Daniil Kvyat
Daniil Kvyat will hope to take the momentum into his home Grand Prix in Russia after finishing on the podium at the previous race in China Getty

German driver Nico Rosberg has established himself as the favourite to lift the 2016 F1 title after winning the first three races of the season without much of a challenge from other drivers on the grid. Although he has caused some problems for his teammate, he has used of every opportunity that has come his way, without making a single mistake.

The F1 juggernaut now lands in Russia, which this season, signals the start of their European sojourn. Hamilton will have to start making in roads in Sochi to catch up on his teammate, while Ferrari will also hope to show their true performance after poor race management and reliability issues saw them drop points in the opening three races.

Where to watch live

The first practice session of the Russian Grand Prix starts on 29 April at 8am BST, with Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports F1 HD providing live coverage in the UK.

Real-time internet updates are available on the the Live Timing section of the sport's official website. Live coverage of the second practice session starts at 12pm BST.

Track Facts

  • Circuit name: Sochi Autodrom
  • First F1 Race: 2014
  • Circuit length: 5.848km
  • Number of laps: 53
  • Race distance: 309.745km
  • Lap record: 1.40'071 (S. Vettel - 2015)
  • Most wins: Lewis Hamilton (2)
  • 2015 winner: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
  • 2015 pole: Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)

Drivers Championship review

Nico Rosberg (75 points) has a 100% record thus far this season with three wins out of three and his current lead over reigning World Champion Lewis Hamilton (39) is 36 points.

Daniel Ricciardo is in a surprise third position, just three points behind the British driver after a strong start for Red Bull Racing, who are not as weak as Christian Horner has predicted them to be before the start of the campaign.

The Ferrari cars, who were expected to be Mercedes' closest challengers, have suffered from bad race management and reliability issues, which has seen both Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel retire from a race this season. The latter is in fourth place with 33 points, while his teammate is in fifth place a further five points behind.

Constructors Championship review

Despite Hamilton's misfortunes, Mercedes (114 points) have surged ahead in the constructors' race and it is unlikely they will be caught up with, due to the superiority of their cars. Behind the leaders, however, there is a tight battle for second place between Ferrari (61) and Red Bull Racing (57).

Williams (29 points) are in fourth place, but are not looking strong enough to challenge for a top-three finish this season, while Haas (18) and Toro Rosso (17) are battling it out for fifth place.

McLaren-Honda's struggles continue as the Woking-based team have managed to score just one point in the first three races of the season.