Slick Vettel sets Sochi pace

Motor sport: Hamilton fourth after impressive day in practice for Ferrari

Lewis Hamilton believes it is advantage Sebastian Vettel for the Russian Grand Prix after he finished a distant fourth behind his Formula One world championship rival in practice yesterday.

The Briton arrived in Sochi seven points adrift of Vettel after the Ferrari driver claimed victory number two of the new season at the last race in Bahrain.

The Mercedes driver has won two of the three races staged in Russia and will be desperate to make amends after his defeat at the Sakhir Circuit to Vettel a fortnight ago. But it was the German, and his resurgent Ferrari team, who appeared on course to strengthen their grip on the new championship after a dominant display at the Sochi Autodrom.

First, his Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen posted the fastest lap in opening practice before Vettel soared to the top of the timesheets during the day’s second running.

Vettel set a best lap of 1min 34.120sec at the 3.1mile circuit which runs through the Olympic Park – the site of the 2014 Winter Games – to finish ahead of Raikkonen, while Hamilton was only fourth.

Hamilton was slower, not only to both the Ferrari drivers, but his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas, too, as he ended the 90minute session a distant 0.709sec adrift of Vettel’s best time.

There is plenty of work to do then for the Briton should he wish to return to the winners’ circle tomorrow and get his championship assault back on track.

“The Ferraris are definitely the quickest as they have been all year so far,” Hamilton said. “Their pace does not surprise me because we are struggling getting these tyres up to temperature. We are not the quickest, and, of course, I want to be, but rather than get concerned about it I just put my energy towards trying to figure out how we can improve.”

Vettel suggested that Hamilton’s Mercedes team was “sandbagging” yesterday in a deliberate ploy not to give away their true pace. But Hamilton scoffed at his rival’s claim.

“I don’t know why they would suggest that,” Hamilton added. “That is just Sebastian trying to blow smoke our way. Those guys are very quick.

“If we get our tyres working we can get closer and the gap is still very close.”

Behind Hamilton, Dutch teenager Max Verstappen was fifth in the order, but he missed the final 20 minutes of the session after he stopped on track with a mechanical failure.

Flashy: Lewis Hamilton in action in his Mercedes in Sochi yesterday