Photo: Sam Bloxham/GP2 Series Media Service
GP2 championship leader Jolyon Palmer set the pace in the category’s first ever running on the Sochi circuit in free practice.
The DAMS driver, who will wrap up the title during this penultimate race weekend if he can out-score rival Felipe Nasr by eight points, went over half a second clear of the field towards the end of the session.
Arthur Pic was second quickest, ahead of late improver Andre Negrao and Stoffel Vandoorne, who had led much of the session.
Mitch Evans was fifth as Russian Time began their home race weekend, ahead of Pic’s Campos team-mate Kimiya Sato. Johnny Cecotto was seventh, followed by Nathanael Berthon and Nasr.
Tio Ellinas made a rapid return to the series for the first time since Spielberg as he completed the top ten, The Cypriot is standing in at Rapax for Adrian Quaife-Hobbs who has a neck injury.
Practice results
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
| 1 | Jolyon Palmer | DAMS | 1:46.083 | 18 | |
| 2 | Arthur Pic | Campos Racing | 1:46.618 | 0.535 | 18 |
| 3 | Andre Negrao | Arden International | 1:46.623 | 0.540 | 20 |
| 4 | Stoffel Vandoorne | ART Grand Prix | 1:46.740 | 0.657 | 19 |
| 5 | Mitch Evans | Russian Time | 1:46.763 | 0.680 | 19 |
| 6 | Kimiya Sato | Campos Racing | 1:46.781 | 0.698 | 18 |
| 7 | Johnny Cecotto | Trident | 1:46.889 | 0.806 | 19 |
| 8 | Nathanael Berthon | Venezuela GP Lazarus | 1:47.027 | 0.944 | 19 |
| 9 | Felipe Nasr | Carlin | 1:47.123 | 1.040 | 19 |
| 10 | Tio Ellinas | Rapax | 1:47.359 | 1.276 | 20 |
| 11 | Jon Lancaster | Hilmer Motorsport | 1:47.394 | 1.311 | 17 |
| 12 | Rio Haryanto | Caterham Racing | 1:47.452 | 1.369 | 18 |
| 13 | Takuya Izawa | ART Grand Prix | 1:47.474 | 1.391 | 20 |
| 14 | Raffaele Marciello | Racing Engineering | 1:47.589 | 1.506 | 17 |
| 15 | Stefano Coletti | Racing Engineering | 1:47.667 | 1.584 | 17 |
| 16 | Marco Sorensen | MP Motorsport | 1:47.672 | 1.589 | 17 |
| 17 | Pierre Gasly | Caterham Racing | 1:47.702 | 1.619 | 17 |
| 18 | Sergio Canamasas | Trident | 1:47.857 | 1.774 | 19 |
| 19 | Daniel Abt | Hilmer Motorsport | 1:47.862 | 1.779 | 18 |
| 20 | Stephane Richelmi | DAMS | 1:47.882 | 1.799 | 18 |
| 21 | Simon Trummer | Rapax | 1:47.903 | 1.820 | 19 |
| 22 | Rene Binder | Arden International | 1:47.965 | 1.882 | 17 |
| 23 | Daniel de Jong | MP Motorsport | 1:48.276 | 2.193 | 17 |
| 24 | Julian Leal | Carlin | 1:48.508 | 2.425 | 11 |
| 25 | Sergio Campana | Venezuela GP Lazarus | 1:48.623 | 2.540 | 18 |
| 26 | Artem Markelov | Russian Time | 1:48.707 | 2.624 | 17 |