Russian GP Practice Three: Ferrari remain out in front ahead of Mercedes

Ferrari maintained their sizeable advantage over Mercedes in final practice for the Russian GP with the rejuvenated Scuderia apparently poised to take a vital pole position at Sochi.

"If they can get on to the front-row of the grid, l think they will control the race all the way," predicted Sky F1's Paul di Resta as Ferrari pair Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen both out-paced their Mercedes counterparts.

Vettel's benchmark lap of 1:34.001 was over three-tenth better than Valtteri Bottas' quickest time with Lewis Hamilton half a second adrift.

Heading into qualifying, the Scuderia appear to hold a critical and substantial advantage over the Silver Arrows in the final sector due to their superiority in tyre preservation.

Mercedes have claimed pole position on all of F1's previous visits to the Black Sea resort but Ferrari have led the way in all three sessions so far this weekend.

Finding the optimal working range for the fickle Pirelli tyres has emerged as the critical performance differential this weekend in Sochi.

Ferrari dominated Friday practice after seemingly unlocking the Pirellis faster than the rest of the field and while Hamilton briefly topped Saturday morning timesheets the Mercedes required an extra warm-up lap before uncorking its fastest time whereas Ferrari have invariably registered their best lap on their opening flier.

"Ferarri just seem to have a really big window," noted Sky F1's Johnny Herbert. "You need a car that just has that window so where you do something not quite right, so you can get away with it."

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A day after team-mate Max Verstappen broke down on track, the Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo temporarily crawled to a halt in an apparent repeat of the team's problems with their Renault engine.

Meanwhile, Jolyon Palmer, enduring a tough start to the new season, was the only driver not to set a timed lap.

It's understood that his Renault car suffered an exhaust-gas leak around the gearbox, melting part of the chassis.

A new tub and power unit will be fitted for the Englishman's car - hopefully in time for Qualifying, which begins at 1pm UK Time, live on Sky Sports F1.

Practice Three timesheet
1. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, 1:34.001
2. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, +0.337
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, +0.363
4. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, + 0.541
5. Max Verstappen, Red Bull, +1.451
6. Felipe Massa, Williams, +1.470
7. Nico Hulkenberg, Renault, +1.661
8. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull, +1.829
9. Carlos Sainz, Toro Rosso, +2.163
10. Kevin Magnussen, Haas, +2.555
11. Lance Stroll, Williams, +2.648
12. Esteban Ocon, Force India, +2.675
13. Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso, +2.845
14. Fernando Alonso, McLaren, +2.868
15. Sergio Perez, Force India, +2.961
16. Romain Grosjean, Haas, +3.163
17. Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren, +3.181
18. Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, +3.502
19. Pascal Wehrlein, Sauber, +3.656
20. Jolyon Palmer, Renault, No time set

Will Ferrari stay ahead of the pack in Sochi? Watch the Russian GP weekend with Sky Sports F1. The race begins at 1pm on Sunday. Check out all the ways to watch live F1 on Sky Sports for subscribers and non-subscribers - including a NOW TV day pass for £6.99!