Ferrari underlined once again its strength in Sochi this weekend with Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen topping the timesheets in FP3.
Vettel clocked in a 1:34.001 on supersoft tyres and enjoyed a comfortable margin over team mate Raikkonen, 0.337s adrift.
Lewis Hamilton was an early pace-setter in the session on Pirelli's ultra-soft compound but team mate Valtteri Bottas still had the last word in the Mercedes camp.
Indeed, both looked like they would end the morning on top before Ferrari turned up the heat in the final stages of the session
Max Verstappen ended the morning fifth, with Red Bull team mate Daniel Ricciardo still coming to grips - literally - with his RB13 down in eighth position.
Williams Felipe Massa was sixth while Nico Hulkenberg's P7 performance bodes well for the German's qualifying chances this afternoon.
Following an overnight chassis change Jolyon Palmer failed to set a time. Renault have subsequently decided to change the Brit's engine before qualifying this afternoon.
Free Practice 3 times
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1:34.001s | 17 | |
| 2 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 1:34.338s | + 0.337s | 16 |
| 3 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1:34.364s | + 0.363s | 20 |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:34.542s | + 0.541s | 19 |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:35.452s | + 1.451s | 21 |
| 6 | Felipe Massa | Williams | 1:35.471s | + 1.470s | 17 |
| 7 | Nico Hülkenberg | Renault | 1:35.662s | + 1.661s | 15 |
| 8 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull | 1:35.830s | + 1.829s | 24 |
| 9 | Carlos Sainz | Toro Rosso | 1:36.164s | + 2.163s | 20 |
| 10 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1:36.556s | + 2.555s | 19 |
| 11 | Lance Stroll | Williams | 1:36.649s | + 2.648s | 19 |
| 12 | Esteban Ocon | Force India | 1:36.676s | + 2.675s | 22 |
| 13 | Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso | 1:36.846s | + 2.845s | 18 |
| 14 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren | 1:36.869s | + 2.868s | 12 |
| 15 | Sergio Pérez | Force India | 1:36.962s | + 2.961s | 21 |
| 16 | Romain Grosjean | Haas | 1:37.164s | + 3.163s | 20 |
| 17 | Stoffel Vandoorne | McLaren | 1:37.182s | + 3.181s | 15 |
| 18 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber | 1:37.503s | + 3.502s | 21 |
| 19 | Pascal Wehrlein | Sauber | 1:37.657s | + 3.656s | 17 |
| 20 | Jolyon Palmer | Renault | 4 |
