Image source, Getty Images

Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo only has to out-qualify Sebastian Vettel once more to clinch a decisive 10-6 advantage in the season head-to-head.

The Australian would become the first team-mate to out-qualify Vettel over a whole season. Tonio Liuzzi beat Vettel 4-3 but that was only a partial season in 2007.

Image source, Reuters

"I think it's going to be very exciting for everyone," says Daniil Kvyat, 20, who is set to become the first Russian to compete in his home race.

"I think the fans are passionate, I think you will be surprised at how people will be cheering for the sport."

This may be his home race, but Kvyat's hometown is Ufa, which is 2,300km away from Sochi. Big country, Russia.

"He's fast but he's on the edge," says BBC F1 commentator David Coulthard of Lewis Hamilton who finished quickest this morning but lost it underbraking but kept it out of the barriers. You can watch it here.

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Qualifying gets under way in just 20 minutes. Don't forget there is live coverage available on BBC One or the video console at the top of the page.

Elton Lam, external: Fascinating piece on @KevinMagnussen on #BBCF1. Such a great, inspiring guy and doing a solid job for @McLarenF1.

Sue, external: Lovely piece on Kevin Magnussen on #BBCF1 from when he was a young boy, so cute.

Mark, external: What a brilliant Kevin feature then. I hope he keeps his seat for next year.

Image source, EPA

Kevin Magnussen (pictured) and Daniil Kvyat are the only drivers on the grid never to have failed to make it through from Q1 to Q2.

Faseeh Warind, external: Nico must be wondering where it all went wrong for him. Lewis is just too quick for him.

Alex Ballard, external: The Sochi track looks beautiful, nice addition to the circuit.

Jonathan Foster, external: Where is Hamilton gaining so much time on everyone on the fast laps, he is creaming everyone.

One for the Magnussen family photo album this. It's Kevin Magnussen, aged just two, driving around in a miniature McLaren Formula 1 car.

Lovely interview with Kevin Magnussen on BBC One just now. The Dane is a huge name in his home country and talks about how he spoke to Martin Whitmarsh after winning the Formula Renault 3.5 series in 2013 and put pressure on the then McLaren chief to give him a seat. "I just went up to him and said 'Come on, I can do it. Just give me the seat, I can do better than the guys you have got'.

Worth remembering that the sport lost driver Andrea De Cesaris at the age of 55 last Sunday. The Italian, who started 208 races in F1 between 1980 and 1994 but never won a grand prix, was killed in a motorbike accident in Rome.

Having spent much of the season chasing, Lewis Hamilton is now defending a lead. The Briton, who won the title in 2008, heads Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg by 10 points with four races and 125 points remaining.

This morning, Lewis Hamilton finished quickest in final practice with a stunning lap, but his session was tainted when he had a spin late on. Luckily for him, he kept it out of the barriers.

Marussia on Twitter, external: Thank you for the continued warmth and concern, and for providing the strength to help us keep pushing on. #JB17 #RememberingMaria

"It's been an incredibly difficult week for F1 and our team," Marussia president Graeme Lowdon tells Suzi Perry. "But we have been helped enormously by the F1 family. It would have been enormously difficult to get through this week without the help of some key people.

"Jules is an exceptional F1 driver and an exceptional human being. I don't know anyone who doesn't like him. He has so many friends that it has hit a lot of people very hard.

"The main thing we wanted to do was something useful for Jules and his family but also we're lying ninth in the world championship, a very important position for us and we're largely in that position because of Jules. He's a racing driver and he will want us to do the best we can.

"We thought the right thing to do was come here, take part in the event but as a mark of support for Jules and respect for his mum and day and family we would withdraw the second car. Its fully scrutineered and ready to go. It has his race number on it."

Image source, Getty Images

Here's a shot of Russian Daniil Kvyat placing a sticker with the hashtag #JB17, which is Jules Bianchi's race number, alongside his own name on his Toro Rosso.

Image source, Getty Images

All the drivers have the slogan Tous Avec Jules #17 in support of Jules Bianchi, who is critical but stable after suffering severe head injuries in Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix when he crashed into a recovery vehicle.

Image source, Getty Images

Morning everybody and welcome to our live coverage of qualifying for the Russian Grand Prix - an event that has been seven years in the making.

The Black Sea resort of Sochi is our host - you may recognise the venue as it hosted this year's Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

The honour of becoming the first man to ever start on pole position for the Russian Grand Prix is up for grabs. Who is going to take it?

Image source, Getty Images

It's all going to plan for Lewis Hamilton, the Briton looking mighty around the Sochi Autodrom while his Mercedes team-mate and title rival Nico Rosberg struggles to keep up.

But will that spin at the end of the session play on the 2008 world champion's mind when crunch time comes in qualifying shortly? Join me in a bit to find out.

Time to park this live text, but I'll be back at 11:15 BST to begin building up to qualifying. BBC One goes live at the same with BBC Radio 5 live going on air at 12:00, when the one-hour session starts.