Formula 1 returned for the third and final practice session of the weekend of the Russian Grand Prix, with teams and drivers aiming to perfect their setups before qualifying around the Sochi Audodrom.
Ferrari Fastest in Practice 3 of Russian Grand Prix
With the final practice session of the Russian Grand Prix being over, Ferrari once again showed their pace in Sochi, topping the session with a 1-2 from both of their drivers. Sebastian Vettel set the fastest lap of the session with a 1:34.001 while Kimi Raikkonen followed him in second place, setting a best lap time of a 1:34.338.
The Mercedes cars of Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton were next fastest, following Ferrari in third and fourth place. Although Mercedes are strong in the first sector of the lap around Sochi, most of their lap time is being lost in the second and third sectors, with the lap times of the Ferrari drivers both being considerably quicker around this part of the track.
Following the two Mercedes drivers was Max Verstappen who was fifth fastest for Red Bull Racing, setting a best lap time of a 1:35.452, almost 1.5 seconds off the pace set by Vettel. Felipe Massa followed Verstappen in sixth place for Williams, only 0.019 seconds slower than the Dutchman. With this gap between the Williams and the Red Bull being very narrow, it will be interesting to see which team comes out on top to be the third best team this weekend.
Nico Hulkenberg was seventh fastest for Renault, placing his car inside the top ten for the second time this weekend after sitting out of FP1. Following Hulkenberg in eighth place was the second Red Bull Racing driver of Daniel Ricciardo, who had a tough time in the final practice session of the weekend after stopping out on track following a sudden loss in power.
Carlos Sainz Jr was ninth fastest for Toro Rosso, 0.392 seconds ahead of Kevin Magnussen who rounded out the top ten for Haas F1.
Lance Stroll was 11th fastest in the second Williams while Esteban Ocon followed him in 12th place, being the fastest Force India driver of the session.
Daniil Kvyat was 13th fastest, followed by Fernando Alonso who was 14th fastest for McLaren, only 0.023 seconds slower than the Toro Rosso driver.
Sergio Perez ended the session in 15th place for Force India, followed by Romain Grosjean who was 16th fastest for Haas. Grosjean’s problems continued into final practice, with the Frenchman complaining about the lack of rear down force that he had on the car.
Stoffel Vandoorne was 17th fastest in the second McLaren, completing 15 laps in the session. Vandoorne faces a grid penalty going into qualifying after changing the turbo and MGU-H on his Honda engine, which means that he will be dropped by 15 places. For this reason, it wouldn’t be surprising if Vandoorne didn’t compete in qualifying, preventing his Honda engine from doing any unwanted mileage.
Marcus Ericsson and Pascal Wehrlein rounded out the session in 18th and 19th place for Sauber, being well off the pace of the fastest time of the session.
Jolyon Palmer was classified in 20th place in the session after the Brit failed to set a lap time for Renault, with Palmer’s race weekend once again being plagued by reliability issues which will probably result in the driver qualifying lower than Hulkenberg in the second Renault.
Going into qualifying, the field is looking close, with Ferrari and Mercedes being in their own battle at the top while teams such as Williams might be able to challenge Red Bull Racing for the honors of third best this weekend. With regard to who will get pole position, it remains unknown, however, Ferrari are looking very strong going into qualifying after topping every practice session of the weekend so far. Nevertheless, I still wouldn’t rule out the two Mercedes drivers to see if they can challenge for pole.
Results from Practice 3 of the Russian Grand Prix:
- Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, 1:34.001
- Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1:34.338
- Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, 1:34.364
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:34.542
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 1:35.452
- Felipe Massa, Williams, 1:35.471
- Nico Hulkenberg, Renault, 1:35.662
- Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing, 1:35.830
- Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso, 1:36.164
- Kevin Magnussen, Haas F1, 1:36.556
- Lance Stroll, Williams, 1:36.649
- Esteban Ocon, Force India, 1:36.676
- Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso, 1:36.846
- Fernando Alonso, McLaren, 1:36.869
- Sergio Perez, Force India, 1:36.962
- Romain Grosjean, Haas F1, 1:37.164
- Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren, 1:37.182
- Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, 1:37.503
- Pascal Wehrlein, Sauber, 1:37.657
- Jolyon Palmer, Renault, No time
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