It's time for the third and final free practice session ahead of the Russian Grand Prix. Teams and drivers have one last chance to run and test before qualifying later this afternoon. After Valtteri Bottas dominated yesterday by taking first place in both free practice sessions, the other drivers will want to make it difficult for him in the build-up to qualifying. Follow the live blog below.
Strong Mercedes (liveblog below)
View this post on InstagramIt is probably inevitable that Mercedes will dominate again this weekend at the Sochi Autodrom. The German team are always very strong on this circuit. They are the only ones who have ever won at this venue since Formula 1 arrived here in 2014. Max Verstappen's chances seem slim: he was sitting in the midfield yesterday and looks like he will have to come from behind to make it difficult for Mercedes. Verstappen has never even been on the podium here.
In the first two free practice sessions, it became clear that Mercedes will keep their record intact. Bottas was the fastest in both practices, and Hamilton was closely behind him in FP2. The long-run analysis also shows how frighteningly fast the German team is: they are probably the only ones who can get away without a stint on the softest tyre, which wears out very quickly on this track. The others are too close to each other to take the risk.