters at all.

30 Apr 2017

Hamilton has been well and truly cut adrift of the podium places. He is 14 seconds behind Raikkonen in P3.

30 Apr 2017

So Vettel begins his quest to chase down Bottas on tyres which are seven laps fresher than what the Finn is working with. The gap is 4.6 seconds.

30 Apr 2017

And finally Vettel comes in...but where will he come back out? Bottas re-takes the lead and Vettel is able to get ahead of Raikkonen, who was closing all the time prior to the pit stop.

30 Apr 2017

A bit of misinformation from the Ferrari garage. One second Vettel is told to box and the next he is told to stay out.

30 Apr 2017

"We're staying out, pace is good," Vettel is told on team radio. He is currently matching Bottas' times who has switched to fresher tyres.

30 Apr 2017

Now Hamilton makes his way into the pits for some supersofts. Now he returns to P4 and all eyes move to our current race leader Vettel. When will he come in?

30 Apr 2017

And Vettel is still staying out...but team-mate Raikkonen is in for a fresh set of boots. He returns out on track to P4.

30 Apr 2017

And race leader Bottas comes into the pits. He returns in P4 and Vettel is told to "push, push, push" as he now attempts the over-cut.

30 Apr 2017

A surprising call by Ferrari, who have been so aggressive with race strategies so far this season, to not attempt an undercut on Bottas with Vettel as the Finn wrestles with the traffic.

30 Apr 2017

Bottas is stuck in the traffic a lot longer than he would have liked. The gap to Vettel has trickled down to 3.5 seconds.

30 Apr 2017

As Hamilton makes a mistake in the final sector, race leader Bottas is about to latch onto the back of Kvyat and Magnussen in P13 and P14 respectively.

30 Apr 2017

Unfortunately there is very little in the way of track action. The field is well and truly strung out.

30 Apr 2017

Pascal Wehrlein, the backmarker of the race, is the first driver to make what should be his one and only pit stop. Massa, in P7, soon follows.

30 Apr 2017

Verstappen has a blister on his front left tyre but he appears to be managing the issue for now.

30 Apr 2017

There's just no stopping Bottas! He's now 5.5s ahead of Vettel and on his latest lap was half a second quicker than the World Championship leader.

30 Apr 2017

And not to be completely forgotten about, Hamilton sets the new fastest lap and has Raikkonen back in his sights again.

30 Apr 2017

And Bottas responds immediately with a new fastest time. The Finn is having everything his own way thus far in Sochi,

30 Apr 2017

Signs of life from Vettel. He sets a new fastest lap of the race.

30 Apr 2017

"Why is my car overheating, guys?" Hamilton asks over the team radio. All of a sudden he finds himself four seconds behind Raikkonen in third.

30 Apr 2017

Vettel cannot make any impression on the race leader at the moment. Bottas has in fact stretched his lead to four seconds.

30 Apr 2017

A quick glance at the top ten 1) Bottas 2) Vettel 3) Raikkonen 4) Hamilton 5) Verstappen 6) Massa 7) Perez 8) Ocon 9) Hulkenberg 10) Magnussen.

30 Apr 2017

Hamilton, in P4, is starting to reel Raikkonen in despite the Brit still losing time in the final sector, which he has done all weekend. He is 1.8s behind.

30 Apr 2017

The gap out in front between Bottas and Vettel is now 3.2 seconds.

30 Apr 2017

There are five-second timed penalties for Kevin Magnussen and Stoffel Vandoorne for exceeding track limits at Turn 2.

30 Apr 2017

Bottas stretches his lead to 2.1 seconds. He is absolutely flying! A stark contrast to Hamilton in P4, who is reporting cut outs in power.

30 Apr 2017

The first-lap incident between Grosjean and Palmer will be investigated after the race.

30 Apr 2017

And now Ricciardo's race is over! His right rear brake has been overworked and is on fire. He crawls back into the pits and that is his second retirement of the season.

30 Apr 2017

The field is already getting pretty strung out. Hamilton is really struggling in the final sector and Raikkonen, in P3, is a dot in the distance for the Brit at this early stage.

30 Apr 2017

Bottas once again gets off to a great start and soon opens up a +1.2s gap to Vettel, who looks like he was caught napping by the Finn.

30 Apr 2017

The safety car is in at the end of this lap.

30 Apr 2017

Max Verstappen also got off to a great start, rising from P7 to P5.

30 Apr 2017

Lance Stroll also spins out after being pushed out onto the kerb. There's no lasting damage though as he tries to complete his first race of the season.

30 Apr 2017

Jolyon Palmer and Romain Grosjean have collided at Turn Two and are both out of the race. We're down to 17 drivers already.

30 Apr 2017

It's carnage out on track! We have a safety car!

30 Apr 2017

Go! Go! Go! And Valtteri Bottas has pinched the lead heading into Turn Two. What a start from the Finn! He leads Vettel, Raikkonen and Hamilton.

30 Apr 2017

And Alonso has ditched the car on the entry of the pit lane and walked away from the doomed MCL32. As a result, there will be another formation lap.

30 Apr 2017

Already an issue for Fernando Alonso and McLaren. He is reporting "no charge" with his KERS system.

30 Apr 2017

The formation lap is underway...

30 Apr 2017

It could be a bit touch and go for Verstappen today... "The water is still leaking, but they closed it up so we'll see what happens. For the moment it was ok but you never know in the race, we'll just go into the race and see what happens."

30 Apr 2017

The national anthem is done and dusted. Not long to wait now!

30 Apr 2017

It's another wonderful day in Sochi. The sun is shining with track temperatures around 40 degrees. A simple one-stop strategy appears to be on the cards, but an early Safety Car could really mix things up.

30 Apr 2017

It appears the Red Bull mechanics have got to the bottom of the problems with Verstappen's car. He heads out to line up on the grid.

30 Apr 2017

The pit lane is now open and the drivers are practicing their starts off the line.

30 Apr 2017

Ahead of qualifying yesterday, Niki Lauda confirmed that team orders are now in effect at Mercedes as they try everything they can to counter the threat posed by Ferrari. Will they be used today?

30 Apr 2017

There are just a couple of changes to the qualifying grid for today's race: Carlos Sainz will start P14 after a three-place penalty for causing a collision in Bahrain. Stoffel Vandoorne is at the very back of the grid after being slapped with a 15-place penalty for exceeding his engine limit.

30 Apr 2017

Horner: "It had a new water pump on it, that had a leak, another water pump went on and that's had an issue as well, hopefully they've managed to fix it."

30 Apr 2017

Christian Horner: "Unfortunately we had to take the engine out last night, there was a new engine for this event so Max has gone back onto his old engine, that's done his first 3 GPs."

30 Apr 2017

The Red Bulls were separated by Felipe Massa in P6, but Max Verstappen is facing a race against time with mechanics scrambling to fix a reoccurring water leak problem. The Dutchman has also reverted to an old engine.

30 Apr 2017

Sebastian Vettel clinched his first pole position since Singapore in 2015, but team-mate Kimi Raikkonen was just +0.059s behind and Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas, starting P3, was also less than a tenth of a second. Lewis Hamilton will be hoping for a better day after qualifying down in P4.

30 Apr 2017

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Russian Grand Prix where Ferrari are hoping to convert a 1-2 in qualifying - their first since 2008 - into their third win of the 2017 season. The lights will go out in one hour.
#
Driver
Team
Time
Gap
Laps
1
Nationality
Sebastian Vettel
Ferrari
1:33.194
-
20
2
Nationality
Kimi Raikkonen
Ferrari
1:33.253
0.059
18
3
Nationality
Valtteri Bottas
Mercedes
1:33.289
0.095
18
4
Nationality
Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes
1:33.767
0.573
19
5
Nationality
Daniel Ricciardo
Red Bull
1:34.905
1.711
20
6
Nationality
Felipe Massa
Williams
1:35.110
1.916
20
7
Nationality
Max Verstappen
Red Bull
1:35.161
1.967
18
8
Nationality
Nico Hulkenberg
Renault Sport
1:35.285
2.091
21
9
Nationality
Sergio Perez
Force India
1:35.337
2.143
18
10
Nationality
Esteban Ocon
Force India
1:35.430
2.236
20
11
Nationality
Lance Stroll
Williams
1:35.964
2.77
18
12
Nationality
Daniil Kvyat
Toro Rosso
1:35.968
2.774
18
13
Nationality
Kevin Magnussen
Haas
1:36.017
2.823
16
14
Nationality
Carlos Sainz
Toro Rosso
1:35.948
2.754
18
15
Nationality
Fernando Alonso
McLaren
1:36.660
3.466
14
16
Nationality
Jolyon Palmer
Renault Sport
1:36.462
3.268
9
17
Nationality
Pascal Wehrlein
Sauber
1:37.332
4.138
9
18
Nationality
Marcus Ericsson
Sauber
1:37.507
4.313
9
19
Nationality
Romain Grosjean
Haas
1:37.620
4.426
9
20
Nationality
Stoffel Vandoorne
McLaren
1:37.070
3.876
9
Qualifying 1
#
Driver
Team
Time
Gap
Laps
1
Nationality
Valtteri Bottas
Mercedes
1:34.041
-
6
2
Nationality
Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes
1:34.409
0.368
7
3
Nationality
Sebastian Vettel
Ferrari
1:34.493
0.452
6
4
Nationality
Kimi Raikkonen
Ferrari
1:34.953
0.912
5
5
Nationality
Max Verstappen
Red Bull
1:35.301
1.26
7
6
Nationality
Esteban Ocon
Force India
1:35.372
1.331
8
7
Nationality
Nico Hulkenberg
Renault Sport
1:35.507
1.466
7
8
Nationality
Daniel Ricciardo
Red Bull
1:35.560
1.519
7
9
Nationality
Carlos Sainz
Toro Rosso
1:35.827
1.786
10
10
Nationality
Felipe Massa
Williams
1:35.828
1.787
6
11
Nationality
Daniil Kvyat
Toro Rosso
1:35.984
1.943
10
12
Nationality
Sergio Perez
Force India
1:36.185
2.144
7
13
Nationality
Lance Stroll
Williams
1:36.279
2.238
9
14
Nationality
Fernando Alonso
McLaren
1:36.353
2.312
8
15
Nationality
Kevin Magnussen
Haas
1:36.408
2.367
10
16
Nationality
Jolyon Palmer
Renault Sport
1:36.462
2.421
9
17
Nationality
Stoffel Vandoorne
McLaren
1:37.070
3.029
9
18
Nationality
Pascal Wehrlein
Sauber
1:37.332
3.291
9
19
Nationality
Marcus Ericsson
Sauber
1:37.507
3.466
9
20
Nationality
Romain Grosjean
Haas
1:37.620
3.579
9

29 Apr 2017

Out in Q1: Palmer, Vandoorne, Wehrlein, Ericsson and Grosjean.

29 Apr 2017

Wehrlein also spins out in the final sector. With double yellow flags in place inside the final 30 seconds of Q1, a lot of lap times have just been ruined.

29 Apr 2017

Yellow flags! And it's Palmer who has crashed! He goes flying over the kerb at Turn 4 and is thrown into the wall.

29 Apr 2017

Alonso jumps up to P13 after a improved final sector.

29 Apr 2017

Wehrlein and Ericsson both improve on their initial efforts but it is still not enough to see them into Q2 at the moment.

29 Apr 2017

Five minutes of Q1 remaining: Alonso, Vandoorne, Wehrlein, Grosjean and Ericsson are currently in the danger zone.

29 Apr 2017

The Mercedes duo are slipping and sliding over the place. Bottas runs wide at the final corner but still shaves a tenth off his best time in P1. Hamilton improves, yet is three tenths behind the Finn.

29 Apr 2017

Felipe Massa is the last driver to emerge from the garage and shoots up to P6 with his first effort.

29 Apr 2017

Kimi Raikkonen, also on the supersofts, is two tenths slower than his team-mate in P3.

29 Apr 2017

Hamilton and Bottas are on the ultras, but Vettel is on the supersofts to begin with. It's Bottas who rises to P1 with a 1:34.177 and Vettel slots into P2 nine tenths off the pace. Hamilton made a mess of his flying lap and has to abort.

29 Apr 2017

Fernando Alonso goes third fastest in the dreaded MCL32, four tenths off the pace.

29 Apr 2017

A quick flurry of times posted by the early runners. And it is Sainz who has the fastest time thus far on the ultrasofts: a 1:36.575. The two Mercedes drivers and Vettel have just completed their out laps.

29 Apr 2017

And we're off. Carlos Sainz is one of the first to emerge from the pits. A reminder that a three-place grid penalty will come into effect for him after his incident with Lance Stroll at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Stoffel Vandoorne is facing a 15-place grid penalty after already surpassing his engine limit for the season.

29 Apr 2017

We're almost set. Three minutes until Q1. We will see five drivers drop out after the first 18-minute session.

29 Apr 2017

The conditions in Sochi remain pretty much perfect. The air temperature is 21 degrees, with the track temp currently at 40 degrees.

29 Apr 2017

Meanwhile, at Renault, there is the sound of a revving engine on Jolyon Palmer's side of the garage. The mechanics look to have managed to change to a new power unit in time for the start of Q1.

29 Apr 2017

A quick stat for you: Ferrari, and Sebastian Vettel, have not been on pole position since Singapore in 2015.

29 Apr 2017

Then there was a 1.5s gap to Red Bull, who could be in for quite a scrap with the likes of Williams to finish behind the leading duo of Ferrari and Mercedes.

29 Apr 2017

In case you missed FP3 a little earlier, Sebastian Vettel set the pace with a 1:35.001 with team-mate Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas three tenths behind the German. Lewis Hamilton was half a second adrift in fourth.

29 Apr 2017

Mercedes, though, are clearly concerned by just how competitive Ferrari are this season. After FP3, Niki Lauda confirmed that the Silver Arrows are now going to use team orders to try and combat the threat. That is paying a huge compliment to the Scuderia just four races in.

29 Apr 2017

Hello and welcome to the qualifying session for the Russian Grand Prix. It's been all Ferrari thus far in practice, but history dictates that Mercedes always seem to find something extra when there is a pole position up for grabs. But will it be enough to bridge the gap this time? Q1 gets underway in 30 minutes.
Qualifying 2
#
Driver
Team
Time
Gap
Laps
1
Nationality
Valtteri Bottas
Mercedes
1:33.264
-
10
2
Nationality
Kimi Raikkonen
Ferrari
1:33.663
0.399
12
3
Nationality
Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes
1:33.760
0.496
11
4
Nationality
Sebastian Vettel
Ferrari
1:34.038
0.774
13
5
Nationality
Felipe Massa
Williams
1:35.049
1.785
14
6
Nationality
Max Verstappen
Red Bull
1:35.221
1.957
12
7
Nationality
Nico Hulkenberg
Renault Sport
1:35.328
2.064
15
8
Nationality
Daniel Ricciardo
Red Bull
1:35.483
2.219
14
9
Nationality
Sergio Perez
Force India
1:35.513
2.249
12
10
Nationality
Esteban Ocon
Force India
1:35.729
2.465
14
11
Nationality
Carlos Sainz
Toro Rosso
1:35.948
2.684
18
12
Nationality
Lance Stroll
Williams
1:35.964
2.7
18
13
Nationality
Daniil Kvyat
Toro Rosso
1:35.968
2.704
18
14
Nationality
Kevin Magnussen
Haas
1:36.017
2.753
16
15
Nationality
Jolyon Palmer
Renault Sport
1:36.462
2.421
9
15
Nationality
Fernando Alonso
McLaren
1:36.660
3.396
14

29 Apr 2017

Out in Q2: Sainz, Stroll, Kvyat, Magnussen and Alonso. Q3 is almost upon us...

29 Apr 2017

Sainz improves on his best time but it is not enough to get him into Q3. Stroll cannot find anything extra and is also eliminated. Meanwhile, both Force India cars are in the top 10.

29 Apr 2017

Perez has only got time to go for one timed lap to try and get into the top 10 shoot-out. He loses a lot of time in the final sector and does just enough to get out of the danger zone...for now.

29 Apr 2017

Both Ferrari drivers have come back out again on another set of ultrasofts.

29 Apr 2017

Red Bull have no answers to Ferrari and Mercedes. Both Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo are two seconds off the pace in P5 and P8 respectively.

29 Apr 2017

Sergio Perez is the only driver yet to set a time. He ran wide and gave up on his lap as a result. He is in the elimination zone alongside Alonso, Magnussen, Sainz and Kvyat.

29 Apr 2017

Bottas goes seven tenths quicker than his fellow Finn to shoot all the way up to P1. A very impressive 1:33.264. Hamilton is fourth tenths slower in P2 and Vettel is three tenths further back.

29 Apr 2017

10 minutes of FP2 left and all 15 remaining drivers are out on track. Raikkonen goes quickest on the ultras with a 1:34.053.

29 Apr 2017

Massa is six tenths quicker than his team-mate Stroll as the first timed laps go up on the board.

29 Apr 2017

Jolyon Palmer's Renault is being recovered at the side of the track. His mechanics are in for a long night of repairs barely an hour after completing changing his power unit.

29 Apr 2017

The pit lane is open again for Q2. Lance Stroll and Felipe Massa are the drivers to blink first.
Qualifying 3
#
Driver
Team
Time
Gap
Laps
1
Nationality
Sebastian Vettel
Ferrari
1:33.194
-
20
2
Nationality
Kimi Raikkonen
Ferrari
1:33.253
0.059
18
3
Nationality
Valtteri Bottas
Mercedes
1:33.289
0.095
18
4
Nationality
Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes
1:33.767
0.573
19
5
Nationality
Daniel Ricciardo
Red Bull
1:34.905
1.711
20
6
Nationality
Felipe Massa
Williams
1:35.110
1.916
20
7
Nationality
Max Verstappen
Red Bull
1:35.161
1.967
18
8
Nationality
Nico Hulkenberg
Renault Sport
1:35.285
2.091
21
9
Nationality
Sergio Perez
Force India
1:35.337
2.143
18
10
Nationality
Esteban Ocon
Force India
1:35.430
2.236
20
10
Nationality
Lance Stroll
Williams
1:35.964
2.7
17

29 Apr 2017

Thanks for joining our live coverage. Join us again for the race tomorrow! It promises to be a cracker with Mercedes having it all to do to stop the resurgent Ferrari.

29 Apr 2017

So Ferrari have locked down the front row for the first time since France in 2008! Mercedes fill out the second row and Massa ended up splitting the Red Bulls in P6. Hulkenberg, Perez and Ocon close out the top 10.

29 Apr 2017

What can Mercedes do? Nothing! Bottas and Hamilton lose time in the final sector and are +0.095 and +0.573 off the pace respectively down in P3 and P4.

29 Apr 2017

Raikkonen cannot improve, but Vettel is flying through the middle sector and takes provisional pole!

29 Apr 2017

The chequered flag is about to wave, everyone is cramming one final lap in.

29 Apr 2017

Vettel was preparing for a flying lap but a Red Bull gets in the way a little down at Turn Two. He backs off and will have to go again one last time.

29 Apr 2017

Further down the field, Ricciardo has improved to P5 and nips ahead of his team-mate Verstappen in P6.

29 Apr 2017

Vettel and Bottas are the first to re-emerge from the garage.

29 Apr 2017

So Mercedes have turned the wick up and still can't topple Ferrari. They are back in the pits preparing for a final run. Raikkonen's 1:33.253 is the time to beat with four minutes of the session remaining.

29 Apr 2017

Bottas is very quick but is three hundreths of a second slower than Raikkonen. Hamilton, though, is 1.2s off the pace in P4 as he continues to wrestle with the balance of his car.

29 Apr 2017

Kimi Raikkonen claims provisional pole with a 1:33.253 and Vettel slots into P2 one tenth behind. Bottas and Hamilton are on their flying laps...

29 Apr 2017

Hulkenberg is causing Hamilton a few problems as they jockey for position on their out laps. The yellow and black Renault finally gets his way as Hamilton backs off a little. Bottas also decides to let him go.

29 Apr 2017

Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton are queuing up at the end of the pit lane for the start of Q3. No messing around from the Silver Arrows.

29 Apr 2017

Here we are for Q3. Joining both drivers of Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull and Force India is Felipe Massa and Nico Hulkenberg.
Practice 1
#
Driver
Team
Time
Gap
Laps
1
Nationality
Kimi Raikkonen
Ferrari
1:36.074
-
19
2
Nationality
Valtteri Bottas
Mercedes
1:36.119
0.045
24
3
Nationality
Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes
1:36.681
0.607
23
4
Nationality
Max Verstappen
Red Bull
1:37.174
1.1
19
5
Nationality
Sebastian Vettel
Ferrari
1:37.230
1.156
19
6
Nationality
Daniel Ricciardo
Red Bull
1:37.290
1.216
19
7
Nationality
Sergio Perez
Force India
1:37.457
1.383
29
8
Nationality
Felipe Massa
Williams
1:37.900
1.826
29
9
Nationality
Lance Stroll
Williams
1:37.944
1.87
30
10
Nationality
Esteban Ocon
Force India
1:38.065
1.991
28
11
Nationality
Daniil Kvyat
Toro Rosso
1:38.496
2.422
17
12
Nationality
Kevin Magnussen
Haas
1:38.747
2.673
23
13
Nationality
Fernando Alonso
McLaren
1:38.813
2.739
16
14
Nationality
Carlos Sainz
Toro Rosso
1:38.976
2.902
17
15
Nationality
Jolyon Palmer
Renault Sport
1:39.158
3.084
16
16
Nationality
Romain Grosjean
Haas
1:39.533
3.459
17
17
Nationality
Stoffel Vandoorne
McLaren
1:39.541
3.467
19
18
Nationality
Pascal Wehrlein
Sauber
1:39.731
3.657
21
19
Nationality
Marcus Ericsson
Sauber
1:40.079
4.005
20
20
Nationality
Sergey Sirotkin
Renault Sport
2

28 Apr 2017

There's no improvement either from Bottas or Vettel, so the top three after FP1 reads 1) Raikkonen 2) Bottas 3) Hamilton. Join us again in two hours and 30 minutes' time for the start of FP2.

28 Apr 2017

And there's the chequered flag....Hamilton makes another mistake at Turn Two to end all hope of knocking off Raikkonen at the top of the standings.

28 Apr 2017

Verstappen improves on his time slightly in P4 as the drivers try and squeeze a couple more laps in.

28 Apr 2017

Five minutes left of FP1.

28 Apr 2017

Looks like the commentator's curse has struck McLaren... "No power," says Vandoorne over the team radio and coughs and splutters his way back to the garage.

28 Apr 2017

And another heavy lock-up for Hamilton, this time down at Turn 13. He takes full advantage of the run-off area and soon rejoins the action.

28 Apr 2017

10 minutes of the session remaining, with Raikkonen still the man out in front.

28 Apr 2017

There's double yellows for a very brief period as Vettel goes for quite a big spin at the exit of Turn 17. He is very, very lucky to avoid the wall!

28 Apr 2017

We've not heard much from McLaren-Honda so far in this session, which is a seriously good thing considering their ongoing troubles. Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne are down in P15 and P16 respectively.

28 Apr 2017

We're back underway. Vettel look poised to challenge Raikkonen's P1 time but he gets a little out of shape at the tricky Turn 13.

28 Apr 2017

Session will restart in two minutes.

28 Apr 2017

We have a red flag, but it won't be for very long. An engine cover has made a bid for freedom from Esteban Ocon's Force India and has settled in a rather dangerous position out on track. The stewards will be out to retrieve it once the circuit is clear.

28 Apr 2017

It's all of a sudden very busy out on track and Raikkonen goes fastest for the first time today. He is four hundreths of a second quicker than Bottas, who slips down to P2.

28 Apr 2017

Oh, look! A Formula One car. Not seen one of those for a while. Kevin Magnussen is the first to re-emerge from the garage.

28 Apr 2017

Must. Not. Fall. Asleep.

28 Apr 2017

Don't worry, you're not missing anything. There is still not a single car back out on track.

28 Apr 2017

A brief lull in the action, with all drivers now back in the pits.

28 Apr 2017

Hamilton's uncomfortable start continues as he too, like Ricciardo, gets it all wrong heading into Turn Two and gets a big bump over the kerb for his troubles.

28 Apr 2017

Bottas looked primed to break into the 1:35 barrier but runs very wide at Turn 14 due to the distinct lack of grip on track.

28 Apr 2017

We are into the final hour of FP1 and Bottas improves to a 1:36.119 in P1. Hamilton is still struggling to get to grips with his car and can only get to within half a second of his team-mate on his latest lap.

28 Apr 2017

Meanwhile, Raikkonen has been on the radio to complain about vibrations and Ricciardo has made a real mess of Turn 2 and ran off the track completely.

28 Apr 2017

Hamilton has also moved on to the supersofts and posts the fastest time through the final sector. However, he still finds himself +0.609 seconds off the pace set by Bottas.

28 Apr 2017

Bottas switches to the supersoft option and goes quickest again with a 1:36.998. Seven tenths quicker than Vettel.

28 Apr 2017

Not the greatest of starts, though, for Felipe Massa. He has locked up a couple of times and ran wide in the middle sector.

28 Apr 2017

We're on board with Vettel and that is a very squeaky clean start to his day in Sochi. He goes eight tenths quicker than Hamilton to rise to the top of the standings. Team-mate Raikkonen slots into P3.

28 Apr 2017

Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll are on the timesheets alongside Hamilton and Bottas. The former was quickest so far through the middle sector but a mistake in the latter stages sees him settle into P3.

28 Apr 2017

With all eyes on Sirotkin, Hamilton set the new fastest lap with a 1:39.558. Hope for his sake he lifted off when the yellow flags came into effect!

28 Apr 2017

Sirotkin tries his best to start the car again but the stewards are eager to move him out of harm's way. The engine just seemed to completely shut off.

28 Apr 2017

And this is not the start Sirotkin would have wanted at his home grand prix. He has come to a stop at Turn 2 and the yellow flags are waving.

28 Apr 2017

Hamilton is clearly feeling his way into the session, as his first timed lap is five seconds slower than Bottas.

28 Apr 2017

Mercedes number two driver Valtteri Bottas (joking!) sets the first timed lap of the session: a 1.39.871 on the soft tyre compound.

28 Apr 2017

Lewis Hamilton is one of the last drivers to emerge and is currently on his out lap. Most have now completed their installation procedures.

28 Apr 2017

Interestingly, Ferrari have changed the turbo chargers in both cars ahead of this weekend's race. The season limit is four and they are up to three already...

28 Apr 2017

The pit lane light goes green and we are officially underway. A handful of cars are straight out of the garage, with Kimi Raikkonen among them.

28 Apr 2017

It's a beautiful, clear, sunny day in Sochi with temperatures around 19 degrees. Perfect conditions to get plenty of work done over the next 90 minutes.

28 Apr 2017

There is also a relatively fresh face joining us for FP1, with Renault giving Sergey Sirotkin an opportunity at his home grand prix. Nico Hulkenberg has been given the morning off.

28 Apr 2017

Looking further down the field, Haas have changed their brake suppliers to Carbon Industrie in a bid to end their long-running issues, while Honda believe they have provided McLaren with a reliability update following their Bahrain disaster. We won't hold our breath.

28 Apr 2017

There has been the usual mind games between the two front-runners Ferrari and Mercedes ahead of the Russian Grand Prix, a race which the latter has dominated for the last three years. Red Bull, meanwhile, believe they could be in a strong battle with Williams to finish best of the rest this weekend.

28 Apr 2017

Hello and welcome to our live coverage as round four of the 2017 season gets underway with FP1 in Sochi. The pit lane will open in 30 minutes.
Practice 2
#
Driver
Team
Time
Gap
Laps
1
Nationality
Sebastian Vettel
Ferrari
1:34.120
-
36
2
Nationality
Kimi Raikkonen
Ferrari
1:34.383
0.263
36
3
Nationality
Valtteri Bottas
Mercedes
1:34.790
0.67
36
4
Nationality
Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes
1:34.829
0.709
34
5
Nationality
Max Verstappen
Red Bull
1:35.540
1.42
15
6
Nationality
Daniel Ricciardo
Red Bull
1:35.910
1.79
26
7
Nationality
Felipe Massa
Williams
1:36.261
2.141
39
8
Nationality
Nico Hulkenberg
Renault Sport
1:36.329
2.209
38
9
Nationality
Kevin Magnussen
Haas
1:36.506
2.386
31
10
Nationality
Sergio Perez
Force India
1:36.600
2.48
38
11
Nationality
Esteban Ocon
Force India
1:36.654
2.534
39
12
Nationality
Fernando Alonso
McLaren
1:36.765
2.645
27
13
Nationality
Jolyon Palmer
Renault Sport
1:36.771
2.651
22
14
Nationality
Romain Grosjean
Haas
1:37.039
2.919
31
15
Nationality
Carlos Sainz
Toro Rosso
1:37.083
2.963
36
16
Nationality
Stoffel Vandoorne
McLaren
1:37.125
3.005
25
17
Nationality
Daniil Kvyat
Toro Rosso
1:37.300
3.18
35
18
Nationality
Pascal Wehrlein
Sauber
1:37.441
3.321
30
19
Nationality
Lance Stroll
Williams
1:37.747
3.627
36
20
Nationality
Marcus Ericsson
Sauber
1:37.819
3.699
29

28 Apr 2017

That's it for now. Join us on Saturday for final practice and qualifying for the Russian GP. Cheers.

28 Apr 2017

The chequered flag is out at the Sochi Autodrom with FP2 concluding with a Ferrari 1-2. Vettel is quickest on a 1:34.120. Mercedes are third and fourth with Bottas ahead of Hamilton with Verstappen and Ricciardo next in line.

28 Apr 2017

Almost done for the day at the Sochi circuit with Ferrari holding down the 1-2 with Vettel ahead of Raikkonen.

28 Apr 2017

Stroll is leading the speed trap times on 326.3 with Hamilton second, 325.6. Vettel is only fourth, 324.8.

28 Apr 2017

Vandoorne has moved up to P16 on the ultras with Kvyat, Wehrlein, Stroll and Ericsson behind him on the timesheets. Remember the McLaren driver has a 15-place grid penalty for an engine change.

28 Apr 2017

More brake problems for Grosjean, who complains that he has none, and he heads into the pits only to get a different set of tyres and head back out.

28 Apr 2017

Bottas starts his 22nd lap on the ultras as Hamilton swaps his used ultras for used softs amidst flumes of brake smoke.

28 Apr 2017

Verstappen stopped at the entrance to the pit lane but his car has been moved to a safe zone.

28 Apr 2017

"I've lost power, lost power" reports Verstappen as his RB13 stops on the side of the track.

28 Apr 2017

An off for Grosjean at the final corner as the Frenchman continues to struggle. He spun and went off backwards.

28 Apr 2017

As the drivers lay down the laps, Vettel is looking good on race pace as too is Raikkonen. They are in the low 1:38s.

28 Apr 2017

The most laps on the ultras are Bottas, Hulkenberg and Ocon who are all onto lap 16 on the purple tyres.

28 Apr 2017

Ferrari are mixing up their strategy with Vettel on his 14th lap on the ultras and Raikkonen on his 11th on the supersofts. He slapped on the set that he used earlier this session.

28 Apr 2017

Vandoorne is up to 12 laps and back in the pits. Only Verstappen and Ricciardo have done as few laps as the Belgian racer.

28 Apr 2017

Slowest of all at the moment is Ericsson in the Sauber. His team-mate Wehrlein, despite having less time in the car this season, is P17.

28 Apr 2017

With just over 30 minutes of play remaining today it looks as if Ferrari have the advantage with the 1-2 ahead of Mercedes and Red Bull RAcing. Massa is best of the rest in the Williams.

28 Apr 2017

Only Stroll and Vandoorne have yet to set times on the ultrasoft tyres, both drivers still holding their best times on the supersofts.

28 Apr 2017

Over at McLaren, or should we say down at McLaren, Alonso is P12 while Vandoorne is 19th. They have 22 laps between them.

28 Apr 2017

Another lap and another off for Hamilton. He is having a bit of a ragged afternoon on the ultrasoft tyres.

28 Apr 2017

A rundown of the top ten: Vettel, Raikkonen, Bottas, Hamilton, Ricciardo, Verstappen, Massa, Hulkenberg, Perez and Ocon.

28 Apr 2017

Close call! Hamilton has a near miss with a Sauber as he tries to go around the C36 and instead almost wacks it.

28 Apr 2017

An off for Verstappen as he runs wide on his first ultrasoft lap.

28 Apr 2017

Bottas is told that "main thing is getting the surface temps up" on his tyres but not "oversliding them."

28 Apr 2017

Flirting with the track limits Hamilton again backs off.

28 Apr 2017

An off at Turn 4 forces Hamilton to slow right down. He reports that the tyres are "ready from lap 1".

28 Apr 2017

Bottas leaves the pits on a set of ultras and goes third fastest behind the Ferraris. Hamilton is also out on track.

28 Apr 2017

Lap number 5 on the ultras for Vettel and he goes quickest on a 1:34.120, which beats the outright track record.

28 Apr 2017

A slow first lap for Vettel so he backs off and goes again. P2 for the German, 0.097s down on Raikkonen while upped his pace to a 1:34.383 on his third lap.

28 Apr 2017

"Engine hesitation" is Vettel's report as he starts a flying lap on the ultras.

28 Apr 2017

And with that Raikkonen heads out on a set of purple-marked ultras. It is a P1 for the Ferrari driver with a 1:34.721. That put him a second up on Hamilton's best.

28 Apr 2017

All the drivers excluding Sainz have been using the supersoft tyres. The Toro Rosso driver is on the softs with the ultras yet to be used by anyone.

28 Apr 2017

Good news for McLaren as Vandoorne's engine is fired up and he is ready to roll. And out he goes.

28 Apr 2017

Ricciardo goes fifth, 1.2s down on Hamilton, while Verstappen is seventh, 1.4s off the pace.

28 Apr 2017

We are also still waiting for times from Wehrlein, Ericsson, Magnussen and Vandoorne. And with that Wehrlein heads out onto the track.

28 Apr 2017

Massa goes fifth quickest ahead of Perez as it once again looks as if Williams and Force India will be vying for the best of the rest spot. Red Bull's Verstappen and Ricciardo have taken to the circuit.

28 Apr 2017

It is a 1:35.752 for the Brit and that puts him P1. Bottas goes third, splitting the two Ferraris.

28 Apr 2017

Hamilton heads out on a set of supersoft tyres as he starts his afternoon work.

28 Apr 2017

Purples for Raikoknen and he goes quickest with a 1:35.980. Kvyat brings out the yellows at Turn 13 as he gets it rather wrong and spins.

28 Apr 2017

Grosjean is not a happy chappy. He "completely lost it into Turn 4" and asks "what the hell is going on."

28 Apr 2017

1-2 for Ferrari as Vettel goes quickest with a 1:36.5 and Raikkonen slots in behind his team-mate, 0.3s adrift. "Dreadful with the front end" is Raikkonen's verdict.

28 Apr 2017

A 1:42.3 for Hulkenberg to get the timesheets rolling.

28 Apr 2017

"Soft brake pedal" for Grosjean and a radio that is "still not great." Remember Haas have changed brake suppliers this weekend.

28 Apr 2017

"Brake pedal is quite long," reports Magnussen. He is asked if it is driveable and responds by saying it is "not great" but that he can continue. He's back in the pits after just one lap.

28 Apr 2017

Practice starts at the end of the pit lane as Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg take to the Russian track. Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean are the next out.

28 Apr 2017

Lights, camera and action as the clock begins to count down on FP2 at the Sochi Autodrom.

28 Apr 2017

FP2 looks as if it will get underway without Vandoorne as McLaren and Honda are still completing the engine change for his MCL32.

28 Apr 2017

The sun is still shining, air temperature is 21'C and the track is up to 39'C.

28 Apr 2017

There were problems for Stoffel Vandoorne, who complained of "no power" in the closing stages of FP1. Honda have opted to change his engine meaning the Belgian racer is faicng a 15-place grid penalty as he is onto his fifth turbocharge and fifth MGU-H.

28 Apr 2017

Best of the rest was Sergio Perez in the Force India with the Mexican racer finishing FP1 ahead of Felipe Massa, Lance Stroll and Esteban Ocon. The four drivers were separated by 0.6s.

28 Apr 2017

Lewis Hamilton was next in line, 0.607s off the pace, as he finished FP1 ahead of Max Verstappen (+1.100) and championship leader Sebastian Vettel (+1.156).

28 Apr 2017

Friday's first practice belonged to the two drivers who probably most need a good race weekend; Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas. Both are edging towards number 2 status within their respective teams but came to the fore earlier today. Raikkonen was quickest on a 1:36.074, which put him 0.045s up on fellow Finn.

28 Apr 2017

Welcome back to the Sochi circuit for the second of Friday's two 90-minute practice sessions.
Practice 3
#
Driver
Team
Time
Gap
Laps
1
Nationality
Sebastian Vettel
Ferrari
1:34.001
-
17
2
Nationality
Kimi Raikkonen
Ferrari
1:34.338
0.337
16
3
Nationality
Valtteri Bottas
Mercedes
1:34.364
0.363
20
4
Nationality
Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes
1:34.542
0.541
19
5
Nationality
Max Verstappen
Red Bull
1:35.452
1.451
21
6
Nationality
Felipe Massa
Williams
1:35.471
1.47
17
7
Nationality
Nico Hulkenberg
Renault Sport
1:35.662
1.661
15
8
Nationality
Daniel Ricciardo
Red Bull
1:35.830
1.829
24
9
Nationality
Carlos Sainz
Toro Rosso
1:36.164
2.163
20
10
Nationality
Kevin Magnussen
Haas
1:36.556
2.555
19
11
Nationality
Lance Stroll
Williams
1:36.649
2.648
19
12
Nationality
Esteban Ocon
Force India
1:36.676
2.675
22
13
Nationality
Daniil Kvyat
Toro Rosso
1:36.846
2.845
18
14
Nationality
Fernando Alonso
McLaren
1:36.869
2.868
12
15
Nationality
Sergio Perez
Force India
1:36.962
2.961
21
16
Nationality
Romain Grosjean
Haas
1:37.164
3.163
20
17
Nationality
Stoffel Vandoorne
McLaren
1:37.182
3.181
15
18
Nationality
Marcus Ericsson
Sauber
1:37.503
3.502
21
19
Nationality
Pascal Wehrlein
Sauber
1:37.657
3.656
17
20
Nationality
Jolyon Palmer
Renault Sport
4

29 Apr 2017

That's it for now. Join us in two hours for qualifying for the Russian GP where the sandbagging question will be definitively answered. Cheers.

29 Apr 2017

The chequered flag is out on FP3, which concludes with a Ferrari 1-2 with Vettel ahead of Raikkonen. Bottas is third.

29 Apr 2017

Ferrari are topping the speed trap with Raikkonen on 326, which Magnussen - 325.1 - second.

29 Apr 2017

Sainz has moved up to eighth place ahead of Magnussen and Stroll.

29 Apr 2017

A minor glitch for Ricciardo who stopped on the side of the track at the exit of Turn 4. But whatever was wrong he has the car going again.

29 Apr 2017

On McLaren watch, Fernando Alonso is P13and Vandoorne 19th. The only driver slower is Palmer and he doesn't have a lap time to his name.

29 Apr 2017

Hamilton has also reduced the gap to Ferrari but he's still half a second off the pace.

29 Apr 2017

Bottas has closed up on the Ferraris, 0.363s slower than Vettel, and Renault have confirmed that Palmer's RS17 requires a new engine.

29 Apr 2017

With the tyres holding up, Vettel, Raikkonen and Bottas are all going purple in the different sectors. Great battle between Ferrari and Mercedes.

29 Apr 2017

Bad news for Palmer as reports suggest his Renault requires a new engine.

29 Apr 2017

And now it is Vettel who is quickest, a 1:34.001 for the German, who was up in the first and third sectors.

29 Apr 2017

Hamilton responds with an even faster middle sector but a slight mistake leaves him P2, 0.147s down. Raikkonen is on a hot lap as well and he goes quickest in the first sector, and the middle... it is a 1:34.338 and a new P1.

29 Apr 2017

This time it is Bottas who hits the front as he goes fastest in the final two sectors. It is a 1:34681 for the Finn.

29 Apr 2017

New ultras for Hamilton and Bottas as they leave the Mercedes garage one after the other.

29 Apr 2017

His team-mate Hulkenberg is up to 11th place on the supersoft tyres, 2.5s off the pace. The top seven - from Hamilton to Stroll - have all set their times on the ultras.

29 Apr 2017

Palmer leaves the pits only to complain about the power to his car and he's back in the pits. Four laps, no time, and few signs that he'll be out again this session.

29 Apr 2017

Problems for Palmer as he is back in the pits with an engine issue. He has yet to set a time this session.

29 Apr 2017

Vettel is second, 0.105s down, and Bottas is third, a further 0.142s back.

29 Apr 2017

Hamilton hits the front with a 1:34.828. He went purple in the second and third sectors, and he did so on the sixth lap on that set of ultras.

29 Apr 2017

Vettel's on a hot hot lap and clocks a 1:34.933 to beat Raikkonen's best by seven-tenths. Bottas goes third but here comes Hamilton...a 1:35.7 for the Brit which puts him P4.

29 Apr 2017

A spin for Kvyat at Turn 15, looks like he just lost the rear of his STF12.

29 Apr 2017

With more drivers laying down laps, the timesheets continue to change and this time it is Raikkonen who slots in P1. He does a 1:35.610 on the ultras.

29 Apr 2017

Verstappen takes over at the top, also on the ultras. He is 0.052s quicker than his Red Bull team-mate.

29 Apr 2017

P1 for Ricciardo, who is out on the ultrasoft tyres. He does a 1:37.547.

29 Apr 2017

Renault broke curfew at the Sochi Autodrom on Friday night as they needed to replace the tub in Jolyon Palmer's RS17. according to reports, Palmer's Renault suffered an exhaust failure in practice which effectively melted bits of the car. As such, largely as a precautionary measure, Renault opted to change the survival cell in his car.

29 Apr 2017

Perez hits the front of the timesheets with a 1:38.3 ahead of Ocon.

29 Apr 2017

A mistake from Grosjean as he runs wide at the final corner, pretty much a repeat of yesterday's offs.

29 Apr 2017

Hamilton heads out on the soft tyres with Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez right behind him, using the supersofts. And here comes Russian racer Daniil Kvyat much to the delight of the fans in the grandstands.

29 Apr 2017

Most of the drivers are out on a set of the softs except McLaren, who have gone with the supersofts. F1's teens are out and about as Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll leave the pits.

29 Apr 2017

One by one the drivers head out with Vandoorne and his new engine, well new as of the start of FP2, taking to the track ahead of Grosjean, Jolyon Palmer, Kimi Raikkonen, Valtteri Bottas, Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa. Marcus Ericsson is getting strapped in so he should be out soon.

29 Apr 2017

The pit lane light turns to green and FP3 is underway with Kevin Magnussen and Daniel Ricciardo immediately out.

29 Apr 2017

One minute to the start...

29 Apr 2017

Tyre choice for this weekend are the Pirelli's soft, supersofts and ultrasofts. The latter will be the tyre on which the drivers should set their fastest times with Vettel's 1:34.120 from Friday over a second quicker than Nico Rosberg's previous outright record set in Q2 last year.

29 Apr 2017

The air temperature is 19'C and the track is 33'C, blue skies overhead and no chance of rain.

29 Apr 2017

Other news overnight is that Haas have decided to revert to the Brembo brakes for the remainder of the weekend after running Carbone Industrie in practice. The new brakes did little to help Romain Grosjean with his issues thus Haas have gone back to what they know.

29 Apr 2017

Lewis Hamilton, though has denied that Mercedes - seven-tenths slower than Ferrari on Friday - were sandbagging. “We never sandbag,” he told reporters at the circuit. “There’s no benefit to sandbagging, ever. I think Ferrari has done in the past but there is zero benefit for us to do so. We’re trying to get the car to the optimum balance-wise and today’s generally been a tricky day. I don’t know why he would suggest that, it’s just Sebastian trying to blow smoke our way. Really, those guys are just very quick.”

29 Apr 2017

Although Ferrari were quickest in both Friday sessions, FP2 pace-setter Sebastian Vettel says he expects Mercedes to come to the fore today. “I think they will be fine; it’s a circuit that suits them, so they will be strong tomorrow,” he said on Friday evening. “I don’t want to make this personal but I think last year people expected Williams to be the fastest after Friday if I remember right, and obviously it turned out Mercedes were the fastest. That’s how sometimes you can be misled.”

29 Apr 2017

Welcome back to the Sochi Autodrom for final practice for the Russian Grand Prix. It is shaping up to be an intense session amidst accusations - and denials - of sandbagging.
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Season Schedule
Date
Grand Prix
Time

03 Jul

British Grand Prix

04:00 PM

10 Jul

Austrian Grand Prix

03:00 PM

24 Jul

French Grand Prix

03:00 PM

*All times in GMT+2 View Full Schedule
Driver Standings
#
Driver
Points
1
Max Verstappen Red Bull
175
2
Sergio Perez Red Bull
129
3
Charles Leclerc Ferrari
126
4
George Russell Mercedes
111
5
Carlos Sainz Ferrari
102
View Full Results
Team Standings
#
Team
Points
1
Red Bull
304
2
Ferrari
228
3
Mercedes
188
View Full Results
Season Results
Grand Prix
Podium

20 Mar

 Bahrain Grand Prix
1. Charles Leclerc 2. Carlos Sainz 3. Lewis Hamilton

27 Mar

 Saudi Arabian Grand...
1. Max Verstappen 2. Charles Leclerc 3. Carlos Sainz
View Full Results
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