Lewis Hamilton hooks up a tidy lap, clocking the quickest time in each of the three sectors to go quickest with a 1:45.120. Nico Rosberg and Max Chilton are the other drivers to have set a lap time with 76 minutes to go.

Next time around, Nico Rosberg improves to a 1:46.835 to extend his lead at the top of the pile.

Nico Rosberg gets caught out at Turn 13, locking up and running wide before becoming the first driver to set a timed lap in a Formula 1 car around the Sochi Autodrom with a 1:49.932.

Lewis Hamilton: "There's a vibration when I touch the brakes."

As with all new tracks, grip levels will be very low early on but expect conditions to improve continuously over the course of the weekend.

Everyone expect for the Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have completed installation laps.

Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Sochi

"One word cropped up a lot when drivers were asked about the new Sochi track - Valencia. The long straights and plethora of right-angled corners are indeed very reminiscent of the now defunct Spanish street track which last hosted a race in 2012.

"Valencia was not exactly known for producing great races - although the last one was a stonker, with Fernando Alonso winning from 11th on the grid - but Nico Rosberg said he thought Sochi would provide plenty of opportunities for overtaking.

"There are a couple of interesting areas, too - the long, negative camber left-hander of Turn Three will put the front right tyre under a lot of strain, and the last sector will be critical in getting a good lap time, with lots of fiddly, technical corners coming one on top of the other."

We've got two driver changes for this session. Roberto Merhi borrow's Kamui Kobayashi's Caterham while Russian Sergey Sirotkin, 19, makes his F1 race weekend debut with Sauber, taking the wheel of Esteban Gutierrez's car.

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso is the first man out, with Force India's Nico Hulkenberg not too far behind. As usual, drivers will do an installation lap, to check all is well with the car following the journey over from Japan, before peeling back into the pits.

The green light at the end of the pit lane flickers on to get us under way at the Sochi Autodrom.

Image source, BBC Sport

The Sochi Autodrom is a 5.8km circuit that weaves its way around the Sochi Olympic Park, which hosted the Winter Games in February.

It is the third longest track on the calendar, behind Spa-Francorchamps and Silverstone, and part of the race will take place on public roads.

Earlier this year, four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel drove a lap with BBC commentator and former F1 driver David Coulthard. You can watch that here or in the video console at the top of the page.

F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone has been trying since at least 1982 to take F1 to Russia, only to see plans for races in St Petersburg and Moscow collapse.

But in 2010 he got his wish when he signed a seven-year contract, which reportedly costs Russia £25m a year, to host a race in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, which hosted this year's Winter Olympics.

Image source, Getty Images

Today's session will start at 07:00 BST and last 90 minutes. A second will follow at 11:00. Both will be live across the BBC and available in the video console at the top of the page.

Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Sochi

"Along with the focus on Jules Bianchi's injuries, the drivers have been reminded - as if they needed to be - of the dangers inherent in what they do. 'The cars are as safe as they can be,' Lotus driver Romain Grosjean said. 'I know the risks we take. We love the sport. We know it's dangerous. My wife knows it's dangerous. The day you are scared of what you do, you stop. I am in love with F1 and I know Jules was as well. I think if he could say anything, it would be: "Come on, guys. You have a grand prix to achieve. Go for it."

"World champion Sebastian Vettel added: 'We all share a common passion for racing and competing. We are fortunate to find ourselves in F1, the best and quickest cars in the world with the best excitement and probably the best satisfaction. But there is always some risk involved, which is I think always a part, a great part, of the feeling why you feel so alive. If you have to make a decision, I'm fairly confident you'd always prefer to go racing.'"

"I don't know how to put into words how truly devastated I am by what has happened to Jules," says Marussia's Max Chilton.

"The support from the F1 family has been incredible and all we can do is be there to support Jules' family at this difficult time.

"It is going to be a very emotional weekend for the whole team, but we will try to get through it and keep praying for Jules."

Marussia add: "Jules' car crew have built a second car, which has been scrutineered and is ready to race, and this will remain on his side of the garage throughout the weekend.

"In support of Jules and his family, the team and its cars will carry the familiar #JB17 graphic, to ensure that although Jules is not with us in Sochi this weekend, he is, nonetheless, racing on with the Marussia F1 Team."

Image source, Marussia

Marussia say in a statement: "We will run a single car for the duration of the forthcoming grand prix weekend in Sochi, out of respect for our driver Jules Bianchi, who remains in hospital in Yokkaichi, Japan, in a critical but stable condition.

"We have written to the stewards of the meeting to inform them that we have withdrawn our second car.

"The team feels strongly that fielding a single car, that of driver number four, Max Chilton, is the appropriate course of action under the difficult circumstances of the weekend."

Marussia will field only one car for the duration of the Russian Grand Prix weekend.

Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Sochi

"There is only one real topic of conversation so far this weekend, and that's the terrible accident suffered by Jules Bianchi in Japan last Sunday. The Frenchman is in a critical condition in hospital in Yokkachi and all the drivers have him foremost in their minds. Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, who knew Bianchi better than most as a result of the Marussia driver's position in the Ferrari young driver programme, spoke for all his colleagues when he said: 'It was a tough weekend, and now we are here - a difficult weekend again, emotionally very difficult. We are ready to race, for him, being as professional as we can, but our mind - or my mind - is with him at this moment.'"

Image source, Daniel Ricciardo on Twitter

Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo on Twitter:, external We are all with Jules.