Finland&#39;s Valtteri Bottas won the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday, finishing ahead of world champion Lewis Hamilton with Sebastian Vettel taking third.

It was a third career win for Bottas, all of which have come this season after he was signed by Mercedes to replace the retired Nico Rosberg.

Valtteri Bottas won the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. finishing ahead of world champion Lewis Hamilton with Sebastian Vettel taking third

Finland's Valtteri Bottas won the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday, finishing ahead of world champion Lewis Hamilton with Sebastian Vettel taking third. It was a third career win for Bottas, all of which have come this season after he was signed by Mercedes to replace the retired Nico Rosberg.

Formula One: Bottas wins Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Valtteri Bottas denied quadruple world champion team mate Lewis Hamilton the final pole position of the Formula One season on Saturday, leading a Mercedes one-two in Abu Dhabi Grand Prix qualifying.

The pole was the Finn&#39;s second in a row, after Brazil two weeks ago, and fourth of the campaign. Hamilton had been aiming for his 12th of the year.

Ferrari&#39;s Sebastian Vettel qualified third with Australian Daniel Ricciardo lining up alongside him on the second row of the grid for Red Bull.

Hamilton won his fourth title in Mexico last month while Mercedes clinched their fourth successive constructors&#39; championship with three races to spare.

Valtteri Bottas denied quadruple world champion team mate Lewis Hamilton the final pole position of the Formula One season on Saturday, leading a Mercedes one-two in Abu Dhabi Grand Prix qualifying

Valtteri Bottas denied quadruple world champion team mate Lewis Hamilton the final pole position of the Formula One season on Saturday, leading a Mercedes one-two in Abu Dhabi Grand Prix qualifying. The pole was the Finn's second in a row, after Brazil two weeks ago, and fourth of the campaign. Hamilton had been aiming for his 12th of the year. Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel qualified third with Australian Daniel Ricciardo lining up alongside him on the second row of the grid for Red Bull. Hamilton won his fourth title in Mexico last month while Mercedes clinched their fourth successive constructors' championship with three races to spare.

Formula One: Bottas denies Hamilton final pole of 2017

Valtteri Bottas allowed himself a roar of delight on Saturday when he claimed pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix after Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton had crashed out of contention.

The 28-year-old Finn said he was delighted to succeed because he had promised to take pole to boost spirits in the team after some members had been robbed at gunpoint on Friday when they left the track in a mini-bus.

&ldquo;I spoke with them this morning and I said we were going to put it on pole position and cheer everyone up, so I&rsquo;m glad we did that,&quot; said Bottas.

&ldquo;First of all, I&rsquo;m happy everyone is in one piece and nothing physical happened to anyone, but it was a pretty bad situation to be in and I&rsquo;m happy everybody is still here.&quot;

Bottas&rsquo;s pole brought to an end a difficult period during which he had slid out of contention for the drivers&rsquo; championship and been out-qualified by Hamilton at every race since the mid-season break in August.

&ldquo;For sure, it has been more difficult, sometimes better, but that&rsquo;s how it goes in racing,&quot; added Bottas, who said he felt a duty to perform for the team especially after Hamilton, who clinched his fourth drivers world title in Mexico two weeks ago, spun off into the barriers on his first flying lap in Q1.

Hamilton was relegated to the back of the grid and then discovered he will start Sunday&#39;s race from the pit lane after Mercedes decided that they would have to take his car out parc ferme to carry out repairs.

&ldquo;I think the performance line, for me, in the last few races has been all the way going up,&quot; added Bottas.

&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just feeling better and better with the car, we&rsquo;ve just been working hard on the issues we&rsquo;ve been having.

&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been learning a lot, getting better, learning from the mistakes and the tricky sessions. The last few weekends have been a lot better in qualifying -- there were just a couple of hundredths of a second between Lewis and me.

&ldquo;It&rsquo;s also been the case all weekend here so it was a shame he wasn&#39;t in Q3, but I&rsquo;m still very pleased with my performance.&quot;

With Hamilton eliminated, Bottas rose to the challenge and outpaced the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel to grab his third pole position.&nbsp;

Bottas trails second placed Vettel by 15 points in the championship and hopes to overhaul him for runners-up spot with two races left. &nbsp;

It brought him a well-deserved moment of pleasure on a challenging day for champions Mercedes. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Hamilton, struggling with a cold, tweeted about the violent incident before his team made an official statement confirming it had taken place.&nbsp;

No-one was hurt, but shots were fired and valuables were stolen. &nbsp;

He urged teams and organisers to intensify security arrangements.

Then, on his first flying lap, he lost control of his car and spun into the barriers.

&ldquo;It happened really quick,&quot; said Hamilton. &quot;It is what it is. Of course, it&rsquo;s unfortunate&hellip;

&ldquo;I tend to just look at it as -- challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them makes life meaningful. I just need to take whatever bubble of negativity comes from that experience and move forwards and try and grow from it.

&ldquo;It&rsquo;s very unusual from me, but it shows we are all human and things happen. I will try to have as much fun as possible tomorrow (in the race). Years ago, I came from quite far behind and had a great race here.&rdquo;

Hamilton may also have remembered that he battled to finish fifth with a passing move on the final corner of the final lap that brought him his first championship in 2008.

Valtteri Bottas allowed himself a roar of delight on Saturday when he claimed pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix after Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton had crashed out of contention

Valtteri Bottas allowed himself a roar of delight on Saturday when he claimed pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix after Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton had crashed out of contention. The 28-year-old Finn said he was delighted to succeed because he had promised to take pole to boost spirits in the team after some members had been robbed at gunpoint on Friday when they left the track in a mini-bus. “I spoke with them this morning and I said we were going to put it on pole position and cheer everyone up, so I’m glad we did that," said Bottas. “First of all, I’m happy everyone is in one piece and nothing physical happened to anyone, but it was a pretty bad situation to be in and I’m happy everybody is still here." Bottas’s pole brought to an end a difficult period during which he had slid out of contention for the drivers’ championship and been out-qualified by Hamilton at every race since the mid-season break in August. “For sure, it has been more difficult, sometimes better, but that’s how it goes in racing," added Bottas, who said he felt a duty to perform for the team especially after Hamilton, who clinched his fourth drivers world title in Mexico two weeks ago, spun off into the barriers on his first flying lap in Q1. Hamilton was relegated to the back of the grid and then discovered he will start Sunday's race from the pit lane after Mercedes decided that they would have to take his car out parc ferme to carry out repairs. “I think the performance line, for me, in the last few races has been all the way going up," added Bottas. “I’m just feeling better and better with the car, we’ve just been working hard on the issues we’ve been having. “We’ve been learning a lot, getting better, learning from the mistakes and the tricky sessions. The last few weekends have been a lot better in qualifying -- there were just a couple of hundredths of a second between Lewis and me. “It’s also been the case all weekend here so it was a shame he wasn't in Q3, but I’m still very pleased with my performance." With Hamilton eliminated, Bottas rose to the challenge and outpaced the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel to grab his third pole position. Bottas trails second placed Vettel by 15 points in the championship and hopes to overhaul him for runners-up spot with two races left. It brought him a well-deserved moment of pleasure on a challenging day for champions Mercedes. Hamilton, struggling with a cold, tweeted about the violent incident before his team made an official statement confirming it had taken place. No-one was hurt, but shots were fired and valuables were stolen. He urged teams and organisers to intensify security arrangements. Then, on his first flying lap, he lost control of his car and spun into the barriers. “It happened really quick," said Hamilton. "It is what it is. Of course, it’s unfortunate… “I tend to just look at it as -- challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them makes life meaningful. I just need to take whatever bubble of negativity comes from that experience and move forwards and try and grow from it. “It’s very unusual from me, but it shows we are all human and things happen. I will try to have as much fun as possible tomorrow (in the race). Years ago, I came from quite far behind and had a great race here.” Hamilton may also have remembered that he battled to finish fifth with a passing move on the final corner of the final lap that brought him his first championship in 2008.

Formula One: Bottas shines on a troubled day for Mercedes and Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton completed his 200th Grand Prix in victorious style on Sunday when he claimed a much-needed win for Mercedes to trim Sebastian Vettel&rsquo;s championship lead to seven points.

The 32-year-old Briton made the most of his record-equalling 68th pole position to take the lead, but had to survive some concerted attacks from Vettel&rsquo;s Ferrari before emerging triumphant for the fifth time this season.

It was the three-time world champion&rsquo;s third Belgian victory and the 58th of his career, lifting him back into serious contention for the title.

Another victory in next Sunday&rsquo;s Italian Grand Prix could give him the lead for the first time this year.

Four-time champion Vettel came home second ahead of Australian Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull, Finn Kimi Raikkonen in the second Ferrari and his compatriot Valtteri Bottas in the second Mercedes.

Nico Hulkenberg finished sixth for Renault ahead of Romain Grosjean of Haas, Felipe Massa of Williams, Esteban Ocon of Force India with in 10th place, Carlos Sainz of Toro Rosso.

Lewis Hamilton claimed a much-needed win for Mercedes to trim Sebastian Vettel?s championship lead to 7 points

Lewis Hamilton completed his 200th Grand Prix in victorious style on Sunday when he claimed a much-needed win for Mercedes to trim Sebastian Vettel’s championship lead to seven points. The 32-year-old Briton made the most of his record-equalling 68th pole position to take the lead, but had to survive some concerted attacks from Vettel’s Ferrari before emerging triumphant for the fifth time this season. It was the three-time world champion’s third Belgian victory and the 58th of his career, lifting him back into serious contention for the title. Another victory in next Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix could give him the lead for the first time this year. Four-time champion Vettel came home second ahead of Australian Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull, Finn Kimi Raikkonen in the second Ferrari and his compatriot Valtteri Bottas in the second Mercedes. Nico Hulkenberg finished sixth for Renault ahead of Romain Grosjean of Haas, Felipe Massa of Williams, Esteban Ocon of Force India with in 10th place, Carlos Sainz of Toro Rosso.

Lewis Hamilton marks 200th race with Belgium Grand Prix win

Britain&#39;s Lewis Hamilton has set his sights on winning the Belgium Grand Prix even as Ferrari&#39;s Kimi Raikkonen lapped the fastest in first practice for the Belgian Grand Prix on Friday.

Triple world champion Hamilton preparing for his 200th race of his life declared: &quot;One thing for sure in this second part of the season... is that I&#39;m here for blood. I&#39;m here to win and I&#39;m here to stay&quot;.

However, in the first practice Raikkonen recorded the best time of one minute 45.502 seconds, &nbsp;Hamilton was second fastest with only 0.053 slower finishing ahead of Ferrari&#39;s world championship leader Sebastian Vettel.

&quot;It&#39;s strange. When you&#39;re racing for so long, it&#39;s my 200th race, you would think that maybe your passion or your desire to win would fade. But it&#39;s stronger than ever. And that&#39;s exciting for me,&quot; &nbsp;said Hamilton still 14 points behind Vettel with nine races remaining in the season.

&quot;I want the next nine (races) to all be 10s. I want you guys to be standing there with those boards: 10, 10, 10,&quot; he said.

&quot;I&#39;m going to be ahead of him (Vettel) in every single race from now on, that&#39;s my goal. No games. I&#39;m here to win. I want it just as much if not more than anyone else this year.&quot;

&quot;My first Grand Prix was such a huge highlight. My first Grand Prix win, Silverstone grand Prix win, Monaco Grand Prix win. Winning the title in Brazil was a highlight. It wasn&#39;t actually a great experience but it was still a highlight of my career,&quot; he said.

Britain's Lewis Hamilton has set his sights on winning the Belgium Grand Prix

Britain's Lewis Hamilton has set his sights on winning the Belgium Grand Prix even as Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen lapped the fastest in first practice for the Belgian Grand Prix on Friday. Triple world champion Hamilton preparing for his 200th race of his life declared: "One thing for sure in this second part of the season... is that I'm here for blood. I'm here to win and I'm here to stay". However, in the first practice Raikkonen recorded the best time of one minute 45.502 seconds, Hamilton was second fastest with only 0.053 slower finishing ahead of Ferrari's world championship leader Sebastian Vettel. "It's strange. When you're racing for so long, it's my 200th race, you would think that maybe your passion or your desire to win would fade. But it's stronger than ever. And that's exciting for me," said Hamilton still 14 points behind Vettel with nine races remaining in the season. "I want the next nine (races) to all be 10s. I want you guys to be standing there with those boards: 10, 10, 10," he said. "I'm going to be ahead of him (Vettel) in every single race from now on, that's my goal. No games. I'm here to win. I want it just as much if not more than anyone else this year." "My first Grand Prix was such a huge highlight. My first Grand Prix win, Silverstone grand Prix win, Monaco Grand Prix win. Winning the title in Brazil was a highlight. It wasn't actually a great experience but it was still a highlight of my career," he said.

Formula - 1: No games, I'm here to win: Hamilton

Three-time world champion Lewis Hamilton will start his 200th Grand Prix in Belgium this weekend, seeking to match German legend Michael Schumacher&#39;s record of 68 pole positions.

With the summer break out of the way, the British driver will be chasing his fifth win of the season as he bids to claw back points on title-race leader, four-time champion Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari.

Back in Europe after spending F1&#39;s now-traditional European summer break in the Caribbean, Hamilton, who gave up third for his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas in Hungary, lies 14 points behind Vettel.

Hamilton won at Spa in 2015, but was beaten by team-mate and 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg last year and has had mixed results at the famous old sprawling and high-speed circuit.

In 2008, when he won his first title, he was relegated from first to third for cutting a chicane, and he has suffered in other incidents including a collision with Rosberg, that left him with a puncture, in 2014.

Seeking his third Belgian win, Hamilton will be the pre-race favourite to win again but knows that Ferrari have regained the momentum in the title race following their dominant one-two finish led by Vettel in Hungary.

Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff has already warned his squad not to take anything for granted.

&quot;Assumptions are dangerous,&quot; he said. &quot;We have seen too many times already this season that the form book can be rewritten from one weekend to the next.

&quot;So we will be making no assumptions.&quot;

The race may also be affected &ndash;- as often in the past -&ndash; by the capricious micro-climate of the region, which can mean parts of the track are under water in rainfall while others remain dry.

That, for Max Verstappen, may be a bonus as he bids to put a mixed season to date back on the road.&nbsp;

&quot;I just love the track and it&#39;ll be nice seeing so many orange fans in the stands,&quot; said Red Bull&#39;s Belgium-born Dutch driver.

&quot;Spa is my favourite track -- you have to get everything right, but when you get a good lap, it&#39;s very rewarding.&quot;

That could also be said of Ferrari&#39;s second driver Kimi Raikkonen, a four-time Spa winner, who has been confirmed on the team&#39;s roster next year.

&quot;It will not be easy for us, as Mercedes has the horsepower, but we will do what we can and who knows? Let&#39;s see what happens.&quot;

A big crowd is expected to camp out and herald Formula One&#39;s &quot;return to work&quot; from the beach at this weekend&#39;s Belgian Grand Prix where Stoffel Vandoorne will hope to mark his retention by McLaren with a strong showing in front of his home fans.

With the summer break out of the way, the British driver will be chasing his fifth win of the season as he bids to claw back points on title-race leader, four-time champion Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari

Three-time world champion Lewis Hamilton will start his 200th Grand Prix in Belgium this weekend, seeking to match German legend Michael Schumacher's record of 68 pole positions. With the summer break out of the way, the British driver will be chasing his fifth win of the season as he bids to claw back points on title-race leader, four-time champion Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari. Back in Europe after spending F1's now-traditional European summer break in the Caribbean, Hamilton, who gave up third for his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas in Hungary, lies 14 points behind Vettel. Hamilton won at Spa in 2015, but was beaten by team-mate and 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg last year and has had mixed results at the famous old sprawling and high-speed circuit. In 2008, when he won his first title, he was relegated from first to third for cutting a chicane, and he has suffered in other incidents including a collision with Rosberg, that left him with a puncture, in 2014. Seeking his third Belgian win, Hamilton will be the pre-race favourite to win again but knows that Ferrari have regained the momentum in the title race following their dominant one-two finish led by Vettel in Hungary. Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff has already warned his squad not to take anything for granted. "Assumptions are dangerous," he said. "We have seen too many times already this season that the form book can be rewritten from one weekend to the next. "So we will be making no assumptions." The race may also be affected –- as often in the past -– by the capricious micro-climate of the region, which can mean parts of the track are under water in rainfall while others remain dry. That, for Max Verstappen, may be a bonus as he bids to put a mixed season to date back on the road. "I just love the track and it'll be nice seeing so many orange fans in the stands," said Red Bull's Belgium-born Dutch driver. "Spa is my favourite track -- you have to get everything right, but when you get a good lap, it's very rewarding." That could also be said of Ferrari's second driver Kimi Raikkonen, a four-time Spa winner, who has been confirmed on the team's roster next year. "It will not be easy for us, as Mercedes has the horsepower, but we will do what we can and who knows? Let's see what happens." A big crowd is expected to camp out and herald Formula One's "return to work" from the beach at this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix where Stoffel Vandoorne will hope to mark his retention by McLaren with a strong showing in front of his home fans.

Formula One: Hamilton eyes Schumacher record in 200th race

Formula 1&#39;s race to the world championship title has got spicier as the two main contenders and multiple world champions -- Mercedes&#39; Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari&#39;s Sebastian Vettel -- bitterly harangued after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix over a racing incident.

The race was dramatic right from get-go, with a surpising winner in Red Bull&#39;s Daniel Ricciardo, several instances of teammates ramming into each other, a red flag and three safety cars, but the realms of news space were dominated by four-time world champion Vettel and three-time champion Hamilton.

Sparks flew during one of the safety car situations on Sunday when Vettel was handed a ten-second penalty for colliding twice with race leader Hamilton.

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But the real venom poured out after the race, with Hamilton dubbing Vettel a &quot;disgrace&quot; and calling him out to sort the matter &quot;face to face&quot;.

What peeved Hamilton the most was that Vettel, despite the ten-second penalty, managed to finish a spot above him in fourth place and thereby extending his world championship by two further points. Hamilton now trails Vettel by 14 points with 13 races to go.

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While Hamilton was apoplectic about Vettel&#39;s aggressive driving, the German accused the Briton of &quot;brake-testing&quot; him at a dangerous place on the circuit.

The Ferrari driver also denied allegations that he had deliberately rammed into Hamilton.

He said: &quot;I didn&rsquo;t run into the back of him on purpose. I damaged my wing, I think he had a little bit of damage as well. Nothing that would have impacted on the race. It&rsquo;s just not the way to do it. I think it was very clear. In the end we&rsquo;re racing as men. I don&rsquo;t have a radio to him. If I get a penalty, then we should both get a penalty.

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We had a little contact, but I drove alongside him mostly to raise my hand. I did not give him the finger. I just wanted to tell him, because I can&rsquo;t literally talk to him, that what he did was not right.&rdquo;

When Hamilton was asked to respond to Vettel&#39;s statement, he said: &quot;If he wants to prove that he&rsquo;s a man, I think he should do it out of the car face to face. I think driving dangerously which can put another driver at risk &ndash; luckily we were going slow &ndash; but if we were going fast it could have been a lot worse. Imagine all the young kids that are watching&nbsp;<a data-component="auto-linked-tag" data-link-name="auto-linked-tag" href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/formulaone">Formula One</a>&nbsp;today and see that kind of behaviour from a four-time world champion. I think that says it all.&rdquo;

Asked if he would like to bury the hatchet and move forward, Hamilton didn&#39;t seem too impressed. He felt the situation would get ugly if they did meet.

Tempers were high in the garage too, with Mercedes&#39; non-executive chairman Niki Lauda launching into Vettel.&nbsp;

&quot;He (Vettel) is crazy. Lewis will hit him one day. Not with the car but with the fist. If I was Lewis, I would speak to Sebastian and ask him what is wrong.&rdquo;

Ferrari&#39;s team principal Maurizio Arrivabene was a little more guarded in his response to the racing incident.

&quot;We don&rsquo;t want to get into an argument but I think I can say that some decisions that were not entirely clear never worked in favour of our team.&quot;

But despite the bitter asides, it was a race of thrills. For the first time this year, a non-Ferrari or Mercedes driver won.

Ricciardo made some stunning passes to win the race, especially in the middle of the race when he overtook two cars in one bold move.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Qyi7ODy9Bqg" width="560"></iframe>

McLaren-Honda&#39;s Fernando Alonso, viewed by many as the best driver in the world, finally got an engine that lasted an entire race to come in a creditable ninth and log his first points on board.

Bottas, Hamilton&#39;s understudy, flew under the radar to snatch the second place despite being a lap down in early stages of the race, while under-fire Williams driver Lance Stroll drove a mature, calculated race to finish third and shoot down heavy criticism he has faced since joining the F1 jamboree.

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A double collision on Baku circuit between the multiple world champions has added drama to the 2017 season

Formula 1's race to the world championship title has got spicier as the two main contenders and multiple world champions -- Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel -- bitterly harangued after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix over a racing incident. The race was dramatic right from get-go, with a surpising winner in Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo, several instances of teammates ramming into each other, a red flag and three safety cars, but the realms of news space were dominated by four-time world champion Vettel and three-time champion Hamilton. Sparks flew during one of the safety car situations on Sunday when Vettel was handed a ten-second penalty for colliding twice with race leader Hamilton. But the real venom poured out after the race, with Hamilton dubbing Vettel a "disgrace" and calling him out to sort the matter "face to face". What peeved Hamilton the most was that Vettel, despite the ten-second penalty, managed to finish a spot above him in fourth place and thereby extending his world championship by two further points. Hamilton now trails Vettel by 14 points with 13 races to go. While Hamilton was apoplectic about Vettel's aggressive driving, the German accused the Briton of "brake-testing" him at a dangerous place on the circuit. The Ferrari driver also denied allegations that he had deliberately rammed into Hamilton. He said: "I didn’t run into the back of him on purpose. I damaged my wing, I think he had a little bit of damage as well. Nothing that would have impacted on the race. It’s just not the way to do it. I think it was very clear. In the end we’re racing as men. I don’t have a radio to him. If I get a penalty, then we should both get a penalty. We had a little contact, but I drove alongside him mostly to raise my hand. I did not give him the finger. I just wanted to tell him, because I can’t literally talk to him, that what he did was not right.” When Hamilton was asked to respond to Vettel's statement, he said: "If he wants to prove that he’s a man, I think he should do it out of the car face to face. I think driving dangerously which can put another driver at risk – luckily we were going slow – but if we were going fast it could have been a lot worse. Imagine all the young kids that are watching Formula One today and see that kind of behaviour from a four-time world champion. I think that says it all.” Asked if he would like to bury the hatchet and move forward, Hamilton didn't seem too impressed. He felt the situation would get ugly if they did meet. Tempers were high in the garage too, with Mercedes' non-executive chairman Niki Lauda launching into Vettel. "He (Vettel) is crazy. Lewis will hit him one day. Not with the car but with the fist. If I was Lewis, I would speak to Sebastian and ask him what is wrong.” Ferrari's team principal Maurizio Arrivabene was a little more guarded in his response to the racing incident. "We don’t want to get into an argument but I think I can say that some decisions that were not entirely clear never worked in favour of our team." But despite the bitter asides, it was a race of thrills. For the first time this year, a non-Ferrari or Mercedes driver won. Ricciardo made some stunning passes to win the race, especially in the middle of the race when he overtook two cars in one bold move. McLaren-Honda's Fernando Alonso, viewed by many as the best driver in the world, finally got an engine that lasted an entire race to come in a creditable ninth and log his first points on board. Bottas, Hamilton's understudy, flew under the radar to snatch the second place despite being a lap down in early stages of the race, while under-fire Williams driver Lance Stroll drove a mature, calculated race to finish third and shoot down heavy criticism he has faced since joining the F1 jamboree.

WATCH Azerbaijan GP: Hamilton-Vettel scrap spices up drivers' championship race

Britain&#39;s Lewis Hamilton who won the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday was presented with racing legend Ayrton Senna&#39;s 1987 iconic yellow race helmet after he equalled the Brazilian&#39;s 65 victories as he cruised to an easy victory at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/formula-one-lewis-hamilton-wins-canadian-grand-prix-16709">Also </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/formula-one-lewis-hamilton-wins-canadian-grand-prix-16709">Read:</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/formula-one-lewis-hamilton-wins-canadian-grand-prix-16709">&nbsp;Formula One: Lewis Hamilton wins Canadian Grand Prix</a>

Ayrton Senna was the winner of three Formula One world championships in 1988, 1990 and 1991. The Brazilian legend died in a tragic racing accident at the San Marino Grand Prix on 1 May 1994 at the peak of his career.

&quot;Wow, I am shaking...I am speechless,&quot; an emotional Hamilton said after being presented with Senna&#39;s helmet.

&quot;Ayrton was my favourite driver. He inspired me to be where I am today. To receive this is a great honour. Thank-you to the Senna family.&quot;

The Mercedes driver chasing his fourth Grand Prix title, said: &quot;I remember getting home from school and putting on the video tape of Ayrton Senna and I can&#39;t believe I&#39;m here with that many poles. The fact that I have now reached him in that area - I can&#39;t believe it.&quot;

&quot;It&#39;s the most special thing I have, beyond all the trophies and everything. I am so honoured to be honoured by that family. As a kid I thought maybe, one day, I can get to Formula One and emulate Ayrton. To equal him... I just can&#39;t believe it.&quot;

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Lewis Hamilton who won the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday was presented with racing legend Ayrton Senna's 1987 iconic yellow race helmet

Britain's Lewis Hamilton who won the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday was presented with racing legend Ayrton Senna's 1987 iconic yellow race helmet after he equalled the Brazilian's 65 victories as he cruised to an easy victory at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Also Read: Formula One: Lewis Hamilton wins Canadian Grand Prix Ayrton Senna was the winner of three Formula One world championships in 1988, 1990 and 1991. The Brazilian legend died in a tragic racing accident at the San Marino Grand Prix on 1 May 1994 at the peak of his career. "Wow, I am shaking...I am speechless," an emotional Hamilton said after being presented with Senna's helmet. "Ayrton was my favourite driver. He inspired me to be where I am today. To receive this is a great honour. Thank-you to the Senna family." The Mercedes driver chasing his fourth Grand Prix title, said: "I remember getting home from school and putting on the video tape of Ayrton Senna and I can't believe I'm here with that many poles. The fact that I have now reached him in that area - I can't believe it." "It's the most special thing I have, beyond all the trophies and everything. I am so honoured to be honoured by that family. As a kid I thought maybe, one day, I can get to Formula One and emulate Ayrton. To equal him... I just can't believe it."

Ayrton Senna's iconic yellow helmet goes to 'speechless' Hamilton

Kimi Raikkonen secured his first pole for nine years and Ferrari a first front row lockout at the Monaco Grand Prix since 2008 after qualifying for Formula One&#39;s glamour race on Saturday.&nbsp;

The Italian team&#39;s domination that left Lewis Hamilton struggling to take 14th for Mercedes sparked celebration from the tifosi perched on terraces below the Monegasque palace.

As softly-spoken Raikkonen savoured his first pole since the 2008 French Grand Prix, just weeks after he had been second behind Felipe Massa on the Monte Carlo grid, Hamilton knew he faced a daunting challenge in Sunday&rsquo;s classic 78-laps race around the Mediterranean street circuit.

The 37-year-old Finn had not taken pole for 128 races, but dominated the afternoon&rsquo;s action to clock a fastest lap of one minute and 12.178 seconds, a new record for the circuit and an endorsement of the speed of this season&rsquo;s new era machines.&nbsp; &nbsp;

That left him 0.043 seconds ahead of the world championship leader and three-time champion Vettel who in turn was just two-thousandths of a second faster than third-placed Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes.

The Finn&rsquo;s Mercedes team-mate, three-time champion Hamilton, who is six points behind Vettel in the title race, failed to make the cut for the top ten shootout, qualifying 14th after a miserable afternoon.

&quot;Obviously, it&rsquo;s great,&quot; said a mumbling and taciturn Raikkonen afterwards, showing little emotion.&nbsp;

&quot;We&rsquo;ll try to make the best of it tomorrow&hellip; Yes, of course it is good, but here it is all about the fine details.&rdquo;

&quot;I don&rsquo;t know what was wrong there,&quot; said Vettel of Mercedes&rsquo; problems. &ldquo;But this is one of my highlights of the season &ndash; to race at Monaco. It is a difficult one to get right, but if you do, it is great&hellip;&rdquo;

&#39;Yes, toasted&#39;&nbsp;

Like Raikkonen, Vettel stressed that he and the &lsquo;iceman&rsquo; would be free to race and not constrained by team orders, in advance, at the first corner. &ldquo;We are here to race,&rdquo; said the German. Raikkonen, obediently, reminded reporters that both men raced for the same team &ndash; Ferrari.

Hamilton was crestfallen. &ldquo;The opportunity was not there for me today,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I just struggled with the car.&nbsp;

&quot;I don&#39;t really know what to say at the moment. I&#39;m deflated, but will keep pushing tomorrow.

&ldquo;That&#39;s pretty much the weekend done. Tomorrow I will just be driving around in whatever position. I will try to get into the top 10, but it will be a nice Sunday drive I imagine.&rdquo;

History may encourage Hamilton, but it is unlikely.

Frenchman Olivier Panis&rsquo;s 1996 victory from 14th on the grid for Ligier came in a madcap race run in a deluge and not under the blue skies forecast here for Sunday.

Bottas, who will carry Mercedes hopes of preventing a Ferrari triumph, added: &ldquo;It was a really good lap for me. This is one of the most mentally-demanding circuits and am glad I felt support from the fans and appreciated it.

&ldquo;It has been a tricky weekend for us. We lost some valuable practice on Thursday, in FP2, and it was difficult to get a lap time -- and Lewis had problems with traffic.&rdquo;

Dutch teenager Max Verstappen took fourth place ahead of his Red Bull team-mate Daniel Ricciardo, Carlos Sainz of Toro Rosso, Sergio Perez of Force India and Romain Grosjean of Haas.

Briton Jenson Button, back from retirement to replace Fernando Alonso who is racing in the Indianapolis 500, was ninth for McLaren ahead of his team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne.

Button has a 15-place grid penalty for engine replacements and that is expected to lift Hamilton up to 13th.

&quot;I&rsquo;m happy enough with that,&quot; said Button.&nbsp;

&quot;My one and only qualifying session this year and I&rsquo;m ninth &ndash; but I start 20th!&rdquo;

Hamilton failed to make it out of Q2 when he was deprived of a late clean lap in the dying seconds.

Hamilton&rsquo;s hopes were ruined when Belgian Stoffel Vandoorne went into the barriers at the Swimming Pool exit, yellow flags flying.

&ldquo;That&rsquo;s me out, right?&rdquo; said Hamilton, deprived of a clean lap and condemned to qualify 14th, one of five men eliminated.

&quot;Yes, toasted,&quot; came the reply as he pulled in to the pits, his chest heaving and hands waving with frustration.

(AFP)

Kimi Raikkonen bagged his first pole position since 2009

Kimi Raikkonen secured his first pole for nine years and Ferrari a first front row lockout at the Monaco Grand Prix since 2008 after qualifying for Formula One's glamour race on Saturday. The Italian team's domination that left Lewis Hamilton struggling to take 14th for Mercedes sparked celebration from the tifosi perched on terraces below the Monegasque palace. As softly-spoken Raikkonen savoured his first pole since the 2008 French Grand Prix, just weeks after he had been second behind Felipe Massa on the Monte Carlo grid, Hamilton knew he faced a daunting challenge in Sunday’s classic 78-laps race around the Mediterranean street circuit. The 37-year-old Finn had not taken pole for 128 races, but dominated the afternoon’s action to clock a fastest lap of one minute and 12.178 seconds, a new record for the circuit and an endorsement of the speed of this season’s new era machines. That left him 0.043 seconds ahead of the world championship leader and three-time champion Vettel who in turn was just two-thousandths of a second faster than third-placed Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes. The Finn’s Mercedes team-mate, three-time champion Hamilton, who is six points behind Vettel in the title race, failed to make the cut for the top ten shootout, qualifying 14th after a miserable afternoon. "Obviously, it’s great," said a mumbling and taciturn Raikkonen afterwards, showing little emotion. "We’ll try to make the best of it tomorrow… Yes, of course it is good, but here it is all about the fine details.” "I don’t know what was wrong there," said Vettel of Mercedes’ problems. “But this is one of my highlights of the season – to race at Monaco. It is a difficult one to get right, but if you do, it is great…” 'Yes, toasted' Like Raikkonen, Vettel stressed that he and the ‘iceman’ would be free to race and not constrained by team orders, in advance, at the first corner. “We are here to race,” said the German. Raikkonen, obediently, reminded reporters that both men raced for the same team – Ferrari. Hamilton was crestfallen. “The opportunity was not there for me today,” he said. “I just struggled with the car. "I don't really know what to say at the moment. I'm deflated, but will keep pushing tomorrow. “That's pretty much the weekend done. Tomorrow I will just be driving around in whatever position. I will try to get into the top 10, but it will be a nice Sunday drive I imagine.” History may encourage Hamilton, but it is unlikely. Frenchman Olivier Panis’s 1996 victory from 14th on the grid for Ligier came in a madcap race run in a deluge and not under the blue skies forecast here for Sunday. Bottas, who will carry Mercedes hopes of preventing a Ferrari triumph, added: “It was a really good lap for me. This is one of the most mentally-demanding circuits and am glad I felt support from the fans and appreciated it. “It has been a tricky weekend for us. We lost some valuable practice on Thursday, in FP2, and it was difficult to get a lap time -- and Lewis had problems with traffic.” Dutch teenager Max Verstappen took fourth place ahead of his Red Bull team-mate Daniel Ricciardo, Carlos Sainz of Toro Rosso, Sergio Perez of Force India and Romain Grosjean of Haas. Briton Jenson Button, back from retirement to replace Fernando Alonso who is racing in the Indianapolis 500, was ninth for McLaren ahead of his team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne. Button has a 15-place grid penalty for engine replacements and that is expected to lift Hamilton up to 13th. "I’m happy enough with that," said Button. "My one and only qualifying session this year and I’m ninth – but I start 20th!” Hamilton failed to make it out of Q2 when he was deprived of a late clean lap in the dying seconds. Hamilton’s hopes were ruined when Belgian Stoffel Vandoorne went into the barriers at the Swimming Pool exit, yellow flags flying. “That’s me out, right?” said Hamilton, deprived of a clean lap and condemned to qualify 14th, one of five men eliminated. "Yes, toasted," came the reply as he pulled in to the pits, his chest heaving and hands waving with frustration. (AFP)

Monaco GP qualifying: Raikkonen heads Ferrari's front-row lockout, Hamilton 14th

A cool, calm and collected Valtteri Bottas claimed his first pole position on Saturday when he beat his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton with a well-controlled fastest lap in qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The 26-year-old Finn, who joined the team as replacement for retired 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg, made the most of a less competitive final lap by the Briton to claim the prime starting position for Sunday`s race.

&quot;Obviously, I am really happy,&quot; said Bottas. &quot;It took a few races, but hopefully it`s the first of many.&quot;

Bottas clocked a best lap of one minute and 28.769 seconds in the final seconds and it was, as Hamilton admitted, too good for him to beat. Hamilton had clocked 1:28.792.

&quot;He&#39;s been working so hard and today he was just quicker and he did a better job,&quot; said Hamilton. &quot;The first sector was my weaker point. I&#39;ll work on it for tomorrow.

&quot;That&#39;s how close qualifying should always be. It forces us to be on the limit.&quot;

Bottas&#39;&nbsp;lap was comfortably faster than Rosberg&#39;s pole time last year of 1:29.493,&nbsp;but the overall speed of the new era &#39;fatter-and-faster&#39;&nbsp;machines was less notable in the desert heat than it had been at the two previous races.

Hamilton, who was seeking his seventh successive pole position and third in a row this season, gave his team-mate a generous hug after the session.

Rosberg was amongst the first to congratulate the pole sittter.

&quot;Congrats Valtteri Bottas 1st pole! Great lap. Happy for all you guys at Merc,&quot; tweeted the German.

Three-time champion Hamilton who shares the championship lead with Sebastian Vettel, and who had been quickest until the final runs, was unable to find the extra speed he needed on his second run in Q3 to retain pole position.

Four-time champion Vettel was third fastest for Ferrari, unable to make an impact on the two Mercedes men who took the front row. It was the sixth consecutive year in Bahrain that Mercedes won pole.

&quot;I was very happy with my first lap, crossed the line and then looked up and saw both (Mercedes) were ahead,&quot; said Vettel. &quot;When I got the time, I was a bit down to be honest. Four-tenths is a lot more than I expected.&quot;

Australian Daniel Ricciardo was fourth for Red Bull ahead of Kimi Raikkonen in the second Ferrari, Max Verstappen in the second Red Bull and Nico Hulkenberg who qualified seventh for Renault.

Felipe Massa was eighth for Williams ahead of Romain Grosjean of Haas and Jolyon Palmer in the second Renault.

The conditions at the start of qualifying were cooler, and calmer, than they had been earlier in the day. The air temperature was down to 29 degrees Celsius and the track 31, down by six and eight degrees respectively compared to the earlier free practice session.

The first qualifying session saw exits for Carlos Sainz, who lost power with his Red Bull, and Stoffel Vandoorne of McLaren, Sergio Perez of Force India, Marcus Ericsson of Sauber and Kevin Magnussen of Haas.

In Q2, Indy 500-bound two-time champion Fernando Alonso took it easy.

After another Honda power-unit failure, he decided not to bother at all and was unzipping his overalls without seeking a place in the top ten shootout.

The McLaren man qualified 15th behind the four who were eliminated -- Daniil Kvyat of Toro Rosso, Canadian rookie Lance Stroll of Williams, Pascal Wehrlein of Sauber and Esteban Ocon of Force India.

Another impressive lap from Hulkenberg secured him the fifth-best lap and a place in the shootout for Renault.&nbsp;

Team-mate Palmer grabbed 10th to secure Renault`s first double showing in Q1 since the 2011 Japanese Grand Prix.

As the shootout began, the Red Bulls led the two Mercedes out for their final flurry, Ricciardo starting with a 1:30.007. That time was overhauled by Bottas in 1:28.844 -- the first man inside Hamilton&#39;s 2016 pole lap -- and then by the Briton in 1:28.792.

Vettel was four-tenths down for Ferrari after the first runs, which saw Raikkonen adrift by a similar gap before the final drama unfolded.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)

Bottas clocked a best lap of one minute and 28.769 seconds in the final seconds

A cool, calm and collected Valtteri Bottas claimed his first pole position on Saturday when he beat his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton with a well-controlled fastest lap in qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix. The 26-year-old Finn, who joined the team as replacement for retired 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg, made the most of a less competitive final lap by the Briton to claim the prime starting position for Sunday`s race. "Obviously, I am really happy," said Bottas. "It took a few races, but hopefully it`s the first of many." Bottas clocked a best lap of one minute and 28.769 seconds in the final seconds and it was, as Hamilton admitted, too good for him to beat. Hamilton had clocked 1:28.792. "He's been working so hard and today he was just quicker and he did a better job," said Hamilton. "The first sector was my weaker point. I'll work on it for tomorrow. "That's how close qualifying should always be. It forces us to be on the limit." Bottas' lap was comfortably faster than Rosberg's pole time last year of 1:29.493, but the overall speed of the new era 'fatter-and-faster' machines was less notable in the desert heat than it had been at the two previous races. Hamilton, who was seeking his seventh successive pole position and third in a row this season, gave his team-mate a generous hug after the session. Rosberg was amongst the first to congratulate the pole sittter. "Congrats Valtteri Bottas 1st pole! Great lap. Happy for all you guys at Merc," tweeted the German. Three-time champion Hamilton who shares the championship lead with Sebastian Vettel, and who had been quickest until the final runs, was unable to find the extra speed he needed on his second run in Q3 to retain pole position. Four-time champion Vettel was third fastest for Ferrari, unable to make an impact on the two Mercedes men who took the front row. It was the sixth consecutive year in Bahrain that Mercedes won pole. "I was very happy with my first lap, crossed the line and then looked up and saw both (Mercedes) were ahead," said Vettel. "When I got the time, I was a bit down to be honest. Four-tenths is a lot more than I expected." Australian Daniel Ricciardo was fourth for Red Bull ahead of Kimi Raikkonen in the second Ferrari, Max Verstappen in the second Red Bull and Nico Hulkenberg who qualified seventh for Renault. Felipe Massa was eighth for Williams ahead of Romain Grosjean of Haas and Jolyon Palmer in the second Renault. The conditions at the start of qualifying were cooler, and calmer, than they had been earlier in the day. The air temperature was down to 29 degrees Celsius and the track 31, down by six and eight degrees respectively compared to the earlier free practice session. The first qualifying session saw exits for Carlos Sainz, who lost power with his Red Bull, and Stoffel Vandoorne of McLaren, Sergio Perez of Force India, Marcus Ericsson of Sauber and Kevin Magnussen of Haas. In Q2, Indy 500-bound two-time champion Fernando Alonso took it easy. After another Honda power-unit failure, he decided not to bother at all and was unzipping his overalls without seeking a place in the top ten shootout. The McLaren man qualified 15th behind the four who were eliminated -- Daniil Kvyat of Toro Rosso, Canadian rookie Lance Stroll of Williams, Pascal Wehrlein of Sauber and Esteban Ocon of Force India. Another impressive lap from Hulkenberg secured him the fifth-best lap and a place in the shootout for Renault. Team-mate Palmer grabbed 10th to secure Renault`s first double showing in Q1 since the 2011 Japanese Grand Prix. As the shootout began, the Red Bulls led the two Mercedes out for their final flurry, Ricciardo starting with a 1:30.007. That time was overhauled by Bottas in 1:28.844 -- the first man inside Hamilton's 2016 pole lap -- and then by the Briton in 1:28.792. Vettel was four-tenths down for Ferrari after the first runs, which saw Raikkonen adrift by a similar gap before the final drama unfolded. (AFP)

Formula One: Bottas ends Hamilton run for first career pole

Lewis Hamilton powered to victory in a chaotic Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai on Sunday, taking swift revenge for his defeat by Sebastian Vettel in the Formula One season-opener.

The Briton, who started on pole, steered his Mercedes to his fifth Chinese Grand Prix win, beating Vettel&#39;s Ferrari by just over six seconds with Red Bull&#39;s Max Verstappen finishing third after early safety car drama.

&quot;Get in there Lewis!&quot; Hamilton&#39;s engineer said over team radio after the three-time world champion took the chequered flag in China for the third time in the last four years.

&quot;That&#39;s a great race, mate. An absolute masterclass.&quot;

Hamilton replied: &quot;We&#39;ve worked really hard for this, we&#39;ve got to keep pushing.&quot;

Vettel recovered from a poor start from row one and, after being stuck behind Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen early on, began to show the pace that swept the German to victory in Melbourne two weeks ago.

First Vettel blew past Raikkonen before going wheel-to-wheel with Red Bull&#39;s Daniel Ricciardo at turn seven, producing puffs of blue smoke as the cars touched tyres.

Verstappen loomed ahead but the young Dutchman, who produced an astonishing first lap after starting from 16th on the grid, suffered a lock-up going into the hairpin allowing Vettel, rather anti-climactically, to take second place.

Hamilton, meanwhile, never looked seriously threatened despite a sequence of fastest laps from his German title rival.

&quot;Grazie a tutti!&quot; said Vettel over the radio. &quot;I think we were a bit unlucky. It felt like we were the quickest, man. We couldn&#39;t prove that today but next time we will.&quot;

Ricciardo took fourth behind Verstappen after a furious late scrap between the two Red Bulls with Raikkonen finishing in fifth ahead of fellow Finn Valtteri Bottas&#39;s Mercedes.

Carlos Sainz finished seventh for Toro Rosso with Kevin Magnussen&#39;s Haas eighth and the Force Indias of Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon rounding out the top 10.

Bottas apologised to his team for an embarrassing spin while weaving to warm his tyres behind the safety car, which dropped him down to 12th.

&quot;Really sorry, guys, for the amateur mistake,&quot; said Bottas, who had earlier been called &quot;Nico&quot; over team radio. &quot;I&#39;ll make up for it in the next race.&quot;

A wet track caused havoc early on with the virtual safety car deployed on lap one after Lance Stroll spun off in his Williams.

The safety car was called again after Antonio Giovinazzi smashed his Sauber into a wall.

(AFP)

Multiple world champion Vettel came second while Verstappen climbed from 16th on the grid to take the third spot

Lewis Hamilton powered to victory in a chaotic Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai on Sunday, taking swift revenge for his defeat by Sebastian Vettel in the Formula One season-opener. The Briton, who started on pole, steered his Mercedes to his fifth Chinese Grand Prix win, beating Vettel's Ferrari by just over six seconds with Red Bull's Max Verstappen finishing third after early safety car drama. "Get in there Lewis!" Hamilton's engineer said over team radio after the three-time world champion took the chequered flag in China for the third time in the last four years. "That's a great race, mate. An absolute masterclass." Hamilton replied: "We've worked really hard for this, we've got to keep pushing." Vettel recovered from a poor start from row one and, after being stuck behind Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen early on, began to show the pace that swept the German to victory in Melbourne two weeks ago. First Vettel blew past Raikkonen before going wheel-to-wheel with Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo at turn seven, producing puffs of blue smoke as the cars touched tyres. Verstappen loomed ahead but the young Dutchman, who produced an astonishing first lap after starting from 16th on the grid, suffered a lock-up going into the hairpin allowing Vettel, rather anti-climactically, to take second place. Hamilton, meanwhile, never looked seriously threatened despite a sequence of fastest laps from his German title rival. "Grazie a tutti!" said Vettel over the radio. "I think we were a bit unlucky. It felt like we were the quickest, man. We couldn't prove that today but next time we will." Ricciardo took fourth behind Verstappen after a furious late scrap between the two Red Bulls with Raikkonen finishing in fifth ahead of fellow Finn Valtteri Bottas's Mercedes. Carlos Sainz finished seventh for Toro Rosso with Kevin Magnussen's Haas eighth and the Force Indias of Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon rounding out the top 10. Bottas apologised to his team for an embarrassing spin while weaving to warm his tyres behind the safety car, which dropped him down to 12th. "Really sorry, guys, for the amateur mistake," said Bottas, who had earlier been called "Nico" over team radio. "I'll make up for it in the next race." A wet track caused havoc early on with the virtual safety car deployed on lap one after Lance Stroll spun off in his Williams. The safety car was called again after Antonio Giovinazzi smashed his Sauber into a wall. (AFP)

Hamilton wins chaotic Chinese Grand Prix

Triple world champion Lewis Hamilton will start off the pole in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix after winning qualifying on Saturday.

Hamilton in a Mercedes clocked a record lap of one minute 22.188 seconds to take his 62nd career pole and sixth in Australia into Sunday&#39;s race in Melbourne.

Ferrari&#39;s Sebastian Vettel was second with Hamilton&#39;s Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas third.

Hamilton has been on pole in Melbourne in each of the last four seasons, and in five out the last six Australian GPs.

&quot;It&#39;s been a fantastic weekend so far. I&#39;m incredibly proud of my team,&quot; Hamilton said.

&quot;Valtteri did a great job and it&#39;s great for us as Mercedes. It&#39;s going to be a tight race.

&quot;Tomorrow is about putting all the work together and making sure I come back stronger than ever.&quot;

He was pushed in the final Q3 stage first by Bottas and then by Vettel before clinching the fastest lap.

&quot;I lost a bit in turn one and in turn nine I tried a bit too much, but I don&#39;t think it would have been enough,&quot; said Vettel, who&nbsp;claimed Ferrari&#39;s first front row since 2015 in knocking Bottas&nbsp;out of second place.

Hamilton&#39;s pole time was 1.7 seconds quicker than his qualifying time last year.

&quot;Third position is not ideal,&quot; Bottas said.

&quot;In general I&#39;m not happy for the result. But I&#39;m proud of what the team has done.

&quot;I only saw a very small part of the preparation and it&#39;s nice to see the work has pulled off and we&#39;re fighting at the front.&quot;

Australia&#39;s big hope Daniel Ricciardo crashed his Red Bull at turn 14 looking to post a good time in Q3 and will start 10th off the grid.

Ricciardo damaged the rear of his RB13 car and was heard over the team radio as saying: &quot;I&#39;m alright... sorry guys.&quot;

The final session of qualifying was suspended while Ricciardo&#39;s car was removed from the gravel alongside the track.

&quot;He&#39;s absolutely fine. It&#39;s a shame. He&#39;s lost the rear of the car at turn 14. He&#39;s come on the radio and apologised. Just pushing a bit too hard in that corner,&quot; team principal Christian Horner said.

Sergio Perez, Nico Hulkenberg, Fernando Alonso, Esteban Ocon and Marcus Ericsson all failed to make it through the top ten shootout.

Red Bull&#39;s Max Verstappen had a lock-up into turn six on ultrasoft tyres before he posted a time to stay alive into Q2.

McLaren&#39;s Stoffel Vandoorne had a fuel-flow issue which sent the Belgian to the pits and knocked out in Q1.

Vandoorne was joined by Antonio Giovinazzi, Kevin Magnussen, Lance Stroll and Jolyon Palmer to be eliminated in the first session of qualifying.

Giovinazzi is making his F1 debut after replacing Williams team-mate Pascal Wehrlein, who has not sufficiently recovered from a back injury sustained in a pre-season crash.

(AFP)

Hamilton's Mercedes teammate Bottas came third followed by Raikkonen

Triple world champion Lewis Hamilton will start off the pole in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix after winning qualifying on Saturday. Hamilton in a Mercedes clocked a record lap of one minute 22.188 seconds to take his 62nd career pole and sixth in Australia into Sunday's race in Melbourne. Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel was second with Hamilton's Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas third. Hamilton has been on pole in Melbourne in each of the last four seasons, and in five out the last six Australian GPs. "It's been a fantastic weekend so far. I'm incredibly proud of my team," Hamilton said. "Valtteri did a great job and it's great for us as Mercedes. It's going to be a tight race. "Tomorrow is about putting all the work together and making sure I come back stronger than ever." He was pushed in the final Q3 stage first by Bottas and then by Vettel before clinching the fastest lap. "I lost a bit in turn one and in turn nine I tried a bit too much, but I don't think it would have been enough," said Vettel, who claimed Ferrari's first front row since 2015 in knocking Bottas out of second place. Hamilton's pole time was 1.7 seconds quicker than his qualifying time last year. "Third position is not ideal," Bottas said. "In general I'm not happy for the result. But I'm proud of what the team has done. "I only saw a very small part of the preparation and it's nice to see the work has pulled off and we're fighting at the front." Australia's big hope Daniel Ricciardo crashed his Red Bull at turn 14 looking to post a good time in Q3 and will start 10th off the grid. Ricciardo damaged the rear of his RB13 car and was heard over the team radio as saying: "I'm alright... sorry guys." The final session of qualifying was suspended while Ricciardo's car was removed from the gravel alongside the track. "He's absolutely fine. It's a shame. He's lost the rear of the car at turn 14. He's come on the radio and apologised. Just pushing a bit too hard in that corner," team principal Christian Horner said. Sergio Perez, Nico Hulkenberg, Fernando Alonso, Esteban Ocon and Marcus Ericsson all failed to make it through the top ten shootout. Red Bull's Max Verstappen had a lock-up into turn six on ultrasoft tyres before he posted a time to stay alive into Q2. McLaren's Stoffel Vandoorne had a fuel-flow issue which sent the Belgian to the pits and knocked out in Q1. Vandoorne was joined by Antonio Giovinazzi, Kevin Magnussen, Lance Stroll and Jolyon Palmer to be eliminated in the first session of qualifying. Giovinazzi is making his F1 debut after replacing Williams team-mate Pascal Wehrlein, who has not sufficiently recovered from a back injury sustained in a pre-season crash. (AFP)

Australian GP: Hamilton secures pole, Vettel second

Lewis Hamilton sizzled in the opening practice sessions at the Australian Grand Prix as he sent an ominous message to his rivals for the new Formula One season on Friday.

The triple world champion&nbsp;bossed the field in the afternoon run to hold a half-second gap over Ferrari title rival Sebastian Vettel and his new Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas.

Hamilton followed up his field-leading fastest lap of 1:24.220 in the first session with a blistering 1:23.620 around Albert Park in the late afternoon.

It was around one-tenth of a second off Vettel&#39;s record lap in Melbourne of 1:23.529, posted for Red Bull in qualifying ahead of his 2011 race victory.

Ferrari were expected to press Hamilton and the Mercedes team after superior times in pre-season testing, but on the evidence of the opening two sessions Hamilton again looked the driver to beat in Sunday&#39;s race.

Hamilton&#39;s time was more than three seconds faster than his best lap in last year&#39;s corresponding free practice in Melbourne.

Finland&#39;s Bottas slotted smoothly into the Mercedes team environment with a best lap of&nbsp;1:24.176.

Ferrari improved on their opening practice with Vettel unleashing the second best lap time in FP2 with 1:24.167 while team-mate Kimi Raikkonen was fourth with 1:24.525.

The Red Bulls of Daniel Ricciardo&nbsp;and&nbsp;Max Verstappen&nbsp;were over a second behind Hamilton and half-a-second off Vettel&#39;s Ferrari.

&quot;Daniel&#39;s not quite got the balance that he wants. I think a couple of changes we&#39;ve made on the car over lunch he&#39;s not liked so we&#39;re going back on them now,&quot; team boss Christian Horner said.

&quot;Hopefully we can get a sensible long run-in.&nbsp;You can see Lewis has probably got four or five-tenths on the field but after that it could be pretty tight.

&quot;We know Ferrari have had a good winter but we&#39;re hopeful we can close that overnight. We&#39;ll get a better indication tomorrow but we&#39;ve got some work to do tonight.&quot;

The second session was stopped after a big crash for Renault&#39;s Jolyon Palmer, who lost the rear of his car on the last corner and spun into the barriers.

&quot;I&#39;m fine,&quot; Palmer told his team over the radio. The shunt damaged the car&#39;s rear suspension, while the rear wing was detached.

Palmer missed the remainder of the session, in a blow to his preparations for the weekend race.

Brazilian Felipe Massa&nbsp;stopped his&nbsp;Williams&nbsp;car at Turn 11 after reporting he could not engage gears, and walked back to the team garage.

The troubled McLaren team had no on-track breakdowns on the opening day with Fernando Alonso finishing in a respectable 12th place.

(AFP)

The triple world champion?bossed the field in the afternoon run to hold a half-second gap over Ferrari title rival Sebastian Vettel

Lewis Hamilton sizzled in the opening practice sessions at the Australian Grand Prix as he sent an ominous message to his rivals for the new Formula One season on Friday. The triple world champion bossed the field in the afternoon run to hold a half-second gap over Ferrari title rival Sebastian Vettel and his new Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas. Hamilton followed up his field-leading fastest lap of 1:24.220 in the first session with a blistering 1:23.620 around Albert Park in the late afternoon. It was around one-tenth of a second off Vettel's record lap in Melbourne of 1:23.529, posted for Red Bull in qualifying ahead of his 2011 race victory. Ferrari were expected to press Hamilton and the Mercedes team after superior times in pre-season testing, but on the evidence of the opening two sessions Hamilton again looked the driver to beat in Sunday's race. Hamilton's time was more than three seconds faster than his best lap in last year's corresponding free practice in Melbourne. Finland's Bottas slotted smoothly into the Mercedes team environment with a best lap of 1:24.176. Ferrari improved on their opening practice with Vettel unleashing the second best lap time in FP2 with 1:24.167 while team-mate Kimi Raikkonen was fourth with 1:24.525. The Red Bulls of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen were over a second behind Hamilton and half-a-second off Vettel's Ferrari. "Daniel's not quite got the balance that he wants. I think a couple of changes we've made on the car over lunch he's not liked so we're going back on them now," team boss Christian Horner said. "Hopefully we can get a sensible long run-in. You can see Lewis has probably got four or five-tenths on the field but after that it could be pretty tight. "We know Ferrari have had a good winter but we're hopeful we can close that overnight. We'll get a better indication tomorrow but we've got some work to do tonight." The second session was stopped after a big crash for Renault's Jolyon Palmer, who lost the rear of his car on the last corner and spun into the barriers. "I'm fine," Palmer told his team over the radio. The shunt damaged the car's rear suspension, while the rear wing was detached. Palmer missed the remainder of the session, in a blow to his preparations for the weekend race. Brazilian Felipe Massa stopped his Williams car at Turn 11 after reporting he could not engage gears, and walked back to the team garage. The troubled McLaren team had no on-track breakdowns on the opening day with Fernando Alonso finishing in a respectable 12th place. (AFP)

Australian GP: Hamilton sizzles in practice sessions

Nico Rosberg stunned Formula One on Friday with the shock announcement that he was retiring only days after winning his first world championship with Mercedes.

&quot;From the moment when the destiny of the title was in my own hands, the big pressure started and I began to think about ending my racing career if I became world champion,&quot; the German said in a statement on Facebook.

&quot;On Sunday morning in Abu Dhabi, I knew that it could be my last race and that feeling cleared my head before the start. I wanted to enjoy every part of the experience, knowing it might be the last time,&quot; the 31-year-old added.

&quot;I took my decision on Monday evening.&quot;

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Mercedes&#39; Nico Rosberg won his first world title on Sunday after beating his team-mate Lewis Hamilton in Abu Dhabi. (WION)
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(Reuters)&nbsp; 
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The German, who won his first title with Mercedes on Sunday, said he has decided to retire after reaching the pinnacle of the sport

Nico Rosberg stunned Formula One on Friday with the shock announcement that he was retiring only days after winning his first world championship with Mercedes. "From the moment when the destiny of the title was in my own hands, the big pressure started and I began to think about ending my racing career if I became world champion," the German said in a statement on Facebook. "On Sunday morning in Abu Dhabi, I knew that it could be my last race and that feeling cleared my head before the start. I wanted to enjoy every part of the experience, knowing it might be the last time," the 31-year-old added. "I took my decision on Monday evening." Mercedes' Nico Rosberg won his first world title on Sunday after beating his team-mate Lewis Hamilton in Abu Dhabi. (WION) × (Reuters)

Formula One: Nico Rosberg announces shock retirement days after championship win

Triple world champion Lewis Hamilton won a stop-start, wet and chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday to take the Formula One title battle with Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg down to the wire in Abu Dhabi.

The Briton&#39;s third win in a row from pole position and first in Brazil left him 12 points behind Rosberg, who finished second, with the pair both on nine victories each for the season.

Rosberg, who would have taken his first title with a third successive victory at Interlagos, need now only finish third at Yas Marina in two weeks&#39; time to clinch his first title, even if Hamilton wins again.

&quot;I was generally just chilling up front,&quot; said Hamilton, whose 52nd career win put him second on the all-time list behind seven-times champion Michael Schumacher (91) but ahead of Alain Prost.

&quot;When it rains, it&#39;s usually a good day for me ... it was a very easy race, generally. It was pretty straightforward.&quot;

He led all the way, the only minor drama occurring when water began seeping through his Ayrton Senna-themed helmet visor during the first phase of the race. He changed helmet after the first stoppage.

&quot;No mistakes, no issues, no spins,&quot; he said.

Behind him, there was mayhem and chaos in a crash-filled thriller that was twice stopped and re-started, with five safety car periods and lengthy delays after cars aquaplaned off.

&quot;It didn&#39;t go my way today with the win, Lewis just did a great job,&quot; said Rosberg, who survived a half-spin of his own.

&quot;It was very difficult conditions out there. I can live with second place today, for sure.&quot;

Max attack

In amongst it all, the talent of Dutch teenager Max Verstappen shone through like a beacon in the gloom.

The 19-year-old passed Kimi Raikkonen at the start and then Rosberg for second place.

He then saved a near spin, still staying ahead of Rosberg, but dropped back to 16th after his final pitstop and overtook more than half the field in the space of 17 laps to finish third.

&quot;I think a second was definitely possible,&quot; he said.

Brazilian Felipe Nasr, whose compatriot Felipe Massa crashed his Williams in his final home race, finished ninth to hand Sauber their first points of the season and allow the Swiss team to seize 10th place from Manor.

The race started behind the safety car after a 10-minute delay, with Frenchman Romain Grosjean crashing his Haas on the way to the grid, and was twice red-flagged due to accidents and the treacherous conditions.

At one point it looked like half-points might have to be awarded, as heavier rain threatened and drivers got out of their cars and waited.

The first delay was 35 minutes, the stoppage coming after Sweden&#39;s Marcus Ericsson hit the wall, and the second for 27 minutes after Ferrari&#39;s Kimi Raikkonen crashed -- with the race taking just over three hours to complete.

(Reuters) 
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Hamilton's win in the crash-filled thriller puts him 12 points behind team mate Rosberg in the standings, who finished second

Triple world champion Lewis Hamilton won a stop-start, wet and chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday to take the Formula One title battle with Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg down to the wire in Abu Dhabi. The Briton's third win in a row from pole position and first in Brazil left him 12 points behind Rosberg, who finished second, with the pair both on nine victories each for the season. Rosberg, who would have taken his first title with a third successive victory at Interlagos, need now only finish third at Yas Marina in two weeks' time to clinch his first title, even if Hamilton wins again. "I was generally just chilling up front," said Hamilton, whose 52nd career win put him second on the all-time list behind seven-times champion Michael Schumacher (91) but ahead of Alain Prost. "When it rains, it's usually a good day for me ... it was a very easy race, generally. It was pretty straightforward." He led all the way, the only minor drama occurring when water began seeping through his Ayrton Senna-themed helmet visor during the first phase of the race. He changed helmet after the first stoppage. "No mistakes, no issues, no spins," he said. Behind him, there was mayhem and chaos in a crash-filled thriller that was twice stopped and re-started, with five safety car periods and lengthy delays after cars aquaplaned off. "It didn't go my way today with the win, Lewis just did a great job," said Rosberg, who survived a half-spin of his own. "It was very difficult conditions out there. I can live with second place today, for sure." Max attack In amongst it all, the talent of Dutch teenager Max Verstappen shone through like a beacon in the gloom. The 19-year-old passed Kimi Raikkonen at the start and then Rosberg for second place. He then saved a near spin, still staying ahead of Rosberg, but dropped back to 16th after his final pitstop and overtook more than half the field in the space of 17 laps to finish third. "I think a second was definitely possible," he said. Brazilian Felipe Nasr, whose compatriot Felipe Massa crashed his Williams in his final home race, finished ninth to hand Sauber their first points of the season and allow the Swiss team to seize 10th place from Manor. The race started behind the safety car after a 10-minute delay, with Frenchman Romain Grosjean crashing his Haas on the way to the grid, and was twice red-flagged due to accidents and the treacherous conditions. At one point it looked like half-points might have to be awarded, as heavier rain threatened and drivers got out of their cars and waited. The first delay was 35 minutes, the stoppage coming after Sweden's Marcus Ericsson hit the wall, and the second for 27 minutes after Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen crashed -- with the race taking just over three hours to complete. (Reuters)

Brazil Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton win takes F1 title battle down to last race

Championship leader Nico Rosberg kept title rival and Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton off the top of the timesheets in Saturday&#39;s final practice for what could be a decisive Brazilian Grand Prix.

The German lapped a damp and overcast Interlagos circuit with a best time of one minute 11.740 seconds, with reigning triple world champion Hamilton a mere 0.093 slower.

Ferrari&#39;s Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen were third and fourth, with Red Bull pairing Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo fifth and sixth.

Rosberg will take his first title on Sunday if he wins the penultimate race of the season, but the battle will go down to the finale in Abu Dhabi if he fails to score seven points more than his team mate.

The Mercedes drivers are the only championship contenders, divided by 19 points. Rosberg has nine wins to Hamilton&#39;s eight.

The weather could also play a big part in Sunday&#39;s outcome, with forecasts predicting an increasing likelihood of rain in the afternoon.

(Reuters) 
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Rosberg will take his first title on Sunday if he scores seven points more than his team mate to win the penultimate race of the season

Championship leader Nico Rosberg kept title rival and Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton off the top of the timesheets in Saturday's final practice for what could be a decisive Brazilian Grand Prix. The German lapped a damp and overcast Interlagos circuit with a best time of one minute 11.740 seconds, with reigning triple world champion Hamilton a mere 0.093 slower. Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen were third and fourth, with Red Bull pairing Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo fifth and sixth. Rosberg will take his first title on Sunday if he wins the penultimate race of the season, but the battle will go down to the finale in Abu Dhabi if he fails to score seven points more than his team mate. The Mercedes drivers are the only championship contenders, divided by 19 points. Rosberg has nine wins to Hamilton's eight. The weather could also play a big part in Sunday's outcome, with forecasts predicting an increasing likelihood of rain in the afternoon. (Reuters)

Formula One: Rosberg pips Hamilton in final practice

Lewis Hamilton vowed Thursday to try harder than ever to end his Interlagos winless run and keep his faint title hopes alive in Sunday&#39;s Brazilian Grand Prix.

The defending three-time world champion, who is 19 points adrift of Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg with two races remaining, has been involved in several dramatic finishes in Brazil.

The stakes are high as he has to beat Rosberg to retain his title dream.

He lost out in his world title quest as a rookie in the 2007 showdown when Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari lifted the crown, but returned the following year to finish fifth and clinch his maiden championship.

Apart from Brazil, the only other current race the 31-year-old Briton has never won is the European Grand Prix.

&quot;I really don&#39;t know why I&#39;ve never won here,&quot; he told a news conference at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on Thursday. &quot;I have always tried very hard to win!

&quot;So I will be trying even harder this year.&quot;

A smiling Hamilton appeared to be utterly at ease during the news session at the circuit where he and German Rosberg flanked retirement-bound home hero Felipe Massa, of Williams.

Rosberg looked slightly more serious, but was showing no signs of tension as he approached his first title showdown race as favourite to lift the crown. He will be champion if he wins on Sunday.

&quot;I am looking forward to it,&quot; he said. &quot;I`m feeling good and I am excited by it. I will be going out to win. I have good memories from the last two years, but I am aware that we all start from zero.&quot;

Rosberg won the Brazil race in 2014 and 2015 and could complete a hat-trick of victories to seize the title.

&quot;I love this track and I always seem to manage to go well here,&quot; he added.

Their Mercedes team has promised them equal machinery, cars, engines and support for both of the two season-ending races.

But they cannot expect any favours from their rivals.

The two Red Bull drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Dutch teenager Max Verstappen, separated by Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari, made clear they will be racing hard, and without favour.

&quot;Same approach as usual,&quot; said Verstappen, 19. &quot;If there is a chance, we try to win.&quot;

Rain has been forecast for Sunday and is likely to play a part in the outcome. 
 
(AFP)

The defending three-time world champion is 19 points adrift of Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg with two races remaining

Lewis Hamilton vowed Thursday to try harder than ever to end his Interlagos winless run and keep his faint title hopes alive in Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix. The defending three-time world champion, who is 19 points adrift of Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg with two races remaining, has been involved in several dramatic finishes in Brazil. The stakes are high as he has to beat Rosberg to retain his title dream. He lost out in his world title quest as a rookie in the 2007 showdown when Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari lifted the crown, but returned the following year to finish fifth and clinch his maiden championship. Apart from Brazil, the only other current race the 31-year-old Briton has never won is the European Grand Prix. "I really don't know why I've never won here," he told a news conference at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on Thursday. "I have always tried very hard to win! "So I will be trying even harder this year." A smiling Hamilton appeared to be utterly at ease during the news session at the circuit where he and German Rosberg flanked retirement-bound home hero Felipe Massa, of Williams. Rosberg looked slightly more serious, but was showing no signs of tension as he approached his first title showdown race as favourite to lift the crown. He will be champion if he wins on Sunday. "I am looking forward to it," he said. "I`m feeling good and I am excited by it. I will be going out to win. I have good memories from the last two years, but I am aware that we all start from zero." Rosberg won the Brazil race in 2014 and 2015 and could complete a hat-trick of victories to seize the title. "I love this track and I always seem to manage to go well here," he added. Their Mercedes team has promised them equal machinery, cars, engines and support for both of the two season-ending races. But they cannot expect any favours from their rivals. The two Red Bull drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Dutch teenager Max Verstappen, separated by Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari, made clear they will be racing hard, and without favour. "Same approach as usual," said Verstappen, 19. "If there is a chance, we try to win." Rain has been forecast for Sunday and is likely to play a part in the outcome. (AFP)

Formula One: Lewis Hamilton 'ready to race harder than ever'

Lewis Hamilton won pole position beating his Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg for the Mexican Grand Prix on Saturday.&nbsp;

The three-time champion said he&nbsp;performed best during his worst session of the weekend.&nbsp;

&ldquo;On long runs we were really strong and practice was really good,&rdquo; AFP quoted Hamilton saying.&nbsp;

&ldquo;So strangely Q3 was actually my worst session of the whole weekend so far,&quot; he added.&nbsp;

This is Hamilton&#39;s 59th career pole and 10th of the season with his best being 1 minute 18.704 seconds.

If Hamilton fails to finish in the top nine on Sunday, Rosberg who has a 26-point lead will win the title.&nbsp;

&quot;Lewis&#39;s lap was brilliant, not so much mine but I put it together when it counted in the end,&quot; Rosberg said.&nbsp;

 
(WION with inputs from AFP)

Hamilton said his best lap came during his worst session of the weekend

Lewis Hamilton won pole position beating his Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg for the Mexican Grand Prix on Saturday. The three-time champion said he performed best during his worst session of the weekend. “On long runs we were really strong and practice was really good,” AFP quoted Hamilton saying. “So strangely Q3 was actually my worst session of the whole weekend so far," he added. This is Hamilton's 59th career pole and 10th of the season with his best being 1 minute 18.704 seconds. If Hamilton fails to finish in the top nine on Sunday, Rosberg who has a 26-point lead will win the title. "Lewis's lap was brilliant, not so much mine but I put it together when it counted in the end," Rosberg said. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Mexican GP: Hamilton beats Nico Rosberg in qualifying

World champion Lewis Hamilton produced a flawless drive from his 58th pole position to finish ahead of his Mercedes team-mate and championship leader Nico Rosberg at the US Grand Prix on Sunday.

The defending champion kept alive his bid for a fourth world title on Sunday when he claimed his first victory in six races. This is the 50th career triumph for the three-time world champion.&nbsp;

Hamilton, in fact, equalled the record set by seven-time champion German Michael Schumacher with his fifth US Grand Prix win.&nbsp;

&quot;This has always been a good hunting ground for me. I love being in the USA. I&#39;m proud of the team&#39;s effort this weekend,&quot; said the Briton.

Australian Daniel Ricciardo finished third for Red Bull. Hamilton&rsquo;s win trimmed Rosberg&rsquo;s lead from 33 points to 26 with three races remaining, but he knows that even if he wins them all Rosberg can take his crown by finishing second in each one.

Four-time champion Sebastian Vettel came home fourth for Ferrari after team-mate Kimi Raikkonen had been forced into a bizarre retirement when he left the pits with a loose rear wheel.

Ricciardo&rsquo;s feisty Red Bull team-mate Dutch teenager Max Verstappen also retired after a mechanical failure, leaving the way open for two-time champion Fernando Alonso to seize fifth for McLaren-Honda after a late attack on compatriot Carlos Sainz.

(WION with inputs from AFP) 
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Lewis Hamilton's win kept him in the running for the fourth world title, as he swept past his team-mate Nico Rosberg to take the pole

World champion Lewis Hamilton produced a flawless drive from his 58th pole position to finish ahead of his Mercedes team-mate and championship leader Nico Rosberg at the US Grand Prix on Sunday. The defending champion kept alive his bid for a fourth world title on Sunday when he claimed his first victory in six races. This is the 50th career triumph for the three-time world champion. Hamilton, in fact, equalled the record set by seven-time champion German Michael Schumacher with his fifth US Grand Prix win. "This has always been a good hunting ground for me. I love being in the USA. I'm proud of the team's effort this weekend," said the Briton. Australian Daniel Ricciardo finished third for Red Bull. Hamilton’s win trimmed Rosberg’s lead from 33 points to 26 with three races remaining, but he knows that even if he wins them all Rosberg can take his crown by finishing second in each one. Four-time champion Sebastian Vettel came home fourth for Ferrari after team-mate Kimi Raikkonen had been forced into a bizarre retirement when he left the pits with a loose rear wheel. Ricciardo’s feisty Red Bull team-mate Dutch teenager Max Verstappen also retired after a mechanical failure, leaving the way open for two-time champion Fernando Alonso to seize fifth for McLaren-Honda after a late attack on compatriot Carlos Sainz. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Formula One: Hamilton edges Rosberg to win US Grand Prix

Nico Rosberg rode his luck to grab pole position for Sunday&#39;s Hungarian Grand Prix ahead of Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton in a prolonged qualifying session punctuated by rainstorms and red flags. 
 
The championship-leading German produced a fastest lap of one minute and 19.965 seconds at the end of a session stretched to nearly two hours by heavy rain and crashes in the hazardous conditions on the twisting Hungaroring circuit on Saturday. 
 
Defending three-time champion Hamilton, who is just one point behind Rosberg after 10 of this year&#39;s 21 races, was 0.143 seconds behind his rival as the pair secured their team&#39;s sixth front-row lockout of the season. 
 
&quot;It was a really challenging qualifying with the changing conditions all the time,&quot; said Rosberg, 31, who six hours later had to survive a meeting with the stewards over his pole lap before he was cleared of any wrongdoing. 
 
&quot;I&#39;ve been feeling really good out there the whole weekend in all conditions. I&#39;m looking forward to the race and the great opportunity tomorrow.&quot; 
 
Hamilton looked to be on course to take pole when on an improved best lap he came across Spaniard Fernando Alonso&#39;s McLaren spinning off the track dangerously in front of him.The Briton had to take evasive action, which cost him time, before Rosberg came round and was able to continue without easing off. 
 
&quot;It was unfortunate with Fernando, but these things happen,&quot; said a stony-faced Hamilton, who has been gnawing away at Rosberg&#39;s lead in the standings and is chasing a third win in succession. 
 
&quot;I did the best I could do and it&#39;s a long race tomorrow so I&#39;ll give it everything I&#39;ve got.&quot; 
 
The two Red Bulls of Daniel Ricciardo, who was also affected by Alonso&#39;s spin, and Dutch teenager Max Verstappen were third and fourth ahead of four-time champion Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari. 
 
Vettel&#39;s team-mate Kimi Raikkonen was unable to progress from Q2 in the treacherous conditions.Spaniards Carlos Sainz of Toro Rosso and Alonso were sixth and seventh ahead of Briton Jenson Button in the second McLaren, Nico Hulkenberg of Force India and Valtteri Bottas of Williams, who was 10th fastest. 
 
Rosberg&#39;s success brought him his 26th career pole position and his 50th front-row start for a race he has never won.&nbsp; 
 
Heavy rain delayed the start of Q1 by 20 minutes, flooding many parts of the paddock, including television commentary booths.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;It&#39;s pretty hairy out there, there&#39;s a lot of spray and standing water,&quot; said Williams deputy team chief Claire Williams. 
&quot;The most important thing is the safety of our drivers.&quot; 
 
When it did finally get going, there were four red flags in Q1 alone, as the drivers struggled badly. 
 
One of the victims was Swede Marcus Ericsson in his Sauber, slamming into advertising boards in front of a tyre barrier at Turn Ten, and bring another red flag with nine minutes remaining. 
 
Then his team-mate Felipe Nasr crashed. He was unhurt, but like Ericsson, his day was over.&nbsp;Another red flag, the fourth, with five minutes to go ensured a thrilling finale to Q1. 
 
(AFP)

Hamilton tried to evade a spin-off on the track which cost him time before Rosberg came round and was able to continue without easing off

Nico Rosberg rode his luck to grab pole position for Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix ahead of Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton in a prolonged qualifying session punctuated by rainstorms and red flags. The championship-leading German produced a fastest lap of one minute and 19.965 seconds at the end of a session stretched to nearly two hours by heavy rain and crashes in the hazardous conditions on the twisting Hungaroring circuit on Saturday. Defending three-time champion Hamilton, who is just one point behind Rosberg after 10 of this year's 21 races, was 0.143 seconds behind his rival as the pair secured their team's sixth front-row lockout of the season. "It was a really challenging qualifying with the changing conditions all the time," said Rosberg, 31, who six hours later had to survive a meeting with the stewards over his pole lap before he was cleared of any wrongdoing. "I've been feeling really good out there the whole weekend in all conditions. I'm looking forward to the race and the great opportunity tomorrow." Hamilton looked to be on course to take pole when on an improved best lap he came across Spaniard Fernando Alonso's McLaren spinning off the track dangerously in front of him.The Briton had to take evasive action, which cost him time, before Rosberg came round and was able to continue without easing off. "It was unfortunate with Fernando, but these things happen," said a stony-faced Hamilton, who has been gnawing away at Rosberg's lead in the standings and is chasing a third win in succession. "I did the best I could do and it's a long race tomorrow so I'll give it everything I've got." The two Red Bulls of Daniel Ricciardo, who was also affected by Alonso's spin, and Dutch teenager Max Verstappen were third and fourth ahead of four-time champion Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari. Vettel's team-mate Kimi Raikkonen was unable to progress from Q2 in the treacherous conditions.Spaniards Carlos Sainz of Toro Rosso and Alonso were sixth and seventh ahead of Briton Jenson Button in the second McLaren, Nico Hulkenberg of Force India and Valtteri Bottas of Williams, who was 10th fastest. Rosberg's success brought him his 26th career pole position and his 50th front-row start for a race he has never won. Heavy rain delayed the start of Q1 by 20 minutes, flooding many parts of the paddock, including television commentary booths. "It's pretty hairy out there, there's a lot of spray and standing water," said Williams deputy team chief Claire Williams. "The most important thing is the safety of our drivers." When it did finally get going, there were four red flags in Q1 alone, as the drivers struggled badly. One of the victims was Swede Marcus Ericsson in his Sauber, slamming into advertising boards in front of a tyre barrier at Turn Ten, and bring another red flag with nine minutes remaining. Then his team-mate Felipe Nasr crashed. He was unhurt, but like Ericsson, his day was over. Another red flag, the fourth, with five minutes to go ensured a thrilling finale to Q1. (AFP)

Rosberg trumps team-mate Hamiltion to grab pole position for Hungarian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton blitzed his rivals in qualifying Saturday to secure pole position for the Malaysian Grand Prix.

The reigning world champion clocked the fastest lap ever recorded at the 5.543km circuit in 1min 32.850sec. His amazing drive eclipsed the pole position lap record for Sepang set by Juan Pablo Montoya in a Williams way back in 2004.

But Hamilton still reckoned it wasn&#39;t perfect despite being more than four-tenths faster than Mercedes rival and championship leader Nico Rosberg.

&quot;I really enjoyed the lap. It could have been faster,&quot; said Hamilton, who has consistently outpaced his rival Rosberg all week.&nbsp;

It marks a welcome and timely return to form for the three-time world champion after his Mercedes teammate won the last three races to open up an eight-point title race lead.

Hamilton trailed Rosberg by 43 points after the first four races of a rollercoaster season, only to turn that into a 19-point lead. The hard-won advantage evaporated as the German sped to victory in Belgium, Italy and then Singapore two weeks ago.&nbsp;

&quot;This is definitely the best the car has been here,&quot; Hamilton told reporters. &quot;A huge thank you to the team, who continue through the whole year to improve,&quot; he added after his eighth pole position in 15 races so far this season. &nbsp;&quot;It&#39;s great work coming here after the last few weeks with Nico&#39;s wins,&quot; he said.

Rosberg&#39;s best lap was hampered by a wobble at the remodelled final hairpin turn 15, which now has a tricky negative camber to negotiate under braking. &quot;Lewis&#39;s lap was very quick so it was always going to be difficult,&quot; said Rosberg.&nbsp;

&quot;I would have been close, but unfortunately I made a mistake in the last corner.&quot;

Birthday boy

Third on the grid will be birthday boy Max Verstappen, who celebrated turning 19 on Friday before clocking 1:33.420 a day later, less than 0.2sec off the pace of Rosberg.&nbsp;

&quot;The whole weekend has been quite positive for me, we made some changes after Singapore that worked,&quot; said the teenager.&nbsp;Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo completes the second row of the grid for Sunday&#39;s race.

Next comes the Ferrari of four-time Malaysia victor Sebastian Vettel and his teammate Kimi Raikkonen.

Just two-tenths of a second separated the best lap times of the Red Bulls and Ferraris making for an intriguing battle in Sunday&#39;s race on a high-speed circuit that provides ample opportunities for overtaking.

The Force Indias of Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg completed the fourth row locked out by teammates by qualifying seventh and eighth. Jenson Button, in his 300th grand prix demonstrated the continual improvement of the McLaren by putting it in ninth place just ahead of Felipe Massa&#39;s Williams.

Button&#39;s McLaren teammate Fernando Alonso will start from last place after being penalised 45 grid places for fitting an upgraded engine for practice and exceeding his permitted number of power units for the season. &nbsp;

The Spanish two-time world champion will revert to the same engine as Button for the race with Honda debuting the new power unit at their home Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka next weekend.

(AFP)

The British world champion was four-tenths faster than his Mercedes teammate and championship leader Nico Rosberg

Lewis Hamilton blitzed his rivals in qualifying Saturday to secure pole position for the Malaysian Grand Prix. The reigning world champion clocked the fastest lap ever recorded at the 5.543km circuit in 1min 32.850sec. His amazing drive eclipsed the pole position lap record for Sepang set by Juan Pablo Montoya in a Williams way back in 2004. But Hamilton still reckoned it wasn't perfect despite being more than four-tenths faster than Mercedes rival and championship leader Nico Rosberg. "I really enjoyed the lap. It could have been faster," said Hamilton, who has consistently outpaced his rival Rosberg all week. It marks a welcome and timely return to form for the three-time world champion after his Mercedes teammate won the last three races to open up an eight-point title race lead. Hamilton trailed Rosberg by 43 points after the first four races of a rollercoaster season, only to turn that into a 19-point lead. The hard-won advantage evaporated as the German sped to victory in Belgium, Italy and then Singapore two weeks ago. "This is definitely the best the car has been here," Hamilton told reporters. "A huge thank you to the team, who continue through the whole year to improve," he added after his eighth pole position in 15 races so far this season. "It's great work coming here after the last few weeks with Nico's wins," he said. Rosberg's best lap was hampered by a wobble at the remodelled final hairpin turn 15, which now has a tricky negative camber to negotiate under braking. "Lewis's lap was very quick so it was always going to be difficult," said Rosberg. "I would have been close, but unfortunately I made a mistake in the last corner." Birthday boy Third on the grid will be birthday boy Max Verstappen, who celebrated turning 19 on Friday before clocking 1:33.420 a day later, less than 0.2sec off the pace of Rosberg. "The whole weekend has been quite positive for me, we made some changes after Singapore that worked," said the teenager. Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo completes the second row of the grid for Sunday's race. Next comes the Ferrari of four-time Malaysia victor Sebastian Vettel and his teammate Kimi Raikkonen. Just two-tenths of a second separated the best lap times of the Red Bulls and Ferraris making for an intriguing battle in Sunday's race on a high-speed circuit that provides ample opportunities for overtaking. The Force Indias of Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg completed the fourth row locked out by teammates by qualifying seventh and eighth. Jenson Button, in his 300th grand prix demonstrated the continual improvement of the McLaren by putting it in ninth place just ahead of Felipe Massa's Williams. Button's McLaren teammate Fernando Alonso will start from last place after being penalised 45 grid places for fitting an upgraded engine for practice and exceeding his permitted number of power units for the season. The Spanish two-time world champion will revert to the same engine as Button for the race with Honda debuting the new power unit at their home Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka next weekend. (AFP)

Malaysian GP: Lewis Hamilton bags pole after scorching lap

Germany&#39;s Nico Rosberg celebrated his 200th Formula One race in style, retaking the drivers&#39; world championship lead from Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton.&nbsp; 
 
Rosberg won the Singapore Grand Prix from pole position on Sunday to seize the lead.&nbsp; 
 
His teammate and triple world champion Hamilton completed the podium in third place. 
 
&quot;The whole car was on the edge, it always is here in Singapore, so it&#39;s very satisfying to finish like that,&quot; Rosberg told reporters. 
 
The race got off to a chaotic start that brought out a safety car on the opening lap. Nico Hulkenberg&#39;s Force India, eighth on the grid, suffered a heavy crash after making contact with Carlos Sainz&#39;s Toro Rosso. 
 
The finish was equally tense as traffic prevented Rosberg pitting for new tyres near the end. Red Bull&#39;s Daniel Ricciardo, after his stop, closed the gap from more than 20 seconds to mere fractions over the final 14 laps. 
 
But the German held off his late-charge by just 0.4sec to win his third straight race. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s been an awesome weekend. Today, great start, I had a good car in the race. Of course, Daniel tried to pull one up on me with the pitstop at the end there, but it worked out,&quot; said Rosberg, as he celebrated the victory. 
 
It was Rosberg&#39;s third victory in a row and eighth of the season. It has lifted him on to 273 points on the standings, establishing an eight-point lead over title-holder Hamilton. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
 
&nbsp;

The Singapore win puts Nico Rosberg back on top of the drivers' world championship with an eight-point lead over teammate Hamilton

Germany's Nico Rosberg celebrated his 200th Formula One race in style, retaking the drivers' world championship lead from Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton. Rosberg won the Singapore Grand Prix from pole position on Sunday to seize the lead. His teammate and triple world champion Hamilton completed the podium in third place. "The whole car was on the edge, it always is here in Singapore, so it's very satisfying to finish like that," Rosberg told reporters. The race got off to a chaotic start that brought out a safety car on the opening lap. Nico Hulkenberg's Force India, eighth on the grid, suffered a heavy crash after making contact with Carlos Sainz's Toro Rosso. The finish was equally tense as traffic prevented Rosberg pitting for new tyres near the end. Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo, after his stop, closed the gap from more than 20 seconds to mere fractions over the final 14 laps. But the German held off his late-charge by just 0.4sec to win his third straight race. "It's been an awesome weekend. Today, great start, I had a good car in the race. Of course, Daniel tried to pull one up on me with the pitstop at the end there, but it worked out," said Rosberg, as he celebrated the victory. It was Rosberg's third victory in a row and eighth of the season. It has lifted him on to 273 points on the standings, establishing an eight-point lead over title-holder Hamilton. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Formula One: Rosberg wins Singapore Grand Prix, takes championship lead from teammate Hamilton

Three-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton has received a 30-place grid penalty in this weekend&#39;s Belgian Grand Prix, a serious knock to his title hopes this season. 
 
The 31-year-old Merecedes driver is leading this year&#39;s championship by 19 points with nine races to go. 
 
The Briton has been given a full engine change grid penalty because he has exhausted all five&nbsp;turbo and MGU-H (motor generator unit-heat) in the earlier races.&nbsp; 
 
However, Hamilton seemed calm, saying that he would look to mitigate the damages in this Grand Prix.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Naturally, we&#39;ve already discussed engine penalties that will come into play, for sure, but I will do everything I can to minimise the impact,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&quot;Otherwise, beyond that penalty, that I will eventually take, I think I will be able to continue with the momentum I had before the break.&quot; 
 
? feel OK. It is going to be an interesting Sunday,&quot; he told BBC. 
 
Hamilton&#39;s penalty is a knock-on effect from his early season travails when he faced multiple engine failures.&nbsp; 
 
His teammate Nico Roseberg admitted to BBC that though the pressure will be on as always, this weekend would be &quot;less difficult&quot; due to Hamilton&#39;s penalty. 
 
Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso will also start the Belgian Grand Prix from the back as he opted to change his engine. 
 
(WION with inputs from BBC) 
&nbsp;

Fernando Alonso will also start the race from the back as he opted to change his engine

Three-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton has received a 30-place grid penalty in this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, a serious knock to his title hopes this season. The 31-year-old Merecedes driver is leading this year's championship by 19 points with nine races to go. The Briton has been given a full engine change grid penalty because he has exhausted all five turbo and MGU-H (motor generator unit-heat) in the earlier races. However, Hamilton seemed calm, saying that he would look to mitigate the damages in this Grand Prix. "Naturally, we've already discussed engine penalties that will come into play, for sure, but I will do everything I can to minimise the impact," he said. "Otherwise, beyond that penalty, that I will eventually take, I think I will be able to continue with the momentum I had before the break." ? feel OK. It is going to be an interesting Sunday," he told BBC. Hamilton's penalty is a knock-on effect from his early season travails when he faced multiple engine failures. His teammate Nico Roseberg admitted to BBC that though the pressure will be on as always, this weekend would be "less difficult" due to Hamilton's penalty. Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso will also start the Belgian Grand Prix from the back as he opted to change his engine. (WION with inputs from BBC)

Belgian GP: Hamilton handed 30-place grid penalty

Nico Rosberg set a scorching pace under pressure today to seize pole position, ahead of Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton, in qualifying for his home German Formula One Grand Prix. 
 
Rosberg, determined to take back the championship lead from Hamilton on Sunday after losing it in last weekend&#39;s race in Hungary, lapped the 4.5-km Hockenheim track in one minute 14.363 seconds. 
 
The German had only one flying lap to set his time, however, after being forced to abandon his first attempt in the final pole-position phase of qualifying due to an electronics problem. 
 
&quot;It was a great feeling and just a great lap,&quot; Rosberg said. &quot;I also had extra fuel to make sure that I do have another shot if a mistake or something happens... so I was really satisfied with that one, that was cool.&quot; 
 
Today&#39;s pole was the 27th of Rosberg&#39;s career and fifth of the season. It was also Mercedes&#39;s 47th in the last 50 races. The German team have started all but one race this year from the front. 
 
Hamilton, who escaped a penalty for an unsafe release in the final practice session, was 0.107 seconds slower than Rosberg. 
 
The Briton had trailed the German in each of the three practice sessions in the build-up to qualifying but was quickest in Sunday&#39;s opening two phases before locking up on his final lap. 
 
&quot;I had the pace today, I just didn&#39;t finish it off in the last lap,&quot; said Hamilton, who leads Rosberg by six points heading into Sunday&#39;s race. 
 
Daniel Ricciardo will head an all-Red Bull second row after going third-fastest ahead of 18-year-old Dutch team mate Max Verstappen. 
 
The Australian, who finished third in Hungary, was 0.363 seconds behind Rosberg&#39;s benchmark but was optimistic that a different tyre strategy to the Mercedes pair could put him in the mix. 
 
Kimi Raikkonen was fifth for Ferrari, beating team mate Sebastian Vettel who was a disappointing sixth on his first appearance on home soil in the Italian team&#39;s scarlet colours. 
 
Nico Hulkenberg was seventh ahead of Williams driver Valtteri Bottas and Force India team mate Sergio Perez. Felipe Massa, in the second Williams, was 10th. 
 
Rosberg won at Hockenheim in 2014 and a repeat would allow him to put the brakes on Hamilton, who has won five of the last six races. 
 
(Reuters)

Saturday's pole was the 27th of Nico Rosberg's career and fifth of the season

Nico Rosberg set a scorching pace under pressure today to seize pole position, ahead of Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton, in qualifying for his home German Formula One Grand Prix. Rosberg, determined to take back the championship lead from Hamilton on Sunday after losing it in last weekend's race in Hungary, lapped the 4.5-km Hockenheim track in one minute 14.363 seconds. The German had only one flying lap to set his time, however, after being forced to abandon his first attempt in the final pole-position phase of qualifying due to an electronics problem. "It was a great feeling and just a great lap," Rosberg said. "I also had extra fuel to make sure that I do have another shot if a mistake or something happens... so I was really satisfied with that one, that was cool." Today's pole was the 27th of Rosberg's career and fifth of the season. It was also Mercedes's 47th in the last 50 races. The German team have started all but one race this year from the front. Hamilton, who escaped a penalty for an unsafe release in the final practice session, was 0.107 seconds slower than Rosberg. The Briton had trailed the German in each of the three practice sessions in the build-up to qualifying but was quickest in Sunday's opening two phases before locking up on his final lap. "I had the pace today, I just didn't finish it off in the last lap," said Hamilton, who leads Rosberg by six points heading into Sunday's race. Daniel Ricciardo will head an all-Red Bull second row after going third-fastest ahead of 18-year-old Dutch team mate Max Verstappen. The Australian, who finished third in Hungary, was 0.363 seconds behind Rosberg's benchmark but was optimistic that a different tyre strategy to the Mercedes pair could put him in the mix. Kimi Raikkonen was fifth for Ferrari, beating team mate Sebastian Vettel who was a disappointing sixth on his first appearance on home soil in the Italian team's scarlet colours. Nico Hulkenberg was seventh ahead of Williams driver Valtteri Bottas and Force India team mate Sergio Perez. Felipe Massa, in the second Williams, was 10th. Rosberg won at Hockenheim in 2014 and a repeat would allow him to put the brakes on Hamilton, who has won five of the last six races. (Reuters)

Rosberg on pole for home German grand prix

Defending champion Lewis Hamilton produced a trademark triumph of pace and panache to win Sunday&#39;s Hungarian Grand Prix ahead of his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg and replace him as leader of this year&#39;s world title race. 
 
Hamilton outpaced Rosberg at the start and then controlled the 70 laps with a mixture of speed and flawless judgement in sweltering heat at the Hungaroring circuit. 
 
His victory completed a hat-trick of successes in consecutive races, was his outright record fifth in Hungary, his fifth of the season and the 48th of his career.&nbsp; 
 
Rosberg, who started from pole position, came home second ahead of Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull, four-time champion Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari and Dutch teenager Max Verstappen in the second Red Bull. 
 
Kimi Raikkonen was sixth in the second Ferrari ahead of two-time champion Fernando Alonso of McLaren and Carlos Sainz of Toro Rosso, Valtteri Bottas of Williams and Nico Hulkenberg who was 10th for Force India. 
 
Hamilton&#39;s win increased his points total to 192, six more than Rosberg as Ricciardo moved up to third. 
 
&quot;Awesome race Lewis, mega result,&quot; said his Mercedes engineer on team radio. &quot;Well done mate. Fantastic drive.&quot; 
 
Hamilton responded generously. &quot;As always, thank you guys, so much, for your hard work all weekend. This is a great result for the team,&quot; he said. 
 
(AFP)&nbsp; 
 
&nbsp;

His victory completed a hat-trick of successes in consecutive races, was his outright record fifth in Hungary and the 48th of his career

Defending champion Lewis Hamilton produced a trademark triumph of pace and panache to win Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix ahead of his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg and replace him as leader of this year's world title race. Hamilton outpaced Rosberg at the start and then controlled the 70 laps with a mixture of speed and flawless judgement in sweltering heat at the Hungaroring circuit. His victory completed a hat-trick of successes in consecutive races, was his outright record fifth in Hungary, his fifth of the season and the 48th of his career. Rosberg, who started from pole position, came home second ahead of Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull, four-time champion Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari and Dutch teenager Max Verstappen in the second Red Bull. Kimi Raikkonen was sixth in the second Ferrari ahead of two-time champion Fernando Alonso of McLaren and Carlos Sainz of Toro Rosso, Valtteri Bottas of Williams and Nico Hulkenberg who was 10th for Force India. Hamilton's win increased his points total to 192, six more than Rosberg as Ricciardo moved up to third. "Awesome race Lewis, mega result," said his Mercedes engineer on team radio. "Well done mate. Fantastic drive." Hamilton responded generously. "As always, thank you guys, so much, for your hard work all weekend. This is a great result for the team," he said. (AFP)

Hamilton claims record-breaking fifth Hungarian Grand Prix win

Formula One championship leader Nico Rosberg has signed a new contract that will keep him at Mercedes with Lewis Hamilton until the end of the 2018 season, the team said today. 
 
The team tweeted video of the 31-year-old German, runner up to Briton Hamilton in the championship for the last two years, signing the contract to race for the team in the 2017 and 2018 seasons. 
 
&quot;We are delighted to announce that the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team has signed a two-year contract extension with Nico Rosberg for the 2017 and 2018 Formula One seasons,&quot; Mercedes later confirmed in a statement. 
 
&quot;Nico has been a core member of the Silver Arrows since the team returned to the sport in 2010 and has played a crucial role in the team&#39;s success in that time.&quot; 
 
Rosberg joined Mercedes from Williams in 2010 and has won 19 grand prix for the team, including five this year. He has helped Mercedes to the manufacturers title for the last two seasons.&nbsp;Three-times Formula One champion Hamilton signed a three-year deal with the team through to the end of the 2018 season in May last year.&nbsp;Rosberg holds a one-point lead over Hamilton in the drivers standings heading into this weekend&#39;s Hungarian Grand Prix, down from an imposing 43 points in May. 
 
The pair have exasperated team bosses with their on-track rivalry at times this season, particularly after they collided on the last lap of the Austrian Grand Prix with the result that Rosberg finished fourth in a damaged car.&nbsp;The team said before the British Grand Prix earlier this month, however, that they would not impose &quot;team orders&quot; on their drivers. 
 
(Reuters)

Rosberg joined Mercedes from Williams in 2010 and has won 19 grands prix for the team, including five this year

Formula One championship leader Nico Rosberg has signed a new contract that will keep him at Mercedes with Lewis Hamilton until the end of the 2018 season, the team said today. The team tweeted video of the 31-year-old German, runner up to Briton Hamilton in the championship for the last two years, signing the contract to race for the team in the 2017 and 2018 seasons. "We are delighted to announce that the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team has signed a two-year contract extension with Nico Rosberg for the 2017 and 2018 Formula One seasons," Mercedes later confirmed in a statement. "Nico has been a core member of the Silver Arrows since the team returned to the sport in 2010 and has played a crucial role in the team's success in that time." Rosberg joined Mercedes from Williams in 2010 and has won 19 grand prix for the team, including five this year. He has helped Mercedes to the manufacturers title for the last two seasons. Three-times Formula One champion Hamilton signed a three-year deal with the team through to the end of the 2018 season in May last year. Rosberg holds a one-point lead over Hamilton in the drivers standings heading into this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix, down from an imposing 43 points in May. The pair have exasperated team bosses with their on-track rivalry at times this season, particularly after they collided on the last lap of the Austrian Grand Prix with the result that Rosberg finished fourth in a damaged car. The team said before the British Grand Prix earlier this month, however, that they would not impose "team orders" on their drivers. (Reuters)

Nico Rosberg signs deal to stay at Mercedes until 2018

Championship leader Nico Rosberg on Friday signed a new two year deal with Mercedes, the contract extending his fractious relationship with teammate Lewis Hamilton until 2018. 
 
The Formula One world champions posted a video of Rosberg and Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff signing the new contract with the caption &quot;It is done...&quot; on their official Twitter page. 
 
In it, Rosberg clenched his fist and gave a thumbs-up sign. 
 
Another post, a photograph of the contract, was accompanied by the message: &quot;signed, sealed, delivered&quot;. 
 
Rosberg leads defending three-time champion Hamilton, who is also under contract with Mercedes until 2018, by one point ahead of Sunday&#39;s Hungarian Grand Prix. 
 
Rosberg and Mercedes had been in discussions about a new contract for several months and the driver had recruited former Formula One driver Austrian Gerhard Berger to represent him, allowing him to concentrate on his own racing. 
 
&quot;Nico has been a core member of the Silver Arrows since the team returned to the sport in 2010 and has played a crucial role in the team&#39;s success in that time,&quot; said a team statement. 
 
Rosberg has won 19 races with the team since he joined in 2010. 
 
Mercedes&#39; confirmation of Rosberg signals that all three leading teams, including Ferrari and Red Bull, have retained their drivers for next year. 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

Nico Rosberg leads defending three-time champion and Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton by one point ahead of Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix

Championship leader Nico Rosberg on Friday signed a new two year deal with Mercedes, the contract extending his fractious relationship with teammate Lewis Hamilton until 2018. The Formula One world champions posted a video of Rosberg and Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff signing the new contract with the caption "It is done..." on their official Twitter page. In it, Rosberg clenched his fist and gave a thumbs-up sign. Another post, a photograph of the contract, was accompanied by the message: "signed, sealed, delivered". Rosberg leads defending three-time champion Hamilton, who is also under contract with Mercedes until 2018, by one point ahead of Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix. Rosberg and Mercedes had been in discussions about a new contract for several months and the driver had recruited former Formula One driver Austrian Gerhard Berger to represent him, allowing him to concentrate on his own racing. "Nico has been a core member of the Silver Arrows since the team returned to the sport in 2010 and has played a crucial role in the team's success in that time," said a team statement. Rosberg has won 19 races with the team since he joined in 2010. Mercedes' confirmation of Rosberg signals that all three leading teams, including Ferrari and Red Bull, have retained their drivers for next year. (AFP)

Nico Rosberg signs new two-year deal with Mercedes

Former world champion Sebastian Vettel has slammed Formula One&#39;s decision to tighten radio rules, saying that drivers and teams should be free to say whatever they want to each other during a race. 
 
&quot;All the radio issues we&#39;ve had, I think it&#39;s a joke,&quot; the Ferrari driver told reporters on Thursday during preparations for this weekend&#39;s Hungarian Grand Prix. 
 
The governing International Automobile Federation&#39;s (FIA) Formula One race director Charlie Whiting issued a &quot;technical directive&quot; to teams on Wednesday to clarify what they are allowed to tell their drivers over the radio. 
 
According to the document, seen by Reuters, teams can inform a driver about concerns with their vehicle but &quot;any message of this sort must include an irreversible instruction to enter the pits to rectify the problem or to retire the car&quot;. 
 
The fresh directive also underlined that the radio restrictions will not apply if a car is in the pitlane, whereas earlier they kicked in as soon as the vehicle left the garage. 
 
The clarification came after Nico Rosberg, who had help from Mercedes in getting around gearbox gremlins at this month&#39;s British Grand Prix, was found to be in breach of the rule barring teams from giving drivers assistance over the radio. 
 
A week earlier Force India&#39;s Sergio Perez crashed out on the last lap of the Austrian Grand Prix with brake problems because the team felt the rules prevented them from informing the Mexican of the issue. 
 
German Vettel, 29, said curbing radio transmissions was the wrong way to go, given the technological complexity of modern-day cars, and called for the restrictions to be lifted. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s not our mistake, as in the drivers, that the cars are so complicated these days that they need a big manual and a steering wheel full of buttons to operate it,&quot; the four-times world champion said. 
 
Triple world champion Lewis Hamilton, however, brushed off the change, saying it &quot;doesn&rsquo;t make any difference to me&quot; while team-mate Rosberg said he did not have an opinion on it. 
 
(Reuters)

Sebastian Vettel said curbing radio transmissions was the wrong way to go and called for the restrictions to be lifted

Former world champion Sebastian Vettel has slammed Formula One's decision to tighten radio rules, saying that drivers and teams should be free to say whatever they want to each other during a race. "All the radio issues we've had, I think it's a joke," the Ferrari driver told reporters on Thursday during preparations for this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix. The governing International Automobile Federation's (FIA) Formula One race director Charlie Whiting issued a "technical directive" to teams on Wednesday to clarify what they are allowed to tell their drivers over the radio. According to the document, seen by Reuters, teams can inform a driver about concerns with their vehicle but "any message of this sort must include an irreversible instruction to enter the pits to rectify the problem or to retire the car". The fresh directive also underlined that the radio restrictions will not apply if a car is in the pitlane, whereas earlier they kicked in as soon as the vehicle left the garage. The clarification came after Nico Rosberg, who had help from Mercedes in getting around gearbox gremlins at this month's British Grand Prix, was found to be in breach of the rule barring teams from giving drivers assistance over the radio. A week earlier Force India's Sergio Perez crashed out on the last lap of the Austrian Grand Prix with brake problems because the team felt the rules prevented them from informing the Mexican of the issue. German Vettel, 29, said curbing radio transmissions was the wrong way to go, given the technological complexity of modern-day cars, and called for the restrictions to be lifted. "It's not our mistake, as in the drivers, that the cars are so complicated these days that they need a big manual and a steering wheel full of buttons to operate it," the four-times world champion said. Triple world champion Lewis Hamilton, however, brushed off the change, saying it "doesn’t make any difference to me" while team-mate Rosberg said he did not have an opinion on it. (Reuters)

Vettel slams radio rules as 'joke'

Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton was fastest in final British Grand Prix practice today, completing a sweep of the three sessions with Mercedes team mate and title rival Nico Rosberg second. 
 
While Mercedes were again dominant, Ferrari&#39;s Sebastian Vettel had a bad start to a damp day when he told the team over the radio after his final lap: &quot;I think we failed another gearbox&quot;. 
 
Vettel picked up a five-place grid penalty in Austria last weekend for an unscheduled gearbox change. 
 
Hamilton lapped with a best time of one minute 30.904 seconds, 0.063 quicker than Rosberg who missed all of Friday&#39;s second practice, on the soft tyres. 
 
Australian Daniel Ricciardo was third fastest for Red Bull but more than half a second off Hamilton&#39;s pace. 
 
Dutch team mate Max Verstappen, winner in Spain and second in Austria, was fourth with Vettel fifth and 1.145 slower than the leading Mercedes. 
 
The session was halted to retrieve debris and fix barriers after Marcus Ericsson crashed his Sauber heavily at the exit to Stowe with 20 minutes remaining. 
 
The Swede got out of the badly damaged car without assistance, and did not appear hurt in the accident, but Sauber said he was going to a hospital for routine check-ups. 
 
Rosberg leads Hamilton by 11 points going into Sunday&#39;s race, the 10th of 21 on the calendar. 
 
Hamilton is chasing his third successive win at Silverstone and fourth of his career. 
 
The two Mercedes drivers are under strict instructions to race cleanly after colliding on the last lap in Austria, their third coming together in five races. 
 
(Reuters)

'I think we failed another gearbox', said Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel to his team over the radio after his final lap

Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton was fastest in final British Grand Prix practice today, completing a sweep of the three sessions with Mercedes team mate and title rival Nico Rosberg second. While Mercedes were again dominant, Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel had a bad start to a damp day when he told the team over the radio after his final lap: "I think we failed another gearbox". Vettel picked up a five-place grid penalty in Austria last weekend for an unscheduled gearbox change. Hamilton lapped with a best time of one minute 30.904 seconds, 0.063 quicker than Rosberg who missed all of Friday's second practice, on the soft tyres. Australian Daniel Ricciardo was third fastest for Red Bull but more than half a second off Hamilton's pace. Dutch team mate Max Verstappen, winner in Spain and second in Austria, was fourth with Vettel fifth and 1.145 slower than the leading Mercedes. The session was halted to retrieve debris and fix barriers after Marcus Ericsson crashed his Sauber heavily at the exit to Stowe with 20 minutes remaining. The Swede got out of the badly damaged car without assistance, and did not appear hurt in the accident, but Sauber said he was going to a hospital for routine check-ups. Rosberg leads Hamilton by 11 points going into Sunday's race, the 10th of 21 on the calendar. Hamilton is chasing his third successive win at Silverstone and fourth of his career. The two Mercedes drivers are under strict instructions to race cleanly after colliding on the last lap in Austria, their third coming together in five races. (Reuters)

Hamilton on top, Vettel raises gearbox fear

Lewis Hamilton was booed on the podium after a last-lap collision with Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg handed the triple Formula One world champion a dramatic first Austrian Grand Prix victory today. 
 
Championship leader Rosberg, who had been in front with Hamilton in his slipstream, nursed his damaged car over the line for fourth place with his advantage cut to 11 points after nine of 21 rounds. 
 
&quot;I am gutted, it&rsquo;s unbelievable,&quot; said the German, accusing Hamilton of turning in and causing the accident that broke his front wing. 
 
Hamilton disagreed. 
 
&quot;I was on the outside, it wasn&#39;t me that had the crash,&quot; said the Briton, who now has three wins to Rosberg&#39;s five this season, over the team radio. 
 
The stewards appeared to back that up by opening an investigation into Rosberg&#39;s actions. 
 
The German was summoned to answer charges of causing a collision and failing to stop with a seriously damaged car. 
 
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff described the collision as &quot;brainless&quot;, without singling out either of his drivers for blame. 
 
The team revealed Rosberg had suffered a problem with his brake-by-wire system which went into &quot;passive mode&quot; at the end of the penultimate lap as Hamilton closed in. 
 
The crowd, small in comparison to the previous two years with rows of empty seats in the grandstands, made their disapproval evident with whistles and boos as Hamilton was interviewed on the podium. 
 
&quot;That&#39;s not my problem, it&#39;s their problem,&quot; the surprised Briton, who started on pole, shrugged when asked about the noise. 
 
&quot;I left a lot of room on the inside and I guess he locked up and crashed into me. I think he had a problem with his brakes potentially. I&#39;m here to win. That&#39;s all.&quot; 
 
Dutch teenager Max Verstappen finished second for Red Bull at their home track with Ferrari&#39;s Kimi Raikkonen third after teammate Sebastian Vettel crashed out on his 29th birthday when a rear tyre exploded. 
 
Hamilton&#39;s victory was the 250th in Formula One by a British driver since the championship started in 1950 and the 46th of his career. 
 
Australian Daniel Ricciardo was fifth for Red Bull with Britain&#39;s Jenson Button sixth for McLaren. 
 
Frenchman Romain Grosjean was seventh in a Haas ahead of Spaniard Carlos Sainz in a Toro Rosso and Finland&#39;s Valtteri Bottas for Williams. 
 
German rookie Pascal Wehrlein scored his first point in Formula One, and his Manor team&#39;s first of the season, with a remarkable 10th. 
 
(Reuters)

Nico Rosberg was summoned to answer charges of causing a collision and failing to stop with a seriously damaged car

Lewis Hamilton was booed on the podium after a last-lap collision with Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg handed the triple Formula One world champion a dramatic first Austrian Grand Prix victory today. Championship leader Rosberg, who had been in front with Hamilton in his slipstream, nursed his damaged car over the line for fourth place with his advantage cut to 11 points after nine of 21 rounds. "I am gutted, it’s unbelievable," said the German, accusing Hamilton of turning in and causing the accident that broke his front wing. Hamilton disagreed. "I was on the outside, it wasn't me that had the crash," said the Briton, who now has three wins to Rosberg's five this season, over the team radio. The stewards appeared to back that up by opening an investigation into Rosberg's actions. The German was summoned to answer charges of causing a collision and failing to stop with a seriously damaged car. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff described the collision as "brainless", without singling out either of his drivers for blame. The team revealed Rosberg had suffered a problem with his brake-by-wire system which went into "passive mode" at the end of the penultimate lap as Hamilton closed in. The crowd, small in comparison to the previous two years with rows of empty seats in the grandstands, made their disapproval evident with whistles and boos as Hamilton was interviewed on the podium. "That's not my problem, it's their problem," the surprised Briton, who started on pole, shrugged when asked about the noise. "I left a lot of room on the inside and I guess he locked up and crashed into me. I think he had a problem with his brakes potentially. I'm here to win. That's all." Dutch teenager Max Verstappen finished second for Red Bull at their home track with Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen third after teammate Sebastian Vettel crashed out on his 29th birthday when a rear tyre exploded. Hamilton's victory was the 250th in Formula One by a British driver since the championship started in 1950 and the 46th of his career. Australian Daniel Ricciardo was fifth for Red Bull with Britain's Jenson Button sixth for McLaren. Frenchman Romain Grosjean was seventh in a Haas ahead of Spaniard Carlos Sainz in a Toro Rosso and Finland's Valtteri Bottas for Williams. German rookie Pascal Wehrlein scored his first point in Formula One, and his Manor team's first of the season, with a remarkable 10th. (Reuters)

Lewis Hamilton booed after dramatic Austrian victory

Triple world champion Lewis Hamilton completed his domination of practice for Azerbaijan&#39;s first Formula One grand prix with the fastest time in Saturday&#39;s final session before qualifying. 
 
The Mercedes driver, who was fastest in both Friday practices at the Baku street circuit, lapped with a best time of one minute 44.352 seconds late in the session, slower than his best the previous day. 
 
Team mate and championship leader Nico Rosberg was second, with a timing that was 0.258 seconds slower. 
 
Force India&#39;s Nico Hulkenberg, who won the Le Mans 24-hours sportscar race this time last year but is unable to defend the title due to the calendar clash, was best of the rest on the timesheets. 
 
Hamilton was 1.188 seconds clear of Hulkenberg. 
 
The session was halted shortly before the scheduled finish when Hulkenberg&#39;s Mexican team mate Sergio Perez hit the wall at Turn 15, the same spot where Red Bull&#39;s Daniel Ricciardo crashed on Friday. Ricciardo was fourth on Saturday, ahead of Ferrari&#39;s Sebastian Vettel, Perez and the Australian&#39;s 18-year-old Dutch team mate Max Verstappen. 
 
Team workers modified the track overnight, removing kerbs that had lifted in Friday practice and moving the white lines at the pit lane entry. However, there was still a worrying moment when a loose drain cover flipped up in the pitlane after Valtteri Bottas&#39;s Williams passed over it. The car was damaged and returned to the garage while marshals placed a traffic cone in front of the hole. 
 
Some drivers, notably Rosberg and McLaren&#39;s Jenson Button, had complained about the lack of runoff areas and pitlane entry but they got short shrift from commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone. 
 
&quot;If they don&#39;t want to drive, they don&#39;t have to,&quot; said the 85-year-old. &quot;It&#39;s up to them. This is the circuit. If they don&#39;t like it, go home. One of them, I think Nico, was complaining about the speed into the pitlane. So I said to the people &#39;go and have a look and see if he&#39;s got a brake on the car&#39;. It&#39;s up to him how quick he is.&quot; 
(Reuters) 
 
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Has the fastest time on Saturday, and was fastest in both practice sessions on Friday

Triple world champion Lewis Hamilton completed his domination of practice for Azerbaijan's first Formula One grand prix with the fastest time in Saturday's final session before qualifying. The Mercedes driver, who was fastest in both Friday practices at the Baku street circuit, lapped with a best time of one minute 44.352 seconds late in the session, slower than his best the previous day. Team mate and championship leader Nico Rosberg was second, with a timing that was 0.258 seconds slower. Force India's Nico Hulkenberg, who won the Le Mans 24-hours sportscar race this time last year but is unable to defend the title due to the calendar clash, was best of the rest on the timesheets. Hamilton was 1.188 seconds clear of Hulkenberg. The session was halted shortly before the scheduled finish when Hulkenberg's Mexican team mate Sergio Perez hit the wall at Turn 15, the same spot where Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo crashed on Friday. Ricciardo was fourth on Saturday, ahead of Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, Perez and the Australian's 18-year-old Dutch team mate Max Verstappen. Team workers modified the track overnight, removing kerbs that had lifted in Friday practice and moving the white lines at the pit lane entry. However, there was still a worrying moment when a loose drain cover flipped up in the pitlane after Valtteri Bottas's Williams passed over it. The car was damaged and returned to the garage while marshals placed a traffic cone in front of the hole. Some drivers, notably Rosberg and McLaren's Jenson Button, had complained about the lack of runoff areas and pitlane entry but they got short shrift from commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone. "If they don't want to drive, they don't have to," said the 85-year-old. "It's up to them. This is the circuit. If they don't like it, go home. One of them, I think Nico, was complaining about the speed into the pitlane. So I said to the people 'go and have a look and see if he's got a brake on the car'. It's up to him how quick he is." (Reuters)

Hamilton completes practice sweep in Baku

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