Formula One world championship leader Lewis Hamilton showed his pace yesterday with the fastest lap in the final practice for the Russian Grand Prix.
The 35-year-old Briton led a Mercedes one-two on top of the timesheets, with Finnish teammate Valtteri Bottas 0.776 seconds slower after setting the pace in both of Friday’s sessions.
Six-time world champion Hamilton, who set his best time of 1 minute, 33.279 seconds with 14 minutes to go in the session, has won four times in Russia before.
Photo: Reuters
Dominant Mercedes have won every race in Russia since the first in Sochi in 2014.
Hamilton leads Bottas by 55 points in the championship after nine races.
McLaren’s Carlos Sainz was third fastest, 0.817 slower than Hamilton, with Renault’s Esteban Ocon fourth.
Ocon’s Australian teammate Daniel Ricciardo struggled in the session with a dislodged wing mirror, trying to adjust it at speed with his left hand.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, third in the championship, was sixth-fastest.
Sebastian Vettel was seventh for Ferrari with teammate Charles Leclerc 12th.
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