No news of any potential penalty for Lewis Hamilton yet so we start like this.

Image source, F1

Pirelli expect Lewis Hamilton to ditch his soft tyres at the 12-lap mark. The way this season has gone, there will be early chaos that completely ruins that advice.

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

Image source, EPA

The key interest heading into the race from a strategy perspective is how the different tyres on the three lead cars will play out. Lewis Hamilton was very concerned after circumstances led to him starting on the soft, but other teams feel things might not be as bad as he feared.

The soft this weekend is the C5 - the softest compound in Pirelli’s range - and it had been considered a one-lap tyre but degradation has not been far less than expected and some feel Hamilton will be able to run a decent distance into the race before needing to change - so a one-stop soft-hard strategy might be do-able for him.

A lot depends on whether he can defend from the tow effect down to Turn Two - and here the soft is an advantage for the start because it gives better grip off the line. If Bottas and Verstappen stay behind him, they will likely try to run longer for a tyre off-set at the end of the race. Or if they are able to follow him closely, they could try an undercut by stopping first.

Everyone will want to try to do a one-stop, because the pit-stop time loss is big at 25 seconds. But because of the good life of all the tyres, there could be big strategy variations between the teams because it means the pit-stop windows - the optimum time to stop - are large.

Francesca Gunn: That looks more like Hamilton had an issue. Looks like he got out of the way and then waited for the cars to pass. Because after they did I don’t see Hamilton doing any sort of practice start, he just pulled away slowly. How is that a practice start?

Reece Young: I'm sorry but talk of a drive through for not doing a practice start in the pitlane? Is that justified. Really? Surely a reprimand is enough. Like jeez FIA have a word.

Pole sitter Lewis Hamilton, speaking earlier before the drivers went to the grid: "It is going to be very hard to win today. I am on the soft tyre. The medium and hard can do twice as much at least as the soft.

"Even if I do hold onto the lead at the start it will be very hard because the soft falls off a cliff at lap 10. I don't know how I will make the strategy work today but where there is a will there is a way.

"It is going to require an awesome start and then some special driving to make the tyres do more than they can do."

This is the circuit facing the drivers today.

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

Image source, Getty Images

Earlier today...

Formula 1 drivers have been told they cannot wear clothing bearing any slogans or messages while doing official duties after grands prix.

The move is a reaction to Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton wearing a T-shirt at the last race in Tuscany referencing the case of a woman killed by US police.

The FIA said podium finishers "must remain attired only in their driving suits done up to the neck". This must be the case throughout the podium ceremony and interviews. The requirements include a "medical face mask or team-branded face mask".

The move had been expected after talks between the FIA, Mercedes and Hamilton's representatives before this weekend's Russian Grand Prix.

At Mugello, Hamilton wore a T-shirt saying: "Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor" at the official pre-race anti-racism demonstration and on the podium and during the post-race interviews.

He had previously worn a Black Lives Matter T-shirt for the demonstration, but not after the race, while other drivers wore the FIA official "End Racism" T-shirts.

The drivers, as has happened throughout the season, are wearing 'end racism' T-shirts and we see a video from all the drivers talking about fighting to end racism.

Once again, some drivers 'take a knee' and seven stay standing. Hamilton's T-shirt also has a 'Black Lives Matter' message on it.

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

After qualifying, Hamilton said...

"I have a really short memory," says Lewis Hamilton. "I don't remember all the qualifyings but it definitely felt like the worst this year. It's going to be really hard to win today. The medium and hard can do twice as much distance-wise as the soft."

Hamilton says the soft will go off much more quickly than the medium and should be gone by 10 laps. "It's gonna require an awesome start and some special driving to make those tyres do more than they can currently do. Whether or not I can do that today, I don't know"

"It's very warm today so tyre management will be a big thing," says Charles Leclerc, who starts 10th with free tyre choice in the Ferrari following Alex Albon's gearbox penalty.

Can Lewis Hamilton win today to equal the all-time record of Michael Schumacher's 91 victories.

Here's some stats on how they compare.

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

Seems like Lewis Hamilton did it [a practice start] at the very end of the pit exit lane, just before it merges on to the track, rather than at the pit exit itself, judging from replays.

This is a reminder of how Lewis Hamilton got himself on to pole. Will he be able to keep it now?

Wow. This could be a crazy start to the day. Lewis Hamilton is under investigation for doing a practice start outside the designated area.

As soon as we know more, you'll know more.

This is a home grand prix for Daniil Kvyat of course. He's happy to be back in Russia. Will he give the 30,000 home fans something to cheer about today.

Bb McFeil: Sebastian Vettel is the true gentleman of F1. No other driver would assist marshals to clear up after a crash, only him. Hats off to him, especially in a tricky car and season.

Jeremiah: This is the good thing of getting a grid penalty when you are at the back of the grid, no where to go! Latifi get's 5 place grid penalty and only drops by one position in the starting.

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

Image source, EPA

Until qualifying, Valtteri Bottas had looked competitive with Lewis Hamilton. And then suddenly he wasn’t, Hamilton taking a quantum leap forward in second qualifying, despite his fumbles with track limits and red flags and out-lap timing and so on. And it left Bottas a little perplexed - although not too concerned, given the power of the tow down to the first corner.

“Q3 was a tricky one,” Bottas said. “So in the first run I didn’t feel my tyres were ready, so out of the last corner, starting the lap, I had a big snap so lost a couple of tenths on the run down to Turn Two

"Turn Two, massive oversteer and tyres only came in towards the end of the lap. So yeah, I was just waiting for the second run then and, you know, there was no mistakes as such, Turn Two, maybe there was a tiny lock-up, went a bit wide but, to be honest, I don’t really get it why I couldn’t match Lewis’ times in Q3.

"Just didn’t feel I was gaining much grip from previous sessions. I think even Q2 felt better, so a few question marks from me about what really happened – or maybe I was just playing games and wanted to start third.” He was joking. Sort of.

Only eight more races at Renault for Daniel Ricciardo, before he jumps to McLaren.

Fernando Alonso will jump into his seat at Renault (although they will be known as Alpine next year).

The two-time world champion has been involved with the team over recent weeks. Here he is back at HQ earlier in the week.

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

Image source, EPA

Daniel Ricciardo admitted to always struggling in Sochi, so he was delighted to put the Renault fifth on the grid - if perhaps a little disappointed that Sergio Perez managed to pip him at the death for fourth. Ricciardo said he had been doing his homework, studying in-car videos, going through data, in an attempt to work out why he had not gone well at Sochi in the past.

And he said the result was to take himself out of his comfort zone and put the car in a place he might not normally like it on set-up but which worked better around this quirky track, with its many off-camber right-angled corners. His fastest lap was actually in second qualifying. “It was as close to a perfect lap as possible,” Ricciardo said. “So I knew it would be difficult to beat it. Tyres were in and everything flowed. Q3, because I sat in the garage, we just missed it with a bit of tyre prep on the out lap. I would have tried to get the tyres in a bit better. Maybe could have got a 10th or whatever but there wasn’t a (one minute) 31 (seconds) in the car.

As for Perez, he realised the Racing Point’s potential - it is, after all, the third fastest car on the grid. Which is more than can be said for team-mate Lance Stroll. He admitted he’d been struggling. “I haven’t quite found my rhythm here yet,” he said. He would have been in the top 10, though, had it not been for the engine overheating because he sat too long in the queue to go out at the end of Q2, which meant the team had to turn the engine off and wheel the car away. Stroll starts 13th.