Sebastian Vettel maintained Ferrari’s control of the Russian Grand Prix weekend as he again led a 1-2 during final practice at the Sochi Autodrom.
Ferrari and Mercedes battled for top spot on the Ultra Soft tyres, completing multiple laps on the same set of rubber, before Vettel emerged quickest on a 1:34.001.
Kimi Räikkönen finished second to Vettel, 0.337s adrift, while Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton placed third and fourth, mirroring the order from Friday’s second practice session.
Bottas finished 0.363s behind Vettel, with Hamilton 0.541s down on his title rival, ensuring the pair finished closer to the Ferrari drivers than in FP2.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen finished fifth, 1.451s down on Vettel, with Felipe Massa just 0.019s behind for Williams, as he demoted Daniel Ricciardo to seventh.
Ricciardo stopped on track exiting Turn 4 during the closing stages but was able to complete a power cycle and return the RB13 to the pits.
Renault’s Nico Hülkenberg vaulted up to eighth late on when he switched to Ultra Soft tyres, leaving Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz Jr. and Haas’ Kevin Magnussen to complete the top 10.
Lance Stroll wound up 11th, in front of Esteban Ocon, home representative Daniil Kvyat, Fernando Alonso and Sergio Pérez.
Romain Grosjean voiced his frustration with the feel of his Haas VF-17 and placed 16th, leaving Stoffel Vandoorne, Marcus Ericsson and Pascal Wehrlein at the back.
Renault’s Jolyon Palmer completed only minimal running, without setting a time, before a loss of power meant he had to sit out the remainder of the session.
Palmer’s struggles come after he was given a new chassis overnight as a precaution, following an exhaust leak on Friday.
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