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In the final 20 minutes it cleared up enough for soft running and Ferrari were again quickest, this time with Charles Leclerc leading Vettel. There was only a limited amount to learn from final practice earlier today, as much of the running was done on intermediate tyres on a damp track. Hamilton may have led the way in FP1 but Ferrari gave an indication of their true pace, topping second practice 1-2, with the lead Mercedes of Bottas some six-tenths of a second behind Sebastian Vettel. Mercedes have struggled in Mexico in the past two years and look to be struggling again, if Friday's second practice session is to go by.
#Russian f1 qualifying goes ahead after heavy rain driver#
While Hamilton has a £40 million-a-year deal that keeps him a Mercedes driver until the end of next year, the prospect of radical regulation changes in 2021 – not to mention a strict budget cap that would limit all teams to a maximum £125 million annual spend – has raised the temptation of a final chapter at Maranello.īut Wolff appeared to scotch the Ferrari links altogether. It also emerged that Hamilton would all but certainly end his career at Mercedes, with Wolff indicating that the five-time world champion would spurn a move to Ferrari in favour of signing a final contract at the Silver Arrows. It was but the latest twist in a weekend of intrigue. Hamilton still faces a considerable battle to reel in Charles Leclerc, now upgraded to pole, and Sebastian Vettel, such is the Ferraris’ superior straight-line speed. The flags normally mean, ‘Slow the f- down.’”Įven with Bottas’ travails, the odds remain stacked against Hamilton.įor the past three years, Mercedes have struggled in Mexico more than at any other track, with the high altitude severely diminishing their cars’ downforce. For all he knew, Valtteri could have been in the middle of the circuit. “He didn’t even need to go flat-out, he had already got pole. “It’s important that the FIA are really strict about the double yellow flags,” he said.
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Hamilton, for one, had little sympathy, suggesting that Verstappen had driven unsafely. Those remarks brought a summons to the stewards, who resolved to demote him three places. We know what we are doing, otherwise we wouldn’t be driving an F1 car.” But within moments, he prompted the governing body to examine his conduct again, due to provocative comments in his press conference.Īsked whether he had slowed at all, he shot back: “Didn’t look like it, did it? We all know what the yellow flag means. Team principal Toto Wolff said the team were “90 per cent confident” of avoiding that fate.įor Verstappen, however, the damage was done, after he neglected to slow sufficiently under the yellow flags waved immediately after Bottas’ crash.ĭrivers are under an obligation to back off in such conditions, but Verstappen improved his time in the wake of Bottas hitting the wall.Īfter an initial investigation by the FIA, Verstappen was cleared of any transgression. The incident could yet have major ramifications, though, in his battle with Hamilton for the championship, especially if Mercedes are forced to incur a grid penalty by changing engine parts. With only seconds to go in a closely-fought qualifying session, Bottas’ steering snapped violently left through the sweeping right-hand corner, such that the car scraped the surface off several metres of concrete wall before smashing into a protective tyre barrier.īottas was evidently shaken but otherwise unharmed.