SOCHI, Russia -- Sebastian Vettel led a Ferrari one-two in second practice for the Russian Grand Prix as Ferrari laid down a marker of its pace ahead of the race weekend.
After seeing teammate Kimi Raikkonen go quickest in FP1, championship leader Vettel continued Ferrari's strong start to the weekend, posting a 1:34.120. Most eye-catching of all was the gap to Mercedes after the qualifying simulations, with Valtteri Bottas 0.670s behind on a circuit many expected the world champions to be strongest on this weekend.
Raikkonen finished second in the other Ferrari, 0.2s behind his teammate. While Ferrari looked comfortable in the qualifying simulations, Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton, in particular, appeared to struggle to get the most out of Pirelli's ultra-soft tyre.