Russian Grand Prix 2017 Qualifying: Saturday's F1 Results, Times, Final Grid

Ferrari locked out the front row of a Formula One race for the first time since 2008 on Saturday, as Sebastian Vettel qualified in pole position for the Russian Grand Prix.

The German posted a time of one minute, 33.194 seconds with his final run to squeeze past team-mate Kimi Raikkonen. It means Mercedes pair Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton, who will begin third and fourth respectively, have it all to do in Sunday’s race.

Earlier in the day Ferrari dominated the final practice session too, with Vettel taking top spot with a time of 1:34.001.

Here is a recap of how an absorbing qualifying played out in Sochi and the results from Saturday’s racing in full.

Qualifying Recap

Here is a look at how the grid is going to shape up for Sunday’s race, per the FIA account:

After impressing in first practice, the Ferrari duo of Vettel and Raikkonen showed just how much pace they possess in Q1, as they opted to use the slower, supersoft compound; the pair still made it safely through into Q2 in third and fourth position. 

Mercedes, meanwhile, used up a set of ultrasofts for their drivers, with Hamilton looking uncomfortable in the cockpit during the first runs.

Meanwhile, Jolyon Palmer had a session to forget. Not only was he eliminated at the first chance, he planted his Renault into the wall after time had expired too, per the team’s Twitter account:

Once all the drivers were on the same compound in the second practice, there were some more fascinating developments. The most significant being Mercedes discovering some serious speed.

Indeed, while the two Ferrari drivers set their quickest times of the weekend, they were obliterated by Bottas, who pumped in a 1:33.264 seconds. Hamilton was just shy of half-a-second back on his team-mate in second place, although he was eventually usurped by Raikkonen.

ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/Getty Images

Although there was still a long way to go, it felt as though the real Silver Arrows had turned up for the first time this weekend, per F1 on NBC Sports:

The performances from Mercedes in Q2 meant that pulses quickened in anticipation of the the top-10 shootout, with Ferrari’s dominance at Sochi seemingly set to be challenged.

In the early stages of Q3 Hamilton was involved in a tangle with Nico Hulkenberg, with the two men jostling for position on their respective laps. The Mercedes man wasn’t pleased; Fake Charlie Whiting didn’t think the Briton had much of a case:

After the first round of hot laps it was Raikkonen who led from Bottas, while Vettel was ahead of Hamilton in third. The Mercedes drivers were much quicker in the early portion of the lap, although the Ferrari men were chopping down the deficit in the final deficit. It made for some thrilling clock-watching.

With the last laps of the session, Raikkonen was unable to improve on his time, allowing Vettel to snatch provisional pole with his best lap of the weekend.

It was a mark that looked to be under threat from the Mercedes pair, although errors from both in the latter stages gave Ferrari their fist lockout since the 2008 French grand prix.

FP3 Recap

The Formula One Twitter account provided the final standings from third practice:

After the first two practice sessions on Friday, there were some suggestions from Vettel that Mercedes were not showing their true pace early on in Russia, although they were subsequently dismissed by Hamilton.

The final practice runs were to give us the clearest indication into the speed of the top teams around this circuit, with all the top drivers donning the ultrasoft compound in preparation for qualifying.

Clive Mason/Getty Images

And Vettel looked to be proved right in his assessments post FP1 and FP2. That's because Hamilton was quickest in the initial hot laps, logging 1:34.828. However, there was little to split the top two men in the world championship, with the Ferrari of Vettel just 0.105 seconds off the pace.

Bottas, meanwhile, was close behind in third. The Mercedes team were pleased with the job being done by their drivers early on:

There was still plenty of time to go, though, and Ferrari upped the ante in the second half of the stint, with Vettel putting in a 1:34.001 to surge to the top. Raikkonen, meanwhile, settled in behind his team-mate.

It was a pace Mercedes failed to respond to. Bottas was 0.363 seconds back on Vettel and unable to bust the Ferrari top two, while Hamilton, having led in the early parts of the stint, was only good enough for fourth.

There were more concerns for Red Bull in the final stages of the session as well. After a power outage for Max Verstappen on Friday, there was a similar problem for Daniel Ricciardo, who had to pull up.