Russian GP: Friday Summary – Leclerc dominant while Mercedes struggle for pace

Once again, it was a competitive session with Charles Leclerc topping the times, just ahead of Max Verstappen. Vettel finished in third fresh from his victory last weekend, while the Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton ended up in 4th and 5th.

Read the full FP1 report here! 

Verstappen headed the times in the second session, ahead of Leclerc who enjoyed a positive day. The Dutchman was 0.335 ahead of the Ferrari man, while Bottas was next, 0.646secs off the pace. Hamilton ended up in 4th, 0.152 seconds slower than his teammate.

The Dutchman performed well in FP1 and FP2 in Russia and has reason to be positive heading into the final practice and Qualifying. The Dutchman will face a five-place penalty in Sochi so needs to make the most of qualifying to avoid being well down on the grid.

Mercedes weren't quite at their best in the first two practice sessions and will hope for better when the racing continues tomorrow. Mercedes still lead Ferrari by 133 points despite struggling in recent times to keep up with the Italian team, who have won the last three races.

Nico Hulkenberg currently doesn't have a seat for next season, however, there may be a space for him at Williams as Robert Kubica has revealed that he won't be signing for the team next season. Russell is keen to prove himself alongside an experienced driver who is known to be fast.