29/04/2017
NEWS STORY
Ahead of today's qualifying session the air temperature is 21 degrees C, while the track temperature is 40 degrees. It remains bright and sunny.
That's the air and track temperature sorted, but as for the temperature in the Mercedes garage we can only guess.
Either its red hot as the team seeks to fend off the increasing challenge from Ferrari, or super cool, the German team having done a very good job of what Lewis Hamilton claims it never does... sandbag.
For a few brief moments in FP3 it looked as though the German team had been kidding us, Valtteri Bottas and his British teammate toppling their Maranello rivals with a couple of very impressive times.
But then the Scuderia hit back, and as if the looks on the faces of Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda weren't enough, the overdriving of Bottas and Hamilton reinforced the message... Mercedes is struggling.
Consequently, as we head into qualifying, the question isn't whether Mercedes can maintain its streak of poles but rather whether Ferrari can lock-out the front row.
While then Silver Arrows struggle to get their tyres working in time, the Ferrari appears to be on rails, the red cars not having looked as good in years.
Max Verstappen said yesterday that fifth and sixth is the best that the team can hope for, and as the RBR13 - well they did insist on tempting fate - continues to disappoint the question is can Williams or Force India pull off a surprise. Saying that however, the Force India were both well off the pace this morning.
Mixed fortunes for Renault, for while Nico Hulkenberg finished seventh earlier, teammate Jolyon Palmer failed to post a time and over the break his crew has had to change his engine. This follows an all-nighter after the team had to build a new survival cell following an issue yesterday - remember that funny smell Vettel detected?
Whatever happens over the next hour, Carlos Sainz forfeit 3 grid places for his clash with Lance Stroll in Bahrain, while poor old Stoffel Vandoorne forfeit 15 for having a Honda engine in the back of his car.
And then there's Monsieur Moany - this year's equivalent of Captain No Grip - who deserves a grid demotion due to the frequency and variety of his complaints.
The big question ahead of the session is not so much whether Ferrari can lock-out the front row but can it take pole without reverting to the ultrasoft tyres. Such a move would be a tremendous gamble. At the same time, locking-out the front row would allow the Italian team to control the race, aware of Mercedes shortcomings in some sectors and its inability to turn its tyres on.
The lights go green and there's no hanging around, Sainz keen to get to work as soon as possible. He is joined by nine other drivers, all on the ultrasofts.
"Remember we have new brakes on the car," Kvyat is reminded, "good warm up on the brakes."
Vettel is on track, on supers.
Of the first wave, Sainz is quickest (36.575), ahead of Magnussen, Kvyat and Stroll.
A typically bravura performance sees Alonso go third with a 37.026. The guy never gives up.
Moments later Vandoorne improves to fifth with a 37.411.
As the Mercedes duo head out, on ultras, Raikkonen follows on supers.
Ocon posts 36.586 to go second, only to be demoted when his teammate posts 36.185.
A 36.201 sees Verstappen go quickest, only to be demoted when Bottas crosses the line at 34.177.
Vettel goes second, 0.925s off the pace, but on the harder rubber. Moments later, Raikkonen posts 35.338 to go third.
With Massa the only driver still to post a time, Hamilton is currently 19th following his 45.420 lap.
While Massa posts 36.142 to go 6th, Hamilton has another slow lap, clearly building for a proper flying lap.
As Vettel closes to within 0.366s of Bottas, the Finn improves to 34.041 and Hamilton goes second with a 34.409, 0.368s down on his Mercedes teammate.
With 5 minutes remaining, the drop zone consists of Alonso, Vandoorne, Wehrlein, Grosjean and Ericsson. Sainz, Stroll and Palmer are hovering.
Other than the leading four, everyone else is on track.
Stroll improves to 11th (36.279), as Palmer drops to 15th.
Sainz goes 8th from 15th, a great job by the Spaniard.
Alonso posts PBs in the first two sectors, crossing the line at 36.353 to go 13th, a magnificent job by the McLaren driver.
Out come the yellows as Palmer appears to be in the tyre barrier at T4.
Are you OK, he is asked. "Yes, I'm alright," is the early response.
Replay shows him hitting the inside kerb at T4 and then spearing across the track.
To further confuse the issue at around the same time Palmer was having his problem, Wehrlein had a spin which also brought out the yellows, thereby ruining those laps of those drivers seeking to improve.
We lose Palmer, Vandoorne, Wehrlein, Ericsson and Grosjean.
Quickest was Bottas, ahead of Hamilton, Vettel, Raikkonen, Verstappen, Ocon, Hulkenberg, Ricciardo, Sainz and Massa.
Stroll gets Q2 underway, followed by his Williams teammate.
As more drivers head out the yellows are still being waved at T4 as Palmer's car is removed. Surely they should have delayed the start of Q2.
Massa posts 35.677 and Stroll 36.363.
A 35.968 sees Kvyat go second and Sainz third, before both are demoted by Raikkonen who posts a 34.053.
Bottas and Hamilton are trading fastest sector times, the Finn crosses the line at 33.264 - making it a Finnish 1-2 - with Hamilton posting a 33.760 moments later.
Check out our Saturday gallery from Sochi, here.
Vettel goes third with a 34.038.
"Box, box, box, box," Hamilton is told, "these are your race set reminder."
Ferrari apologises to Raikkonen for sending out Vettel as the Finn was starting his flying lap.
With 5 minutes remaining, Kvyat, Sainz, Magnussen, Alonso and Perez comprise the drop zone. Indeed Alonso and Perez haven't been out.
As Raikkonen heads out again, Verstappen posts 35.221 to go fifth. Ricciardo is currently 8th.
Vettel is also back on track.
"We're looking for a couple more tenth to be safe," Ricciardo is told. Hard to believe when you think about it.
Perez begins his sole timed lap, with Alonso just behind.
A PB in S1 for Raikkonen with Vettel also looking set to improve.
Perez goes ninth with a 35.513, as Vettel goes quickest in S2.
Raikkonen goes second overall (33.663) while Vettel opts to abort his lap.
Neither Sainz nor Stroll is able to improve, while Ocon makes it through by the skin of his teeth.
We lose Sainz, Stroll, Kvyat, Magnussen and Alonso.
Quickest was Bottas, ahead of Raikkonen, Hamilton, Vettel, Massa, Verstappen, Hulkenberg, Ricciardo, Perez and Ocon.
"Unbelievable, unbelievable," sighs an exasperated Alonso, while Kvyat's reaction to his failure to make the cut is a little more profane. "So much oversteer, so much oversteer," is the bit we can publish.
The sight of both Mercedes ready and waiting at the end of the pitlane in anticipation of the green light tells you all you need to know, the Silver Arrows need two laps in which to turn on their tyres.
The Ferrari duo are also early birds but don't face the same issues.
On his out lap, Hamilton is having all manner of issues with Hulkenberg, who passed the Mercedes earlier. Hamilton complains that Hulkenberg was "driving dangerously".
Indeed, with Bottas allowing the Renault through, Hamilton is now stuck behind his Mercedes teammate.
Hulkenberg posts 35.412 with Bottas posting 45.951 and Hamilton 47.053.
From out of nowhere Raikkonen produces a 33.253. Moment later Vettel responds with a 33.426.
Bottas is quickest in S1 while Hamilton can only manage a PB. Following PBs for both in S2, Bottas posts 33.289 to go second while Hamilton can only manage 34.464.
Behind the Ferrari/Mercedes cat fight, Ricciardo is fifth, ahead of Verstappen, Massa, Perez, Hulkenberg and Ocon.
Hulkenberg is unhappy - to put it mildly - about the way Hamilton compromised - or a word something like that - his out lap.
Vettel, Hamilton and Hulkenberg head out for the final assault.
Not a strong first sector for Vettel, the German possibly put off by a slow Red Bull he had to pass.
With 1:07 remaining all ten drivers are on track.
Raikkonen and Ocon posts PBs in S1, with Massa also very quick.
Another PB for Raikkonen in S2, as Hamilton goes quickest in S1.
Raikkonen fails to improve on his previous best, having made a mistake in the final corner.
A 33.194 sees Vettel go quickest but what can the Mercedes duo do.
Mistakes by both drivers in their final sectors - the team's Achilles heel - mean they fail to improve.
A front-row lock-out for Ferrari, it's first since 2008 in France. While Bottas was only 0.095s off the pace, Hamilton was a full 0.573s adrift of the Ferrari.
Vettel takes pole, ahead of Raikkonen, Bottas, Hamilton, Ricciardo, Massa, Verstappen, Hulkenberg, Perez and Ocon.
Sainz is eleventh, ahead of Stroll, Kvyat, Magnussen, Alonso, Palmer, Vandoorne, Wehrlein, Ericsson and Grosjean.
Sandbagging and all that aside, Bottas did a magnificent job of getting to within 0.095s of Vettel, the Finn somehow overcoming the shortcomings of the Mercedes in that final sector.
Hamilton, though downcast, isn't looking for anyone to blame, admitting that he simply wasn't quick enough.
Ignoring the fact that it has already won two of the opening races, today's performance - and that of the previous sessions - must truly embolden the Maranello outfit which has the opportunity to not only control tomorrow's race but to further demoralise the Silver Arrows.
Another excellent performance from Ricciardo while Massa should be justifiably proud of his sixth place.