Kayleigh‍: No idea who’s going to pole it this afternoon. Hoping Seb had a decent lunch and is ready to smash it though!

We are a few minutes away from qualifying at 13:00, tune in now for Jack Nicholls and Jolyon Palmer.

Valtteri Bottas started the year competitive, he's had five P2 finishes, one third place and he was so close to a win in Baku, until the unfortunate puncture which cost him his race.

His success was mostly at the beginning of the season, and the odd silent podium finish, where not a lot happened for him to get there, and he hasn't improved since.

Bottas seems to have gone quiet since the "wing man" comments in Hungary, and he's shied away from the podium in the last five races, coming: fourth twice, fifth, and his best for a while is third.

He's contracted to Mercedes for another year, with the potential for racing in 2020, but does he need to show us what he's made of first?

Valtteri Bottas won this race last year - his first ever victory - and he has a pretty decent qualifying record here.

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

On the Ferrari Friday pace, Valtteri Bottas for one was not convinced it was a true reflection of reality. "I don't believe it is real,” the Mercedes driver said. “I think it is going to be very close. Normally they have been very strong in the straight lines but today they didn't seem to run full power or something, so we will see.

"Friday was a good day for us, at least on paper we seem to be quick but it is only Friday and we saw Ferrari not really giving everything they have with their car."

Image source, AFP

So what of Ferrari? Have they really been so bad as they have appeared? Valtteri Bottas is not too sure.

Our championship leader is looking forward to qualifying, and has every reason to.

Four races held in Sochi and Mercedes have won all of them. Qualifying gets going at 13:00 BST.

Sebastian Vettel was quickest in first practice yesterday, but ever since then it has been dominance from Lewis Hamilton.

Time is running out for the German if he is to claw back a deficit that currently stands at 40 points. He, somehow, really, really needs to find a way to get himself on to pole position today.

Image source, .

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

No surprises in this sentence, but the relationship between Red Bull and soon-to-be ex-engine partner Renault has reached another nadir. On Thursday, Max Verstappen, who has been very vocal in his impatience with the Renault on the radio in recent races, had claimed that part of the motivation for fitting a fresh “B-spec” engine this weekend was because the newer and more powerful “C-spec” used in recent races “cannot run in high altitude at Mexico and Brazil - we always knew we had to make another B at one point”.

Renault F1 boss Cyril Abiteboul was not amused. “Any engine performs not as good in high altitude," said Abiteboul. “But I guess that the power increase we have seen would have been equal in a track like Mexico. So no, I don't agree with those comments and in general I think Max should focus on the car.”

On Friday, though, Verstappen hit back: “If he would concentrate a little bit more on his own team instead of moaning about me all the time, they would already be world champions. I just explained clearly why we have to revert back to the B [spec]. That turbo won't last in Mexico and Brazil. If we would race with that [engine] then we would not make it to the finish for sure.

"So, it's not that I'm lying. I just think that he can't take it very well, that I am too realistic and too straightforward. I demand a lot from the equipment, but I'm here to win. I'm not here to become seventh like they are doing.” Ouch. Divorce - in six races’ time - cannot come soon enough. Clearly.

Image source, Getty Images

Here is that fantastic moment from earlier (10:05) when Max Verstappen's voice breaks...

Romain Grosjean will have to be a bit careful this weekend as he is close to getting a one-race ban.

He picked up two penalty points in Singapore for ignoring blue flags while race leaders Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen were catching and trying to pass him. That took the Haas man's total up to nine as anyone who gets 12 in a calendar year has to sit out a race.

Haas team principal Gunther Steiner said: "He should be very careful but I think he knows that. We are on very thin ice at the moment with that."

Grosjean said he would not change his style, saying: "I'm not here to crash, I'm not here to do anything silly. I'll still be pushing and racing and doing my job. When you look back at the points I got, some you can explain, some others are more questionable, but there they are."

Image source, Getty Images

To to and fro between Red Bull teams, is one thing - and a little strange at that, but Red Bull advisor, Helmut Marko says he's changed his approach:

“We always stayed in contact - not immediately after he left us - and I saw that he changed his approach and his personality, or he got more mature, and he was always fast.

"So it is was just a thing of mentality and I think now he has the right mentality. There are not so many drivers around. The conditions are right and we are happy to have him back.”

Image source, Getty Images

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

Now that one of the Toro Rosso seats is filled, following the team’s decision to re-employ Daniil Kvyat, the question remains as to who will get the second one. Red Bull motorsport boss Helmut Marko did little to quell the sense that Brendon Hartley is unlikely to be kept.

Asked whether he still had a chance, Marko said: “Brendon stays definitely to the end of the season. Let’s see what he is doing.”

Marko added that he wanted to see what happened at the end of the European Formula Three championship, where Red Bull junior Dan Ticktum lies second to Mick Schumacher, Michael’s son, with a round to go. But even if Ticktum wins that championship, he won’t have enough FIA points to earn an F1 super-licence.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner added: “I don’t think Dan is ready for F1 and there is a licensing issue as well. He needs to keep developing and keep generating experience. Regarding the second seat, still open, we don’t have to be in any rush. We can see how the market unfolds.”

An interesting twist is that while Ticktum won’t have enough points if he wins the title, Schumacher will. Could he be in a Toro Rosso next year?

This is where we are in the transfer market for 2019 so far.

Esteban Ocon, Stoffel Vandoorne, Brendon Hartley, and Sergey Sirotkin still have their future in F1 to be decided.

Lance Stroll is almost guaranteed to still be driving next year, since his dad, Lawrence Stroll now owns a large part of Force India.

It's likely Stroll could move to the pink team next season, but Williams haven't confirmed their 2019 line-up yet.

Image source, .

2019 will be Daniil Kvyat's third spell at Toro Rosso... fourth time in the Red Bull family, after spending just over a season at Red Bull before being replaced by Max Verstappen.

Another lifer at the team now known as Toro Rosso was Pierluigi Martini. Jack Nicholls and Jolyon Palmer saying he also had three spells at the Faenza-based team when they were Minardi.

Great-looking car, the 1991 Minardi...

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

Ferrari appear to be in trouble at the Russian Grand Prix, lagging well behind Mercedes in final practice before qualifying on Saturday.

Lewis Hamilton headed team-mate Valtteri Bottas by 0.254 seconds to secure a Mercedes one-two - and Vettel was a massive 0.6secs behind. The German really needs to beat Hamilton in Sochi on Sunday to revive his flagging title hopes. He is 40 points adrift with a maximum of 150 remaining.

Vettel’s team-mate Kimi Raikkonen was fourth, 0.021secs behind. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo were fifth and sixth quickest but will start from the back of the grid because of engine penalties.

Sauber’s Charles Leclerc, who is being promoted to Ferrari next year in place of Raikkonen, was best of the rest in seventh, ahead of Force India’s Esteban Ocon.

Jack and Jolyon will be back at 12:55 BST with some chat for qualifying.

I have some driver market news, and some things about Russian dolls...

And Andrew Benson has a round-up of that last practice session.

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

They arrived in Russia knowing Sebastian Vettel needs to beat Lewis Hamilton to revive his title hopes, and with a big aerodynamic upgrade on the car. Yet they have looked more off the pace so far this weekend than at any point this season - Mercedes, who have their own upgrade on the car, have had at least 0.5secs in hand so far. Which is a remarkable step forward.

On top of that, Ferrari ended the session in a bit of a mess.

Vettel was sent out right at the end - but too late. He encountered the red light just as he arrived at the exit of the pit lane and had to stop the car and climb out. And Kimi Raikkonen had to be ordered in a panicky voice to stop his car as he was leaving the garage, to avoid the same problem.

Out on track, the car seems simply to be lacking grip through the second and third sectors. What on earth has gone wrong for a team that has had the fastest car for much of the season?