Bottas leads Hamilton in final Hungarian GP practice

Budapest, July 18

Formula One championship leader Valtteri Bottas led teammate Lewis Hamilton in a Mercedes one-two in final practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday.

The Finn set a time of one minute 15.437 seconds on a cloudy morning at the Hungaroring after Friday’s rain, 0.42 quicker than six-time champion Hamilton and the fastest lap of the weekend.

Racing Point’s Mexican Sergio Perez, whose car is a close copy of last year’s title-winning Mercedes, was third on the timesheets.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc lapped fourth fastest and Racing Point’s Lance Stroll fifth on a track that was slippery early on from oil and cement dust left behind from an earlier Formula Three race.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who started on pole position in Hungary last year, was sixth quickest.

Hamilton will be chasing his eighth Hungarian Grand Prix victory on Sunday to equal Ferrari great Michael Schumacher’s all-time F1 record for the number of wins at the same grand prix.

The Briton is six points behind Bottas, who won the season-opener in Austria and finished second to Hamilton in the second race at the Red Bull Ring. Reuters