Reigning Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton clocked the fastest time in the third practice session ahead of Sunday's Russian Grand Prix in Sochi.

The Mercedes driver, who has watched his teammate Nico Rosberg win all six of this season's races so far, finished just 0.068 seconds quicker than the German in a time of 1:36.403.

Rosberg led the way for the majority of the hour-long session, but Hamilton, who topped second practice on Friday, moved ahead on the timesheet in the final minute.

Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, who has been hit with a five-place grid penalty, finished third fastest, while his teammate Kimi Raikkonen recorded the fourth-quickest time.

Turn 13 became a slight issue for Sergio Perez, Rosberg and Hamilton as all three ended up in the dirt, but it did not significantly impact on their times.

Third practice standings:

1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
3. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
4. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
5. Felipe Massa (Williams)
6. Valtteri Bottas (Williams)
7. Max Verstappen (Toro Rosso)
8. Jenson Button (McLaren)
9. Carlos Sainz Jr (Toro Rosso)
10. Sergio Perez (Force India)
11. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)
12. Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
13. Daniil Kvyatt (Red Bull)
14. Nico Hulkenburg (Force India)
15. Esteban Gutierrez (Haas)
16. Kevin Magnussen (Renault)
17. Romain Grosjean (Haas)
18. Jolyon Palmer (Renault)
19. Rio Haryanto (Manor)
20. Pascal Wehrlein (Manor)
21. Marcus Ericsson (Sauber)
22. Felipe Nasr (Sauber)