Lewis Hamilton denied pole-sitter Max Verstappen to win a gripping Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Verstappen led until lap 66 of 70 when Hamilton took the lead helped by a brilliant pit strategy by his Mercedes team.

This was Hamilton's 81st Grand Prix triumph and it extended his lead in the Formula One drivers' championship.

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BREAKING: Lewis Hamilton wins the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HungarianGP?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HungarianGP</a> 🇭🇺 
 
Max Verstappen started on pole but finishes in P2 
 
Sebastian Vettel takes P3 after overtaking his team mate, Charles Leclerc<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/F1?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#F1</a> <a href="https://t.co/OK7JP6PRJi">pic.twitter.com/OK7JP6PRJi</a>
— Formula 1 (@F1) <a href="https://twitter.com/F1/status/1158027287247433728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Lewis Hamilton denied pole-sitter Max Verstappen to win a gripping Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday. Verstappen led until lap 66 of 70 when Hamilton took the lead helped by a brilliant pit strategy by his Mercedes team.

Lewis Hamilton denied pole-sitter Max Verstappen to win a gripping Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday. Verstappen led until lap 66 of 70 when Hamilton took the lead helped by a brilliant pit strategy by his Mercedes team. This was Hamilton's 81st Grand Prix triumph and it extended his lead in the Formula One drivers' championship. BREAKING: Lewis Hamilton wins the #HungarianGP 🇭🇺 Max Verstappen started on pole but finishes in P2 Sebastian Vettel takes P3 after overtaking his team mate, Charles Leclerc#F1 pic.twitter.com/OK7JP6PRJi — Formula 1 (@F1) August 4, 2019 ×

Lewis Hamilton beats pole-sitter Max Verstappen to win Hungarian Grand Prix

Mick Schumacher, the 20-year-old son of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, on Sunday claimed his first Formula Two victory ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The German driver won the 28-lap 'sprint' race for Prema Racing after starting from pole position in a reverse grid race. He had finished eighth in Saturday’s full-length feature race.

Schumacher, who is a member of Ferrari’s driver academy, finished 1.5 seconds ahead of Honda-backed Nobuharu Matsushita of Carlin. His previous best result was fourth at the Austrian Grand Prix in June.

"Amazing", he said afterwards.&nbsp;

"The car was great and thanks to the team for that. It wasn't easy, but I am just really happy."

Schumacher is in his first season of Formula Two, the main feeder category of racing for Formula One.

Mick Schumacher, the 20-year-old son of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, on Sunday claimed his first Formula Two victory ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Mick Schumacher, the 20-year-old son of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, on Sunday claimed his first Formula Two victory ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. The German driver won the 28-lap 'sprint' race for Prema Racing after starting from pole position in a reverse grid race. He had finished eighth in Saturday’s full-length feature race. Schumacher, who is a member of Ferrari’s driver academy, finished 1.5 seconds ahead of Honda-backed Nobuharu Matsushita of Carlin. His previous best result was fourth at the Austrian Grand Prix in June. "Amazing", he said afterwards. "The car was great and thanks to the team for that. It wasn't easy, but I am just really happy." Schumacher is in his first season of Formula Two, the main feeder category of racing for Formula One.

Mick Schumacher opens Formula 2 account

Max Verstappen celebrated his long-awaited maiden pole position with record-breaking speed on Saturday when he topped the times for Red Bull in a tense and closely-fought qualifying session at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

In doing so, he became the 100th different pole-sitter in Formula One, doing so at the same Hungaroring track where his father Jos had claimed his first podium for Benetton 25 years earlier in 1994.

The 21-year-old Dutchman’s first pole came at his 94th Grand Prix and after he has won seven.

Verstappen’s success sparked rowdy celebrations among his large following of Dutch fans in the open grandstands after he had out-paced the two Mercedes drivers Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton in a breathless finish.

Verstappen’s best lap in one minute and 14.572 seconds was just 0.018 beyond the reach of Bottas with Hamilton a close third – ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel.

Pierre Gasly was sixth in the second Red Bull ahead of British rookie Lando Norris and his resurgent McLaren team-mate Carlos Sainz with Kimi Raikkonen ninth for Alfa Romeo ahead of Romain Grosjean.

"It’s incredible," said Verstappen.

"I am very happy! There’s still a race to do and at the end of the day, it is the most important, but it’s very nice and it is great for all the team."

In pics: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/secrets-of-mind-boggling-pit-stop-timings-in-formula-1-240455">Secrets of mind-boggling pit stop timings in Formula 1</a>

A disappointed Bottas said: "It’s obviously very close with Max. They’ve (Red Bull) been very quick, but as always, there is still the race to come."

Hamilton, who lost time in the first section of his final lap, said: "Max did a great job and so did Valtteri, but we’re in a great position to win – and I am always up for a fight."

The session began in warm conditions with an air temperature of 24 degrees and the track at 45 degrees Celsius, near perfect for a big crowd boosted by visitors from Finland, the Netherlands and Poland.

Orange army

These fans, backing Bottas, Raikkonen, Verstappen and Robert Kubica, who made his F1 debut in 2006 at the sprawling and sun-drenched basin 25-kilometres north-east of Budapest that houses the Hungaroring track, added colour and noise.

More than 30,000 Poles were reported to have travelled while another ‘orange army’ rooted for Verstappen whose consistency had made him this season’s form driver.

The 21-year-old Red Bull tyro, linked with a possible move to Mercedes or Ferrari in the escalation of ‘silly season’ speculation, demonstrated his current elan when he went top in Q1 by smashing the track record, set by Hamilton in the morning, with a lap in 1:15.817.

That put him top with Bottas and then Hamilton soon up to second ahead of Leclerc who spun heavily and backwards into the barriers at the final corner, damaging his Ferrari.

This left the Monegasque’s pit crew with work to do before Q2 as out went George Russell of Williams, despite a thrilling lap that lifted him to 16th, Sergio Perez and his Racing Point team-mate Lance Stroll, who sandwiched Daniel Ricciardo of Renault, and Kubica in the second Williams.

In Q2 Hamilton was faster again, setting another record in 1:15.548. Bottas was one-tenth down in second until Verstappen went second, 0.025 adrift, setting up the prospect of the young pretender starting on the front row again, alongside the old master.

Hamilton was out first for Q3 ahead of Raikkonen and Bottas, to the delight of the white-shirted fans from Finland.

Hamilton clocked another record only for the Finns to erupt as Bottas took command before Verstappen went inside 1:15 with his lap in 1:14.958 – an unprecedented benchmark.

This double whammy left Hamilton third before the final runs with Vettel fourth ahead of Leclerc. The momentum was moving and ‘people power’ appeared to play its part, not to mention a 13 year age gap, as an inspired Verstappen seized his moment

Max Verstappen celebrated his long-awaited maiden pole position with record-breaking speed on Saturday when he topped the times for Red Bull in a tense and closely-fought qualifying session at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen celebrated his long-awaited maiden pole position with record-breaking speed on Saturday when he topped the times for Red Bull in a tense and closely-fought qualifying session at the Hungarian Grand Prix. In doing so, he became the 100th different pole-sitter in Formula One, doing so at the same Hungaroring track where his father Jos had claimed his first podium for Benetton 25 years earlier in 1994. The 21-year-old Dutchman’s first pole came at his 94th Grand Prix and after he has won seven. Verstappen’s success sparked rowdy celebrations among his large following of Dutch fans in the open grandstands after he had out-paced the two Mercedes drivers Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton in a breathless finish. Verstappen’s best lap in one minute and 14.572 seconds was just 0.018 beyond the reach of Bottas with Hamilton a close third – ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel. Pierre Gasly was sixth in the second Red Bull ahead of British rookie Lando Norris and his resurgent McLaren team-mate Carlos Sainz with Kimi Raikkonen ninth for Alfa Romeo ahead of Romain Grosjean. "It’s incredible," said Verstappen. "I am very happy! There’s still a race to do and at the end of the day, it is the most important, but it’s very nice and it is great for all the team." In pics: Secrets of mind-boggling pit stop timings in Formula 1 A disappointed Bottas said: "It’s obviously very close with Max. They’ve (Red Bull) been very quick, but as always, there is still the race to come." Hamilton, who lost time in the first section of his final lap, said: "Max did a great job and so did Valtteri, but we’re in a great position to win – and I am always up for a fight." The session began in warm conditions with an air temperature of 24 degrees and the track at 45 degrees Celsius, near perfect for a big crowd boosted by visitors from Finland, the Netherlands and Poland. Orange army These fans, backing Bottas, Raikkonen, Verstappen and Robert Kubica, who made his F1 debut in 2006 at the sprawling and sun-drenched basin 25-kilometres north-east of Budapest that houses the Hungaroring track, added colour and noise. More than 30,000 Poles were reported to have travelled while another ‘orange army’ rooted for Verstappen whose consistency had made him this season’s form driver. The 21-year-old Red Bull tyro, linked with a possible move to Mercedes or Ferrari in the escalation of ‘silly season’ speculation, demonstrated his current elan when he went top in Q1 by smashing the track record, set by Hamilton in the morning, with a lap in 1:15.817. That put him top with Bottas and then Hamilton soon up to second ahead of Leclerc who spun heavily and backwards into the barriers at the final corner, damaging his Ferrari. This left the Monegasque’s pit crew with work to do before Q2 as out went George Russell of Williams, despite a thrilling lap that lifted him to 16th, Sergio Perez and his Racing Point team-mate Lance Stroll, who sandwiched Daniel Ricciardo of Renault, and Kubica in the second Williams. In Q2 Hamilton was faster again, setting another record in 1:15.548. Bottas was one-tenth down in second until Verstappen went second, 0.025 adrift, setting up the prospect of the young pretender starting on the front row again, alongside the old master. Hamilton was out first for Q3 ahead of Raikkonen and Bottas, to the delight of the white-shirted fans from Finland. Hamilton clocked another record only for the Finns to erupt as Bottas took command before Verstappen went inside 1:15 with his lap in 1:14.958 – an unprecedented benchmark. This double whammy left Hamilton third before the final runs with Vettel fourth ahead of Leclerc. The momentum was moving and ‘people power’ appeared to play its part, not to mention a 13 year age gap, as an inspired Verstappen seized his moment

Hungarian Grand Prix: Max Verstappen celebrates 'incredible' record-breaking maiden pole

Secrets of mind-boggling pit stop timings in Formula 1

Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton set a track record in final practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday with Red Bull's Max Verstappen looking the Mercedes driver's closest rival for qualifying.

Hamilton went top of the timing screens right at the end of a session that was shortened by 10 minutes to allow track workers time to clear oil dumped earlier by a blown Formula Two engine.

The Briton's time of one minute 16.084 was 0.013 quicker than Verstappen's best.

Three different teams filled the top three places, separated by just 0.082 seconds with Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel third.

Valtteri Bottas was fourth fastest for Mercedes, ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Red Bull's Pierre Gasly in sixth with clouds of white cement dust billowing up as cars went over the repairs.

McLaren's Lando Norris was best of the rest, 0.690 slower than Hamilton on a cloudy afternoon with a 60% chance of rain forecast for qualifying at the Hungaroring outside Budapest.

Five times champion Hamilton won from pole position last year and, 41 points clear of Bottas after 11 races, is chasing his eighth victory of the season.

Verstappen is the form driver, however, with two wins in the last three races even if the 21-year-old Dutchman has yet to start from pole position.

Poland's Robert Kubica, with plenty of support from his compatriots, was the slowest man on track but his Williams team mate George Russell was 18th and ahead of Racing Point's Lance Stroll.

Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton set a track record in final practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday with Red Bull's Max Verstappen looking the Mercedes driver's closest rival for qualifying.

Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton set a track record in final practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday with Red Bull's Max Verstappen looking the Mercedes driver's closest rival for qualifying. Hamilton went top of the timing screens right at the end of a session that was shortened by 10 minutes to allow track workers time to clear oil dumped earlier by a blown Formula Two engine. The Briton's time of one minute 16.084 was 0.013 quicker than Verstappen's best. Three different teams filled the top three places, separated by just 0.082 seconds with Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel third. Valtteri Bottas was fourth fastest for Mercedes, ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Red Bull's Pierre Gasly in sixth with clouds of white cement dust billowing up as cars went over the repairs. McLaren's Lando Norris was best of the rest, 0.690 slower than Hamilton on a cloudy afternoon with a 60% chance of rain forecast for qualifying at the Hungaroring outside Budapest. Five times champion Hamilton won from pole position last year and, 41 points clear of Bottas after 11 races, is chasing his eighth victory of the season. Verstappen is the form driver, however, with two wins in the last three races even if the 21-year-old Dutchman has yet to start from pole position. Poland's Robert Kubica, with plenty of support from his compatriots, was the slowest man on track but his Williams team mate George Russell was 18th and ahead of Racing Point's Lance Stroll.

Lewis Hamilton fastest in final Hungarian practice

Formula One champion <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/rested-lewis-hamilton-hoping-to-be-fighting-fit-for-hungary-240143">Lewis Hamilton</a> set the pace in first Hungarian Grand Prix practice on Friday while a power unit problem forced Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas to sit out the session.

Hamilton had said he could not wait to be back in the car after recovering from a bug that laid him low in Germany last weekend and he wasted no time in getting back up to speed.

The Briton, who has won in Hungary a record six times and has a 41-point lead over Bottas in the standings, lapped the Hungaroring with a best time of one minute 17.233 seconds under cloudy skies.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen was second on the timesheets, 0.165 slower, with Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel occupying the third place and only a thousandth of a second behind the 21-year-old Dutchman.

Verstappen, who spun twice in the session, has won two of the last three races, including the chaotic wet thriller at Hockenheim.

Hamilton is eager to put that race behind him after starting on pole, hitting the barriers, spinning and collecting a time penalty before finishing 11th and then being promoted back to ninth.

The five-times world champion won from pole in Hungary last year.

Verstappen's French team mate Pierre Gasly was fourth fastest, with Kevin Magnussen fifth for Haas and Charles Leclerc sixth for Ferrari.

Bottas was sidelined after two incomplete laps, Mercedes having detected an untraceable problem with his power unit and deciding to swap it out of the car for another in the pool of engines.

The lost track time was another setback for the Finn, who crashed out in Hockenheim just when he looked likely to make inroads into his team mate's championship lead.

Hungary is the last race before Formula One's August break and the 12th of 21 rounds.

Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton set the pace in first Hungarian Grand Prix practice on Friday while a power unit problem forced Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas to sit out the session.

Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton set the pace in first Hungarian Grand Prix practice on Friday while a power unit problem forced Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas to sit out the session. Hamilton had said he could not wait to be back in the car after recovering from a bug that laid him low in Germany last weekend and he wasted no time in getting back up to speed. The Briton, who has won in Hungary a record six times and has a 41-point lead over Bottas in the standings, lapped the Hungaroring with a best time of one minute 17.233 seconds under cloudy skies. Red Bull's Max Verstappen was second on the timesheets, 0.165 slower, with Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel occupying the third place and only a thousandth of a second behind the 21-year-old Dutchman. Verstappen, who spun twice in the session, has won two of the last three races, including the chaotic wet thriller at Hockenheim. Hamilton is eager to put that race behind him after starting on pole, hitting the barriers, spinning and collecting a time penalty before finishing 11th and then being promoted back to ninth. The five-times world champion won from pole in Hungary last year. Verstappen's French team mate Pierre Gasly was fourth fastest, with Kevin Magnussen fifth for Haas and Charles Leclerc sixth for Ferrari. Bottas was sidelined after two incomplete laps, Mercedes having detected an untraceable problem with his power unit and deciding to swap it out of the car for another in the pool of engines. The lost track time was another setback for the Finn, who crashed out in Hockenheim just when he looked likely to make inroads into his team mate's championship lead. Hungary is the last race before Formula One's August break and the 12th of 21 rounds.

Lewis Hamilton first, Valtteri Bottas last in Hungarian GP practice

Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton hopes to be fully fit for Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix after being laid low by a bug in Germany last weekend and then taking to his sickbed.

The Mercedes driver won from pole position last year at the Hungaroring, a track he has triumphed on a record six times in total.

The five-times world champion finished only 11th at Hockenheim, however, before being promoted to ninth after the Alfa Romeo drivers were demoted for clutch-related irregularities.

"I’ve slept literally the last three days. So I feel a lot better," he told reporters at a hot and sunny Hungaroring on Thursday.

"I’m hoping to be 100% by the weekend. I still feel I need a bit more rest. I’ve just been fighting off some sort of bug," the Briton added.

"I definitely feel I am in a much, much better-fighting shape for the weekend, so I can’t tell you how good that feels. I’m looking forward to getting back in the car, which is completely different to how I was feeling.

"Last Friday, getting in the car was not such a good feeling."

The rain-hit German Grand Prix weekend was a comedy of errors for Hamilton and Mercedes, even if neither found anything remotely amusing about it.

Hamilton started on pole, hit the barriers, made a chaotic pitstop and also spun.

At one point he suggested over the radio that the team should retire him -- something he ascribed on Thursday to purely wanting to save laps on the engine, with only three allowed all season, rather than giving up.

Asked to sum up the weekend in three words, Hamilton -- looking and sounding relaxed -- replied with a grin: "I'd rather not."

"I’m focused on this weekend now. I don’t have any negative feelings or carrying weight from that weekend," he added. "I’ll just try and focus 100% on this weekend. I don’t plan on looking back.

"It was just a bad day. It’s something I’m conscious of. It was just a difficult weekend and these things happen."

Thanks to the post-race stewards' decisions, Hamilton arrived in Hungary with a 41-point lead over Finnish team mate Valtteri Bottas.

Another win will see him go into the August break with at least a 48-point advantage -- double the lead he enjoyed over Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel at the same point last year.

"I think the weather’s similar to the last time here so I’m definitely hopeful the car will be better this weekend," said Hamilton.

Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton hopes to be fully fit for Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix after being laid low by a bug in Germany last weekend and then taking to his sickbed.

Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton hopes to be fully fit for Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix after being laid low by a bug in Germany last weekend and then taking to his sickbed. The Mercedes driver won from pole position last year at the Hungaroring, a track he has triumphed on a record six times in total. The five-times world champion finished only 11th at Hockenheim, however, before being promoted to ninth after the Alfa Romeo drivers were demoted for clutch-related irregularities. "I’ve slept literally the last three days. So I feel a lot better," he told reporters at a hot and sunny Hungaroring on Thursday. "I’m hoping to be 100% by the weekend. I still feel I need a bit more rest. I’ve just been fighting off some sort of bug," the Briton added. "I definitely feel I am in a much, much better-fighting shape for the weekend, so I can’t tell you how good that feels. I’m looking forward to getting back in the car, which is completely different to how I was feeling. "Last Friday, getting in the car was not such a good feeling." The rain-hit German Grand Prix weekend was a comedy of errors for Hamilton and Mercedes, even if neither found anything remotely amusing about it. Hamilton started on pole, hit the barriers, made a chaotic pitstop and also spun. At one point he suggested over the radio that the team should retire him -- something he ascribed on Thursday to purely wanting to save laps on the engine, with only three allowed all season, rather than giving up. Asked to sum up the weekend in three words, Hamilton -- looking and sounding relaxed -- replied with a grin: "I'd rather not." "I’m focused on this weekend now. I don’t have any negative feelings or carrying weight from that weekend," he added. "I’ll just try and focus 100% on this weekend. I don’t plan on looking back. "It was just a bad day. It’s something I’m conscious of. It was just a difficult weekend and these things happen." Thanks to the post-race stewards' decisions, Hamilton arrived in Hungary with a 41-point lead over Finnish team mate Valtteri Bottas. Another win will see him go into the August break with at least a 48-point advantage -- double the lead he enjoyed over Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel at the same point last year. "I think the weather’s similar to the last time here so I’m definitely hopeful the car will be better this weekend," said Hamilton.

Rested Lewis Hamilton hoping to be fighting fit for Hungary

Major takeaways from epic, rain-lashed and wildly-spectacular German GP

Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff was critical of his team's preparations and reactions on Sunday after both drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas crashed out of contention in a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/red-bulls-max-verstappen-wins-chaotic-german-grand-prix-239045">chaotic rain-hit German Grand Prix</a>.

Wolff, wearing braces and 'baggies' as part of champions Mercedes' decision to revert to 'retro' 1950s outfits in celebration of 125 years of motorsport, said the team was not prepared and made the "wrong calls".

The Austrian team boss seemed frustrated and angry that the team were distracted from their jobs by a need to dress in old overalls and flat caps.

Dutchman Max Verstappen claimed his second victory of the season for Red Bull, making five pit-stops on the way, to finish ahead of Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari and Daniil Kvyat of Toro Rosso.

In pics:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/major-takeaways-from-epic-rain-lashed-and-wildly-spectacular-german-gp-239075">Major takeaways from epic, rain-lashed and wildly-spectacular German GP</a>

Defending five-time champion Hamilton, who had been feeling poorly with a sore throat, finished 11th after two mistakes and six pit-stops while Bottas crashed out in the closing laps.

It was the team's 200th Formula One race start as a constructor, another cause for their celebrations in advance at their home race where their parent company was the event's main sponsor.

"Many drivers crashed," said Wolff. "Overall, for us, it was a bad day and, for the drivers, it was a bad day, it cannot go much worse.

"This shows that you shouldn't fool around with the staff. You should concentrate on the job. We are not superstitious, but we believe in karma and it's a day to learn."

He added: "I think we had a decent start with good pace. Then you had incidents, crashing out in tricky conditions, the wrong calls."

Asked about Hamilton's crash and pit-stop, he said: "It was unfortunate, crashing right at the entry of the pit lane.&nbsp; You are not prepared. We made the wrong calls afterwards -- it was all coming together.

"Many others made the same mistake. Leclerc crashed and many others crashed."

Hamilton finished outside the points for the first time in 23 outings for Mercedes.

He said: "It was my worst day in the office for a long, long time. You live and you learn. I don't know what happened today, but I'm glad its over and there are more races ahead so we can focus on regrouping and coming back strong."

He accepted his share of the blame for the team’s worst result since Hamilton and Nico Rosberg collided on the first lap of the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, when Verstappen won on his debut with Red Bull.&nbsp;

"Me hitting the wall not helpful and them putting on the slick tyres not helpful either," he said.

Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff was critical of his team's preparations and reactions on Sunday after both drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas crashed out of contention in a chaotic rain-hit German Grand Prix.

Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff was critical of his team's preparations and reactions on Sunday after both drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas crashed out of contention in a chaotic rain-hit German Grand Prix. Wolff, wearing braces and 'baggies' as part of champions Mercedes' decision to revert to 'retro' 1950s outfits in celebration of 125 years of motorsport, said the team was not prepared and made the "wrong calls". The Austrian team boss seemed frustrated and angry that the team were distracted from their jobs by a need to dress in old overalls and flat caps. Dutchman Max Verstappen claimed his second victory of the season for Red Bull, making five pit-stops on the way, to finish ahead of Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari and Daniil Kvyat of Toro Rosso. In pics: Major takeaways from epic, rain-lashed and wildly-spectacular German GP Defending five-time champion Hamilton, who had been feeling poorly with a sore throat, finished 11th after two mistakes and six pit-stops while Bottas crashed out in the closing laps. It was the team's 200th Formula One race start as a constructor, another cause for their celebrations in advance at their home race where their parent company was the event's main sponsor. "Many drivers crashed," said Wolff. "Overall, for us, it was a bad day and, for the drivers, it was a bad day, it cannot go much worse. "This shows that you shouldn't fool around with the staff. You should concentrate on the job. We are not superstitious, but we believe in karma and it's a day to learn." He added: "I think we had a decent start with good pace. Then you had incidents, crashing out in tricky conditions, the wrong calls." Asked about Hamilton's crash and pit-stop, he said: "It was unfortunate, crashing right at the entry of the pit lane. You are not prepared. We made the wrong calls afterwards -- it was all coming together. "Many others made the same mistake. Leclerc crashed and many others crashed." Hamilton finished outside the points for the first time in 23 outings for Mercedes. He said: "It was my worst day in the office for a long, long time. You live and you learn. I don't know what happened today, but I'm glad its over and there are more races ahead so we can focus on regrouping and coming back strong." He accepted his share of the blame for the team’s worst result since Hamilton and Nico Rosberg collided on the first lap of the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, when Verstappen won on his debut with Red Bull. "Me hitting the wall not helpful and them putting on the slick tyres not helpful either," he said.

'It was karma': Mercedes boss rages after German GP flop

Max Verstappen took full advantage of his rivals' calamities on Sunday to win an epic, rain-lashed and wildly-spectacular German Grand Prix for Red Bull ahead of Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari.

The 21-year-old Dutchman secured his second win of the season and seventh of his career, finishing ahead of four-time world champion Vettel, who had started 20th and last on the grid.

New dad Daniil Kvyat of Toro Rosso was third as he secured only his third Formula One podium.

The race was a disaster for champions Mercedes who were celebrating their 200th Formula One start of the modern era and 125 years of motorsport, both defending five-time champion Lewis Hamilton and his team-mate Valtteri Bottas crashed and failed to score any points.

Hamilton eventually finished 11th after making six pit-stops as he missed out on a points finish for the first time in 23 races while Verstappen continued his rich streak of consistency.

Lance Stroll of Racing Point came home fourth to deliver his team's best finish ahead of Carlos Sainz of McLaren, Alex Albon of Toro Rosso and Kimi Raikkonen of Alfa Romeo.

Romain Grosjean was eighth for Haas ahead of Antionio Giovinazzi of Alfa Romeo and Kevin Magnussen who was 10th for Haas.

"It was amazing, but really tricky out there," said Verstappen, who made four pit-stops and survived a complete 360-degrees spin.&nbsp;

"To make the right calls, you had to be focussed. We put on the slick tyres and we had a 360! But it was alright."

Vettel, for whom the result brought redemption after he had crashed out while leading in heavy rain last year, said: "It was a long race and at some stages if felt like it was never-ending. I am just very happy."

Kvyat confirmed that he became a father on Saturday night when his partner Kelly gave birth to a daughter.

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He said, "It was amazing! Amazing to be back on the podium and incredible for Toro Rosso, after so many years, it;s great to get a podium."&nbsp;

Max Verstappen took full advantage of his rivals' calamities on Sunday to win an epic, rain-lashed and wildly-spectacular German Grand Prix for Red Bull ahead of Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari.

Max Verstappen took full advantage of his rivals' calamities on Sunday to win an epic, rain-lashed and wildly-spectacular German Grand Prix for Red Bull ahead of Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari. The 21-year-old Dutchman secured his second win of the season and seventh of his career, finishing ahead of four-time world champion Vettel, who had started 20th and last on the grid. New dad Daniil Kvyat of Toro Rosso was third as he secured only his third Formula One podium. The race was a disaster for champions Mercedes who were celebrating their 200th Formula One start of the modern era and 125 years of motorsport, both defending five-time champion Lewis Hamilton and his team-mate Valtteri Bottas crashed and failed to score any points. Hamilton eventually finished 11th after making six pit-stops as he missed out on a points finish for the first time in 23 races while Verstappen continued his rich streak of consistency. Lance Stroll of Racing Point came home fourth to deliver his team's best finish ahead of Carlos Sainz of McLaren, Alex Albon of Toro Rosso and Kimi Raikkonen of Alfa Romeo. Romain Grosjean was eighth for Haas ahead of Antionio Giovinazzi of Alfa Romeo and Kevin Magnussen who was 10th for Haas. "It was amazing, but really tricky out there," said Verstappen, who made four pit-stops and survived a complete 360-degrees spin. "To make the right calls, you had to be focussed. We put on the slick tyres and we had a 360! But it was alright." Vettel, for whom the result brought redemption after he had crashed out while leading in heavy rain last year, said: "It was a long race and at some stages if felt like it was never-ending. I am just very happy." Kvyat confirmed that he became a father on Saturday night when his partner Kelly gave birth to a daughter. Confirmation of the final positions from an unforgettable race at Hockenheim ⏱️#GermanGP #F1 🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/ea8y1zqGE3 — Formula 1 (@F1) July 28, 2019 × He said, "It was amazing! Amazing to be back on the podium and incredible for Toro Rosso, after so many years, it;s great to get a podium."

Red Bull's Max Verstappen wins chaotic German Grand Prix

Valtteri Bottas beat crowd favourite and Formula One leader Lewis Hamilton by the blink of an eye on Saturday to deny his Mercedes teammate a fifth successive British Grand Prix pole position.

The Finn was a mere six-thousandths of a second quicker than the five-times world champion as the two Silver Arrows again locked out the front row of the grid on a cloudy afternoon at Silverstone.

Ferrari's young Monegasque Charles Leclerc will share the second row with Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who won the previous race in Austria where the two 21-year-olds clashed on track while fighting for victory in the closing laps.

The pole, in a track-record time of one minute 25.093 seconds, was Bottas's fourth in 10 races this season -- more than any other driver -- and his career 10th.

"Ultimately not good enough," said Hamilton, who was fastest in the first phase of qualifying but ran wide at Brooklands on his first lap of the final session.

"We worked really hard throughout the session but it just got a little bit away from us.

"I sacrificed a lap in Q2 (the second phase), which would have helped get a reading of how the car was. And then just at the end I had that mistake on the first lap and the second one just wasn't that great.

"Fair play to Valtteri, he did the job. But it’s a long race tomorrow and we’ve got a great crowd here so hopefully I can do something different."

Bottas is 31 points adrift of Hamilton in the championship and needs to close the gap, fully aware that his teammate has a habit of hitting full throttle once the August break is out of the way.

The Finn led after the first flying laps of the top-10 shootout and stayed there despite failing to improve on his time with the final run.

"I knew the first lap was good but it wasn't perfect and honestly I should've improved in the second run and I'm glad it was enough -- it's not easy to get a quick lap together and it's very easy to do mistakes," said the happy Finn.

Sellout Crowd

Bottas has converted only one of his poles into victory this season and Hamilton still remains well-placed to delight his army of fans with a record sixth home win and 80th of his career.

A sellout crowd of more than 140,000 is expected to turn up on Sunday.

Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, last year's race winner, was sixth and behind resurgent Red Bull driver Pierre Gasly on the third row.

"I’ve had worse ones, at least I took part," said Vettel, whose team had ended the morning's final practice one-two on the timesheets and had Leclerc set the fastest time in the second phase of qualifying.

"I didn’t have a great feeling this afternoon and you need a great feeling to throw the car from one side to the other," added the German, who will start on the soft tyres while Mercedes have slower but more durable mediums.

Australian Daniel Ricciardo lines up seventh for Renault, alongside McLaren's Lando Norris after another fine performance by the British teenage rookie whose Spanish teammate Carlos Sainz was 13th.

"I think I can be reasonably happy with P8," said Norris, who also got plenty of cheers from the fans. "Not ideal, but it was good fun. It's an awesome track to do qualifying on. The whole weekend's been pretty nice so far.

"We're normally a bit better on Sundays than Saturdays."

British-born Thai rookie Alexander Albon starts ninth for Toro Rosso with Renault's Nico Hulkenberg 10th.

Valtteri Bottas beat crowd favourite and Formula One leader Lewis Hamilton by the blink of an eye on Saturday to deny his Mercedes teammate a fifth successive British Grand Prix pole position.

Valtteri Bottas beat crowd favourite and Formula One leader Lewis Hamilton by the blink of an eye on Saturday to deny his Mercedes teammate a fifth successive British Grand Prix pole position. The Finn was a mere six-thousandths of a second quicker than the five-times world champion as the two Silver Arrows again locked out the front row of the grid on a cloudy afternoon at Silverstone. Ferrari's young Monegasque Charles Leclerc will share the second row with Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who won the previous race in Austria where the two 21-year-olds clashed on track while fighting for victory in the closing laps. The pole, in a track-record time of one minute 25.093 seconds, was Bottas's fourth in 10 races this season -- more than any other driver -- and his career 10th. "Ultimately not good enough," said Hamilton, who was fastest in the first phase of qualifying but ran wide at Brooklands on his first lap of the final session. "We worked really hard throughout the session but it just got a little bit away from us. "I sacrificed a lap in Q2 (the second phase), which would have helped get a reading of how the car was. And then just at the end I had that mistake on the first lap and the second one just wasn't that great. "Fair play to Valtteri, he did the job. But it’s a long race tomorrow and we’ve got a great crowd here so hopefully I can do something different." Bottas is 31 points adrift of Hamilton in the championship and needs to close the gap, fully aware that his teammate has a habit of hitting full throttle once the August break is out of the way. The Finn led after the first flying laps of the top-10 shootout and stayed there despite failing to improve on his time with the final run. "I knew the first lap was good but it wasn't perfect and honestly I should've improved in the second run and I'm glad it was enough -- it's not easy to get a quick lap together and it's very easy to do mistakes," said the happy Finn. Sellout Crowd Bottas has converted only one of his poles into victory this season and Hamilton still remains well-placed to delight his army of fans with a record sixth home win and 80th of his career. A sellout crowd of more than 140,000 is expected to turn up on Sunday. Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, last year's race winner, was sixth and behind resurgent Red Bull driver Pierre Gasly on the third row. "I’ve had worse ones, at least I took part," said Vettel, whose team had ended the morning's final practice one-two on the timesheets and had Leclerc set the fastest time in the second phase of qualifying. "I didn’t have a great feeling this afternoon and you need a great feeling to throw the car from one side to the other," added the German, who will start on the soft tyres while Mercedes have slower but more durable mediums. Australian Daniel Ricciardo lines up seventh for Renault, alongside McLaren's Lando Norris after another fine performance by the British teenage rookie whose Spanish teammate Carlos Sainz was 13th. "I think I can be reasonably happy with P8," said Norris, who also got plenty of cheers from the fans. "Not ideal, but it was good fun. It's an awesome track to do qualifying on. The whole weekend's been pretty nice so far. "We're normally a bit better on Sundays than Saturdays." British-born Thai rookie Alexander Albon starts ninth for Toro Rosso with Renault's Nico Hulkenberg 10th.

Valtteri Bottas denies Hamilton his home British Grand Prix pole

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, who is bidding to win at home British Grand Prix for a record sixth time, reacted on this growing fan following on the social media.&nbsp;

The Briton has around&nbsp;5.54 million followers on Twitter and has over 11 million followers on Instagram, currently.&nbsp;

"I am grateful for the ones the people that do support me and it's really heartwarming to see the support that I have every year and to see that grow," said Hamilton.&nbsp;

Hamilton is aiming to bounce back from a rare weekend of disappointment by winning his home British GP&nbsp;for a record sixth time this weekend.&nbsp;At Austrian GP, he had finished&nbsp;fifth two weeks ago.&nbsp;

"You know, I look at my social media every week and I don't understand why it's grown the way it is," said Hamilton.&nbsp;

"Why in one day….I woke up this morning and overnight 5,000 people followed me. I'm like why did they follow me, 5,000 people decided to follow me last night," he added.&nbsp;

If he wins the British GP,&nbsp;Hamilton&nbsp;will move clear of fellow Briton Jim Clark and Frenchman Alain Prost, with whom he shares the current record of five wins.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, who is bidding to win at home British Grand Prix for a record sixth time, reacted on this growing fan following on the social media.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, who is bidding to win at home British Grand Prix for a record sixth time, reacted on this growing fan following on the social media. The Briton has around 5.54 million followers on Twitter and has over 11 million followers on Instagram, currently. "I am grateful for the ones the people that do support me and it's really heartwarming to see the support that I have every year and to see that grow," said Hamilton. Hamilton is aiming to bounce back from a rare weekend of disappointment by winning his home British GP for a record sixth time this weekend. At Austrian GP, he had finished fifth two weeks ago. "You know, I look at my social media every week and I don't understand why it's grown the way it is," said Hamilton. "Why in one day….I woke up this morning and overnight 5,000 people followed me. I'm like why did they follow me, 5,000 people decided to follow me last night," he added. If he wins the British GP, Hamilton will move clear of fellow Briton Jim Clark and Frenchman Alain Prost, with whom he shares the current record of five wins.

Lewis Hamilton reacts on his mass social media following

Max Verstappen overcame a poor start to storm to the sixth victory of his career and end Mercedes’ record unbeaten start to the season when he triumphed in Sunday’s thrilling Austrian Grand Prix.&nbsp;

The 21-year-old Dutchman, who won last year’s race at the Spielberg circuit, recovered after dropping to seventh and charged through to battle past Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in stirring fashion with two laps remaining.&nbsp;

His dramatic overtaking move was immediately announced as under investigation by the stewards, Leclerc feeling that he was given insufficient space as Verstappen forced him wide off the circuit.&nbsp;

Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas came home third ahead of Sebastian Vettel in the second Ferrari and defending five-time champion Lewis Hamilton in the second Mercedes, the series leader having suffered front wing and heating problems.&nbsp;

British rookie Lando Norris was an excellent sixth for McLaren ahead of Pierre Gasly in the second Red Bull, Carlos Sainz who finished eighth in the second McLaren after starting from the back of the grid, Kimi Raikkonen and his Alfa Romeo team-mate Antionio Giovinazzi.&nbsp;

"After that start, I thought my race was over,” said Verstappen. “But after the pit-stops we were flying. It was hard racing – and if that’s not allowed, what’s the point in racing in F1. We may as well go home.”&nbsp;

His victory brought Red Bull’s engine supplier Honda their first win since the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix after returning to Formula One.&nbsp;

Leclerc said: "I had more degradation than I thought at the end – we touched and I had to go wide and I didn't have a chance to fight back."&nbsp;

Max Verstappen overcame a poor start to storm to the sixth victory of his career and end Mercedes’ record unbeaten start to the season when he triumphed in Sunday’s thrilling Austrian Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen overcame a poor start to storm to the sixth victory of his career and end Mercedes’ record unbeaten start to the season when he triumphed in Sunday’s thrilling Austrian Grand Prix. The 21-year-old Dutchman, who won last year’s race at the Spielberg circuit, recovered after dropping to seventh and charged through to battle past Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in stirring fashion with two laps remaining. His dramatic overtaking move was immediately announced as under investigation by the stewards, Leclerc feeling that he was given insufficient space as Verstappen forced him wide off the circuit. Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas came home third ahead of Sebastian Vettel in the second Ferrari and defending five-time champion Lewis Hamilton in the second Mercedes, the series leader having suffered front wing and heating problems. British rookie Lando Norris was an excellent sixth for McLaren ahead of Pierre Gasly in the second Red Bull, Carlos Sainz who finished eighth in the second McLaren after starting from the back of the grid, Kimi Raikkonen and his Alfa Romeo team-mate Antionio Giovinazzi. "After that start, I thought my race was over,” said Verstappen. “But after the pit-stops we were flying. It was hard racing – and if that’s not allowed, what’s the point in racing in F1. We may as well go home.” His victory brought Red Bull’s engine supplier Honda their first win since the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix after returning to Formula One. Leclerc said: "I had more degradation than I thought at the end – we touched and I had to go wide and I didn't have a chance to fight back."

Max Verstappen wins in Austria after thrilling duel with Charles Leclerc

Charles Leclerc put Ferrari on pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix on Saturday with Formula One leader Lewis Hamilton second fastest for Mercedes but subject to a stewards' enquiry for alleged impeding.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen, last year's winner at his team's home circuit, qualified third -- a result that put two of the sport's brightest young prospects in the top three.

The pole was the 21-year-old Monegasque's second of the season and Ferrari's first at the scenic circuit since Michael Schumacher in 2003. Austria was off the F1 calendar between 2003 and 2014.

Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel failed to set a lap time in the final top 10 shootout after a mechanical problem kept his car in the garage.

Leclerc has yet to win a grand prix since making his Formula One debut with Sauber, now Alfa Romeo, last year but came close in Bahrain where he also took pole position and led before a late engine problem.

"The car felt amazing," he said. "A big pleasure to drive this car on the limit. Very happy to bring the pole position back home."

Hamilton, 36 points clear of teammate Valtteri Bottas after winning the last four races, has a battle on his hands to secure his team's 11th successive win and ninth of the season.

"Congratulations to Charles, he's been quick all weekend," he said. "We've just really not been able to keep up with them this weekend.

"Max has been driving really well all weekend as well. I think it's quite cool to see three different teams in the top three positions," added the 34-year-old five-times world champion.

"I've got to fight the young 'uns. That's cool."

Ferrari said Vettel's car had suffered a problem with the air pressure line to the engine.

Bottas qualified fourth with Denmark's Kevin Magnussen fifth for Haas, although he will drop down five places due to a gearbox penalty, and British rookie Lando Norris sixth on the grid for McLaren.

Charles Leclerc put Ferrari on pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix on Saturday with Formula One leader Lewis Hamilton second fastest for Mercedes but subject to a stewards' enquiry for alleged impeding.

Charles Leclerc put Ferrari on pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix on Saturday with Formula One leader Lewis Hamilton second fastest for Mercedes but subject to a stewards' enquiry for alleged impeding. Red Bull's Max Verstappen, last year's winner at his team's home circuit, qualified third -- a result that put two of the sport's brightest young prospects in the top three. The pole was the 21-year-old Monegasque's second of the season and Ferrari's first at the scenic circuit since Michael Schumacher in 2003. Austria was off the F1 calendar between 2003 and 2014. Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel failed to set a lap time in the final top 10 shootout after a mechanical problem kept his car in the garage. Leclerc has yet to win a grand prix since making his Formula One debut with Sauber, now Alfa Romeo, last year but came close in Bahrain where he also took pole position and led before a late engine problem. "The car felt amazing," he said. "A big pleasure to drive this car on the limit. Very happy to bring the pole position back home." Hamilton, 36 points clear of teammate Valtteri Bottas after winning the last four races, has a battle on his hands to secure his team's 11th successive win and ninth of the season. "Congratulations to Charles, he's been quick all weekend," he said. "We've just really not been able to keep up with them this weekend. "Max has been driving really well all weekend as well. I think it's quite cool to see three different teams in the top three positions," added the 34-year-old five-times world champion. "I've got to fight the young 'uns. That's cool." Ferrari said Vettel's car had suffered a problem with the air pressure line to the engine. Bottas qualified fourth with Denmark's Kevin Magnussen fifth for Haas, although he will drop down five places due to a gearbox penalty, and British rookie Lando Norris sixth on the grid for McLaren.

Charles Leclerc beats Lewis Hamilton to pole in Austria

Lewis Hamilton put on a display of domination at the French Grand Prix on Sunday to go 36 points clear in the Formula One world championship and stretch Mercedes's winning run to 10 races.

On a scorchingly hot afternoon in the south of France, Hamilton put the rest of the field in the shade as he led from start to finish to take his fourth win in a row and sixth of the season.

The Briton finished 18 seconds ahead of Finnish team mate Valtteri Bottas, who was pushed hard at the end by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in a rare moment of tension, as Mercedes celebrated their 50th one-two finish.

"We are creating history together and I'm so proud to be part of this team," said Hamilton, who also won from pole last year at Le Castellet.

"It wasn't easy at all and everything is on the edge. I had quite big blisters on the front two tyres - but this has been the best start of the year."

The five-times world champion now has 79 career wins, 12 short of Michael Schumacher's all-time record with 13 races remaining this season.

He has 187 points to Bottas's 151. Mercedes have won all eight races this year as well as the last two of 2018.

Until the closing laps, the main thrill on Sunday was provided by a marshal who darted across the track to retrieve a broken bollard.

Hamilton made a clean start, was 2.3 seconds clear of Bottas after six laps and continued to pull away despite complaining at one point that something had broken on his seat - a gripe undermined by the Briton lapping faster and faster.

Max Verstappen was fourth for Red Bull while Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel moved up from seventh on the grid to fifth and gained an extra point after pitting on the penultimate lap for fresh tyres to set the fastest lap.

"This weekend, the biggest aim was to close the gap as much as possible and we failed," said Vettel, now 76 points behind Hamilton -- the equivalent to more than three race wins.

"We have to understand why some of the bits we brought didn’t work and hopefully we can try again and the track layout in Austria next week will go our way."

Spaniard Carlos Sainz finished sixth for McLaren ahead of Daniel Ricciardo for Renault, but the Australian was summoned to see stewards after the race.

Kimi Raikkonen was eighth for Alfa Romeo with Renault's Nico Hulkenberg ninth and Lando Norris 10th for McLaren after losing three places on the last lap.

Lewis Hamilton put on a display of domination at the French Grand Prix on Sunday to go 36 points clear in the Formula One world championship and stretch Mercedes's winning run to 10 races.

Lewis Hamilton put on a display of domination at the French Grand Prix on Sunday to go 36 points clear in the Formula One world championship and stretch Mercedes's winning run to 10 races. On a scorchingly hot afternoon in the south of France, Hamilton put the rest of the field in the shade as he led from start to finish to take his fourth win in a row and sixth of the season. The Briton finished 18 seconds ahead of Finnish team mate Valtteri Bottas, who was pushed hard at the end by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in a rare moment of tension, as Mercedes celebrated their 50th one-two finish. "We are creating history together and I'm so proud to be part of this team," said Hamilton, who also won from pole last year at Le Castellet. "It wasn't easy at all and everything is on the edge. I had quite big blisters on the front two tyres - but this has been the best start of the year." The five-times world champion now has 79 career wins, 12 short of Michael Schumacher's all-time record with 13 races remaining this season. He has 187 points to Bottas's 151. Mercedes have won all eight races this year as well as the last two of 2018. Until the closing laps, the main thrill on Sunday was provided by a marshal who darted across the track to retrieve a broken bollard. Hamilton made a clean start, was 2.3 seconds clear of Bottas after six laps and continued to pull away despite complaining at one point that something had broken on his seat - a gripe undermined by the Briton lapping faster and faster. Max Verstappen was fourth for Red Bull while Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel moved up from seventh on the grid to fifth and gained an extra point after pitting on the penultimate lap for fresh tyres to set the fastest lap. "This weekend, the biggest aim was to close the gap as much as possible and we failed," said Vettel, now 76 points behind Hamilton -- the equivalent to more than three race wins. "We have to understand why some of the bits we brought didn’t work and hopefully we can try again and the track layout in Austria next week will go our way." Spaniard Carlos Sainz finished sixth for McLaren ahead of Daniel Ricciardo for Renault, but the Australian was summoned to see stewards after the race. Kimi Raikkonen was eighth for Alfa Romeo with Renault's Nico Hulkenberg ninth and Lando Norris 10th for McLaren after losing three places on the last lap.

Lewis Hamilton wins French Grand Prix in Mercedes one-two

Legendary Formula One driver Niki Lauda has died at the age of 70, his family said in a statement

Former F1 champion Niki Lauda dies at 70

From 1976 tragic accident to courting controversies, Niki Lauda will be remembered for his fighting spirit

Championship leader Valtteri Bottas pushed Sebastian Vettel off the top of Friday's timesheets to end the opening day of practice for the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix with the fastest time for Mercedes.

The Finn, who leads teammate Lewis Hamilton by one point in the overall standings and was fifth in the first of Friday’s two 90-minute sessions, set a benchmark time of one minute 33.330 seconds in the afternoon.

That put him just 0.027 seconds clear of Vettel, who had gone fastest in the morning by a 0.207-second margin ahead of Hamilton.

Max Verstappen was third fastest, 0.221 seconds off Bottas’ best.

The Dutchman displayed a decent turn of speed having also gone fourth quickest in the morning.

His Honda-powered Red Bull team were winners in China last year, with Tag Heuer-badged Renault engines in the back and Daniel Ricciardo behind the wheel, and have been tipped as strong outside contenders to repeat that feat this weekend.

But the 21-year-old struggled with what appeared to be problems shifting gears and clutch issues throughout the session.

Hamilton could do no better than fourth having gone second-fastest behind Vettel during the opening 90-minutes.

The Briton is the most successful driver by far around the 5.4-kilometer long Shanghai International Circuit.

But the reigning five-times world champion can expect a stiff challenge in his bid for an unprecedented sixth triumph with Ferrari tipped as favourites following their Bahrain performance and Red Bull also in with an outside chance.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc also had a disappointing session.

The Monegasque ended the day with only the seventh-fastest time, slower than the Renault and McLaren cars of Nico Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz and 0.828 seconds off the ultimate pace.

Both the 21-year-old, third in the morning, and Vettel are running a new control electronics package on their power units as a precaution against a repeat of the engine problems that denied Leclerc his maiden win at the Sakhir desert track.

But Leclerc’s session still came to an early end, as he parked up in the garage with some 20 minutes still to go to allow Ferrari to carry out precautionary cooling checks.

Lando Norris, fresh from having scored his first Formula One points in Bahrain, was eighth for McLaren ahead of Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo.

Red Bull’s Pierre Gasly rounded out the top 10.

Friday’s two sessions, ahead of what will be the 1000th Formula One world championship race on Sunday, were relatively trouble free apart from a few spins as the drivers explored the limits and got to grips with the track.

Hamilton and Bottas both spun during the second 90 minutes while Lance Stroll lost control of his Racing Point at the exit of the final corner in the morning.

Championship leader Valtteri Bottas pushed Sebastian Vettel off the top of Friday's timesheets to end the opening day of practice for the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix with the fastest time for Mercedes.

Championship leader Valtteri Bottas pushed Sebastian Vettel off the top of Friday's timesheets to end the opening day of practice for the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix with the fastest time for Mercedes. The Finn, who leads teammate Lewis Hamilton by one point in the overall standings and was fifth in the first of Friday’s two 90-minute sessions, set a benchmark time of one minute 33.330 seconds in the afternoon. That put him just 0.027 seconds clear of Vettel, who had gone fastest in the morning by a 0.207-second margin ahead of Hamilton. Max Verstappen was third fastest, 0.221 seconds off Bottas’ best. The Dutchman displayed a decent turn of speed having also gone fourth quickest in the morning. His Honda-powered Red Bull team were winners in China last year, with Tag Heuer-badged Renault engines in the back and Daniel Ricciardo behind the wheel, and have been tipped as strong outside contenders to repeat that feat this weekend. But the 21-year-old struggled with what appeared to be problems shifting gears and clutch issues throughout the session. Hamilton could do no better than fourth having gone second-fastest behind Vettel during the opening 90-minutes. The Briton is the most successful driver by far around the 5.4-kilometer long Shanghai International Circuit. But the reigning five-times world champion can expect a stiff challenge in his bid for an unprecedented sixth triumph with Ferrari tipped as favourites following their Bahrain performance and Red Bull also in with an outside chance. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc also had a disappointing session. The Monegasque ended the day with only the seventh-fastest time, slower than the Renault and McLaren cars of Nico Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz and 0.828 seconds off the ultimate pace. Both the 21-year-old, third in the morning, and Vettel are running a new control electronics package on their power units as a precaution against a repeat of the engine problems that denied Leclerc his maiden win at the Sakhir desert track. But Leclerc’s session still came to an early end, as he parked up in the garage with some 20 minutes still to go to allow Ferrari to carry out precautionary cooling checks. Lando Norris, fresh from having scored his first Formula One points in Bahrain, was eighth for McLaren ahead of Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo. Red Bull’s Pierre Gasly rounded out the top 10. Friday’s two sessions, ahead of what will be the 1000th Formula One world championship race on Sunday, were relatively trouble free apart from a few spins as the drivers explored the limits and got to grips with the track. Hamilton and Bottas both spun during the second 90 minutes while Lance Stroll lost control of his Racing Point at the exit of the final corner in the morning.

Formula One: Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas tops Sebastian Vettel to go fastest in Chinese GP practice

Kimi Raikkonen says Formula One has become something of a 'hobby' for him, now that his Ferrari days are over and as he races towards his 40th birthday and a record number of starts.

The 2007 world champion, whose birthday is in October, told reporters at the Chinese Grand Prix that he was enjoying life at Alfa Romeo.

"I don’t have any special things that I try to motivate myself. It’s become more of a hobby for me lately than anything else and probably that’s why it’s more fun again," said the Finn, who was much more in the spotlight at Ferrari.

"I always try to do the best that I can. Some days it goes a bit better than others – but that’s how it goes when you do a lot of racing. Some days it’s a bit more tricky than others. It’s never really been an issue.

"When I feel that it’s not what I expect from myself, then obviously I try to find a new hobby after that."

Formula One is celebrating its 1,000th world championship race in Shanghai and Raikkonen, who made his debut with Sauber -- the team that is now Alfa -- in 2001 has started 293 of them and won 21.

Retired Brazilian Rubens Barrichello holds the record of 322 starts which means Raikkonen, whose contract runs to the end of next year, is on course to overtake him midway through the 2020 season.

Raikkonen, who joined Alfa from Ferrari at the end of last season, has made a strong start with 10 points from two races and is sixth overall. Team mate Antonio Giovinazzi has yet to open his tally.

Asked whether the performance had changed his goals for the season, Raikkonen shrugged.

"No, it hasn’t. I didn’t really have any goals, so it’s pretty hard to change them. I can’t really talk about last year’s car," he said.

"So from my side it’s hard to say what is better on this car than the one they had last year... but I think in general it’s quite a good, solid package and we understand it pretty OK and they seem to have good guys on all areas to bring new stuff."

With several other drivers set to race with special helmet designs to commemorate the 1,000th race, Raikkonen said he had nothing new.

"I wanted to have an open-face helmet but there were some regulation issues," said the Finn, who has said before he would have liked to race in the much more dangerous 1960s and 70s.

Kimi Raikkonen says Formula One has become something of a 'hobby' for him, now that his Ferrari days are over and as he races towards his 40th birthday and a record number of starts.

Kimi Raikkonen says Formula One has become something of a 'hobby' for him, now that his Ferrari days are over and as he races towards his 40th birthday and a record number of starts. The 2007 world champion, whose birthday is in October, told reporters at the Chinese Grand Prix that he was enjoying life at Alfa Romeo. "I don’t have any special things that I try to motivate myself. It’s become more of a hobby for me lately than anything else and probably that’s why it’s more fun again," said the Finn, who was much more in the spotlight at Ferrari. "I always try to do the best that I can. Some days it goes a bit better than others – but that’s how it goes when you do a lot of racing. Some days it’s a bit more tricky than others. It’s never really been an issue. "When I feel that it’s not what I expect from myself, then obviously I try to find a new hobby after that." Formula One is celebrating its 1,000th world championship race in Shanghai and Raikkonen, who made his debut with Sauber -- the team that is now Alfa -- in 2001 has started 293 of them and won 21. Retired Brazilian Rubens Barrichello holds the record of 322 starts which means Raikkonen, whose contract runs to the end of next year, is on course to overtake him midway through the 2020 season. Raikkonen, who joined Alfa from Ferrari at the end of last season, has made a strong start with 10 points from two races and is sixth overall. Team mate Antonio Giovinazzi has yet to open his tally. Asked whether the performance had changed his goals for the season, Raikkonen shrugged. "No, it hasn’t. I didn’t really have any goals, so it’s pretty hard to change them. I can’t really talk about last year’s car," he said. "So from my side it’s hard to say what is better on this car than the one they had last year... but I think in general it’s quite a good, solid package and we understand it pretty OK and they seem to have good guys on all areas to bring new stuff." With several other drivers set to race with special helmet designs to commemorate the 1,000th race, Raikkonen said he had nothing new. "I wanted to have an open-face helmet but there were some regulation issues," said the Finn, who has said before he would have liked to race in the much more dangerous 1960s and 70s.

Kimi Raikkonen says Formula One has become a bit of a hobby

Michael Schumacher's son Mick finished in the points on his Formula Two debut in Bahrain on Saturday, with eighth place in the feature race ensuring he will start Sunday's sprint from pole position.

The German, driving for the Prema team and a member of the Ferrari academy, had qualified 10th at Sakhir circuit for the season-opener.

The race was won by Canadian Nicholas Latifi, the Williams Formula One reserve competing for the DAMS team, ahead of Italian pole-sitter Luca Ghiotto and Brazilian Sergio Sette Camara.

Colombian Tatiana Calderon finished 13th out of 20 after starting 19th on her F2 debut for BWT Arden.

'Schumacher is due to test with Ferrari, the team for whom his seven-times Formula One world champion father won five of his titles, and Alfa Romeo in Bahrain next week.

Michael Schumacher's son Mick finished in the points on his Formula Two debut in Bahrain on Saturday, with eighth place in the feature race ensuring he will start Sunday's sprint from pole position.

Michael Schumacher's son Mick finished in the points on his Formula Two debut in Bahrain on Saturday, with eighth place in the feature race ensuring he will start Sunday's sprint from pole position. The German, driving for the Prema team and a member of the Ferrari academy, had qualified 10th at Sakhir circuit for the season-opener. The race was won by Canadian Nicholas Latifi, the Williams Formula One reserve competing for the DAMS team, ahead of Italian pole-sitter Luca Ghiotto and Brazilian Sergio Sette Camara. Colombian Tatiana Calderon finished 13th out of 20 after starting 19th on her F2 debut for BWT Arden. 'Schumacher is due to test with Ferrari, the team for whom his seven-times Formula One world champion father won five of his titles, and Alfa Romeo in Bahrain next week.

Motor racing: Mick Schumacher eighth on F2 debut in Bahrain

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc edged out teammate and four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel to go fastest in Friday's opening practice for the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix.&nbsp;

The Monegasque, in his first year with the Italian team, lapped with a best time of one minute 30.354 seconds, 0.263 quicker than Vettel, as the Ferraris set a scorching pace around the 5.4-km Sakhir desert track in the afternoon heat.

Valtteri Bottas, who won the season-opening race in Australia two weeks ago, was third quickest for Mercedes and 0.974 seconds off Leclerc's pace.

The Finn beat teammate Lewis Hamilton, who made a mistake on his quickest run and had to settle for fourth best, 1.247 seconds off the pace.

Ferrari tipped as pre-season favourites, were surprisingly slow in Australia but have the best record of any team in Bahrain with six wins from 14 races there.

Vettel has won at Sakhir for the past two years.

While Ferrari looked to be back on form, the track conditions in Friday's first session are unrepresentative of a race held in the late evening and under floodlights.

Max Verstappen was fifth for Honda-powered Red Bull after the team fixed a hydraulic leak shortly before the session started.

Teammate Pierre Gasly was sixth ahead of&nbsp;Carlos Sainz whose Renault-powered McLaren was fitted with new power unit elements.

Renault's Nico Hulkenberg was eighth ahead of Toro Rosso's Daniil Kvyat.

Kimi Raikkonen rounded out the top 10 for Alfa Romeo. Renault's Daniel Ricciardo, running a new chassis this weekend after retirement in the Australian season-opener, was 11th.

Fallen former champions Williams again propped up the time-sheets. British rookie George Russell, who survived a spin, was 19th ahead of Poland's Robert Kubica. Both drivers were 3.8 seconds off the pace.

Canadian Lance Stroll spun out early in the session gently nudging his Racing Point into the barriers while Alfa Romeo's Italian Antonio Giovinazzi banged wheels with Hulkenberg's Renault in the dying seconds.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc edged out teammate and four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel to go fastest in Friday's opening practice for the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc edged out teammate and four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel to go fastest in Friday's opening practice for the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix. The Monegasque, in his first year with the Italian team, lapped with a best time of one minute 30.354 seconds, 0.263 quicker than Vettel, as the Ferraris set a scorching pace around the 5.4-km Sakhir desert track in the afternoon heat. Valtteri Bottas, who won the season-opening race in Australia two weeks ago, was third quickest for Mercedes and 0.974 seconds off Leclerc's pace. The Finn beat teammate Lewis Hamilton, who made a mistake on his quickest run and had to settle for fourth best, 1.247 seconds off the pace. Ferrari tipped as pre-season favourites, were surprisingly slow in Australia but have the best record of any team in Bahrain with six wins from 14 races there. Vettel has won at Sakhir for the past two years. While Ferrari looked to be back on form, the track conditions in Friday's first session are unrepresentative of a race held in the late evening and under floodlights. Max Verstappen was fifth for Honda-powered Red Bull after the team fixed a hydraulic leak shortly before the session started. Teammate Pierre Gasly was sixth ahead of Carlos Sainz whose Renault-powered McLaren was fitted with new power unit elements. Renault's Nico Hulkenberg was eighth ahead of Toro Rosso's Daniil Kvyat. Kimi Raikkonen rounded out the top 10 for Alfa Romeo. Renault's Daniel Ricciardo, running a new chassis this weekend after retirement in the Australian season-opener, was 11th. Fallen former champions Williams again propped up the time-sheets. British rookie George Russell, who survived a spin, was 19th ahead of Poland's Robert Kubica. Both drivers were 3.8 seconds off the pace. Canadian Lance Stroll spun out early in the session gently nudging his Racing Point into the barriers while Alfa Romeo's Italian Antonio Giovinazzi banged wheels with Hulkenberg's Renault in the dying seconds.

Charles Leclerc leads Ferrari one-two in opening Bahrain GP practice

Sebastian Vettel will be aiming for his third successive Bahrain Grand Prix win on Sunday as Ferrari seek to show their lack of pace in Formula One’s Australian season opener was a one-off.

Tipped as pre-season favourites, the German and new team mate Charles Leclerc finished fourth and fifth in Melbourne, nearly a minute behind the dominant race-winning Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas.

Albert Park can be seen as something of an outlier but Ferrari hope the more traditional layout of Bahrain’s 5.4-km Sakhir desert track will allow them to unlock the full potential of the SF90 car.

The most successful team in Bahrain, with six wins overall, can draw encouragement from last year when Mercedes were faster in Australia only for Ferrari to turn the tables with a front-row lockout and victory for Vettel.

That also started a streak of three straight pole positions for the German.

"In Bahrain, we expect to see the effect of the corrections we have made ...," said principal Mattia Binotto, who replaced Maurizio Arrivabene at the helm before the start of the season.

"We are well aware that our competitors will once again be very strong. With that in mind, we are keen to get back on track and face up to them."

Bottas, having driven what he described as the race of his life in Australia to finish more than 20 seconds ahead of team mate Lewis Hamilton in second place, will be keen to serve up a thriller under the floodlights.

Having come within a second of snatching victory from Vettel last year, Bottas has some unfinished business on Sunday while Hamilton, who has taken two of Mercedes’ three wins in Bahrain, will be keen to reassert his supremacy.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said nothing was won or lost at Albert Park.

"Whatever the Melbourne result says, our mindset hasn't changed since then," he said.

"We've seen the potential of Ferrari's package in Barcelona (testing), so we expect them to come back strong in Bahrain, with Red Bull in the mix as well."

Max Verstappen finished third for Red Bull in Australia, the Milton Keynes-based team’s first race with new engine partners Honda.

Frenchman Pierre Gasly, now driving alongside Verstappen, finished fourth for Honda-powered Toro Rosso in Bahrain last year and will be hoping to do even better on Sunday.

McLaren, which counts Bahrain’s Mumtalakat Holding Company among its major shareholders, will be looking for their first points after Lando Norris finished 12th and Carlos Sainz retired in Australia.

Bahrain will also mark the start of the Formula Two Championship with Mick Schumacher, son of seven-times Formula One champion Michael and nephew of Ralf, making his debut in the support category.

Schumacher, a part of Ferrari’s young driver academy, is also scheduled to take part in a post-race test with Ferrari and Alfa Romeo.

Sebastian Vettel will be aiming for his third successive Bahrain Grand Prix win on Sunday as Ferrari seek to show their lack of pace in Formula One’s Australian season opener was a one-off.

Sebastian Vettel will be aiming for his third successive Bahrain Grand Prix win on Sunday as Ferrari seek to show their lack of pace in Formula One’s Australian season opener was a one-off. Tipped as pre-season favourites, the German and new team mate Charles Leclerc finished fourth and fifth in Melbourne, nearly a minute behind the dominant race-winning Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas. Albert Park can be seen as something of an outlier but Ferrari hope the more traditional layout of Bahrain’s 5.4-km Sakhir desert track will allow them to unlock the full potential of the SF90 car. The most successful team in Bahrain, with six wins overall, can draw encouragement from last year when Mercedes were faster in Australia only for Ferrari to turn the tables with a front-row lockout and victory for Vettel. That also started a streak of three straight pole positions for the German. "In Bahrain, we expect to see the effect of the corrections we have made ...," said principal Mattia Binotto, who replaced Maurizio Arrivabene at the helm before the start of the season. "We are well aware that our competitors will once again be very strong. With that in mind, we are keen to get back on track and face up to them." Bottas, having driven what he described as the race of his life in Australia to finish more than 20 seconds ahead of team mate Lewis Hamilton in second place, will be keen to serve up a thriller under the floodlights. Having come within a second of snatching victory from Vettel last year, Bottas has some unfinished business on Sunday while Hamilton, who has taken two of Mercedes’ three wins in Bahrain, will be keen to reassert his supremacy. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said nothing was won or lost at Albert Park. "Whatever the Melbourne result says, our mindset hasn't changed since then," he said. "We've seen the potential of Ferrari's package in Barcelona (testing), so we expect them to come back strong in Bahrain, with Red Bull in the mix as well." Max Verstappen finished third for Red Bull in Australia, the Milton Keynes-based team’s first race with new engine partners Honda. Frenchman Pierre Gasly, now driving alongside Verstappen, finished fourth for Honda-powered Toro Rosso in Bahrain last year and will be hoping to do even better on Sunday. McLaren, which counts Bahrain’s Mumtalakat Holding Company among its major shareholders, will be looking for their first points after Lando Norris finished 12th and Carlos Sainz retired in Australia. Bahrain will also mark the start of the Formula Two Championship with Mick Schumacher, son of seven-times Formula One champion Michael and nephew of Ralf, making his debut in the support category. Schumacher, a part of Ferrari’s young driver academy, is also scheduled to take part in a post-race test with Ferrari and Alfa Romeo.

Sebastian Vettel seeks Ferrari boost in Bahrain

Valtteri Bottas won the season-opening Australian Grand Prix for Mercedes with the fastest lap on Sunday and in the process achieved a Formula One first, while also ignoring team instructions to play safe.

The Finn was the first driver since the 1950s to win a point for the fastest lap, under a new rule introduced this year, and also the only one ever to score more than 25 points in a race on more than one occasion.&nbsp;

The only other race in which drivers have been able to score more than the maximum allocated for a victory was the 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, when double points were handed out for the first and only time.

Bottas finished third in that race at Yas Marina for Williams, behind winner Lewis Hamilton and now-retired Brazilian Felipe Massa, and banked 30 points. On Sunday he scored 26.

A point for fastest lap was awarded between 1950 and 1959 but in those days a win was worth only eight points.

The Finn said he had been determined to get the maximum score, despite the risk of trying to set a fastest lap on worn tyres and being told before the race not to try and get it if in a podium position.

Bottas pulled it off on the penultimate lap of the race to deny Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

With 21 races, and therefore an extra 21 points available so long as the fastest lap is set by a driver finishing in the top 10, the tweak to the scoring system has become an important consideration.

Team bosses agreed it had added something to the show.

"It's exciting," said Red Bull team boss Christian Horner. "We were even debating do we take it with Pierre (Gasly), because he’s not in the top 10, to try and take it off Mercedes. So you’ve got all kinds of dynamics.

"Max had a go at it, he had it in the bag for a couple of laps and then Valtteri does a 1.25 (1:25.580) or something and OK we can’t do that.

"I thought it added an extra strategic dynamic which was really quite interesting."

Gasly finished 11th and out of the points. Had he been able to go fastest, he would have been credited with the best lap but the point -- which is also valid for the constructors' championship -- would not have been awarded to anyone.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff agreed the novelty provided another element, even if he had some reservations.

"In the morning meeting when we talked about strategy, I forbade them to go for the fastest lap if we were running first, second or third," he added.

"They ignored me. All of them.

"At the end I'm very happy. Collecting that extra point I think is good. It's entertaining. It's a great new part of the spectacle."

Valtteri Bottas won the season-opening Australian Grand Prix for Mercedes with the fastest lap on Sunday and in the process achieved a Formula One first, while also ignoring team instructions to play safe.

Valtteri Bottas won the season-opening Australian Grand Prix for Mercedes with the fastest lap on Sunday and in the process achieved a Formula One first, while also ignoring team instructions to play safe. The Finn was the first driver since the 1950s to win a point for the fastest lap, under a new rule introduced this year, and also the only one ever to score more than 25 points in a race on more than one occasion. The only other race in which drivers have been able to score more than the maximum allocated for a victory was the 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, when double points were handed out for the first and only time. Bottas finished third in that race at Yas Marina for Williams, behind winner Lewis Hamilton and now-retired Brazilian Felipe Massa, and banked 30 points. On Sunday he scored 26. A point for fastest lap was awarded between 1950 and 1959 but in those days a win was worth only eight points. The Finn said he had been determined to get the maximum score, despite the risk of trying to set a fastest lap on worn tyres and being told before the race not to try and get it if in a podium position. Bottas pulled it off on the penultimate lap of the race to deny Red Bull's Max Verstappen. With 21 races, and therefore an extra 21 points available so long as the fastest lap is set by a driver finishing in the top 10, the tweak to the scoring system has become an important consideration. Team bosses agreed it had added something to the show. "It's exciting," said Red Bull team boss Christian Horner. "We were even debating do we take it with Pierre (Gasly), because he’s not in the top 10, to try and take it off Mercedes. So you’ve got all kinds of dynamics. "Max had a go at it, he had it in the bag for a couple of laps and then Valtteri does a 1.25 (1:25.580) or something and OK we can’t do that. "I thought it added an extra strategic dynamic which was really quite interesting." Gasly finished 11th and out of the points. Had he been able to go fastest, he would have been credited with the best lap but the point -- which is also valid for the constructors' championship -- would not have been awarded to anyone. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff agreed the novelty provided another element, even if he had some reservations. "In the morning meeting when we talked about strategy, I forbade them to go for the fastest lap if we were running first, second or third," he added. "They ignored me. All of them. "At the end I'm very happy. Collecting that extra point I think is good. It's entertaining. It's a great new part of the spectacle."

Fastest lap point helps Valtteri Bottas make F1 history

Valtteri Bottas capitalised on a late pitstop to upset his world champion team mate Lewis Hamilton and clinch the season-opening Australian Formula One Grand Prix for Mercedes on Sunday.

Starting second behind pole-sitter Hamilton, Bottas got the jump on the Briton during a typically messy start at Albert Park and ended up cruising to his fourth win by some 20.80 seconds after delaying a tyre-change.

Runner-up Hamilton, who switched to the medium compound tyres seven laps earlier than Bottas, had to battle to hold off third-placed Max Verstappen and was fortunate the Red Bull driver took a skid in the grass late on to lose vital seconds.

Bottas, who claimed his first race win since Abu Dhabi in 2017, added icing to the cake by clinching a bonus point for the fastest lap at the lakeside circuit in one minute 25.580 seconds.

"I don't know what just happened. The start was really good, it was definitely my best race ever," said the Finn.

"I just felt so good and everything was under control. The car was so good today so truly enjoyable, I need to enjoy today.

"I'm just so happy and can't wait for the next race."

While Hamilton was forced to sweat, the Silver Arrows will have been thrilled that their raw pace was enough to blitz the chasing pack.

"It was a good weekend for the team," said Hamilton. "Valtteri drove an incredible race today so he deserved it."

For Ferrari, however, it was a sobering day as fourth-placed Vettel and fifth-placed new boy Charles Leclerc were reduced to fighting each other for a minor position.

In the midfield battle, Kevin Magnussen was sixth for Haas ahead of Renault's seventh-placed Nico Hulkenberg.

It was a disastrous Renault debut for home hope Daniel Ricciardo as he rolled wide into the grass straight out of the grid and destroyed his front wing over a bump.

He was forced to pit immediately to replace it and ended up retiring midway through the race.

McLaren driver Carlos Sainz also retired after easing into pit lane on the 11th lap with his car on fire.

Haas, who lost both cars due to botched tyre changes in last year's race, showed they were not free of their pit-stop gremlins, as a poor stop caused Romain Grosjean to lose two places.

Grosjean later was forced to retire with a reliability problem.

Prior to the start, drivers and officials stood for a minute's silence at the grid in tribute to the late F1 racing director Charlie Whiting and in remembrance of victims of a mass shooting at two mosques in New Zealand on Friday.

Valtteri Bottas capitalised on a late pitstop to upset his world champion team mate Lewis Hamilton and clinch the season-opening Australian Formula One Grand Prix for Mercedes on Sunday.

Valtteri Bottas capitalised on a late pitstop to upset his world champion team mate Lewis Hamilton and clinch the season-opening Australian Formula One Grand Prix for Mercedes on Sunday. Starting second behind pole-sitter Hamilton, Bottas got the jump on the Briton during a typically messy start at Albert Park and ended up cruising to his fourth win by some 20.80 seconds after delaying a tyre-change. Runner-up Hamilton, who switched to the medium compound tyres seven laps earlier than Bottas, had to battle to hold off third-placed Max Verstappen and was fortunate the Red Bull driver took a skid in the grass late on to lose vital seconds. Bottas, who claimed his first race win since Abu Dhabi in 2017, added icing to the cake by clinching a bonus point for the fastest lap at the lakeside circuit in one minute 25.580 seconds. "I don't know what just happened. The start was really good, it was definitely my best race ever," said the Finn. "I just felt so good and everything was under control. The car was so good today so truly enjoyable, I need to enjoy today. "I'm just so happy and can't wait for the next race." While Hamilton was forced to sweat, the Silver Arrows will have been thrilled that their raw pace was enough to blitz the chasing pack. "It was a good weekend for the team," said Hamilton. "Valtteri drove an incredible race today so he deserved it." For Ferrari, however, it was a sobering day as fourth-placed Vettel and fifth-placed new boy Charles Leclerc were reduced to fighting each other for a minor position. In the midfield battle, Kevin Magnussen was sixth for Haas ahead of Renault's seventh-placed Nico Hulkenberg. It was a disastrous Renault debut for home hope Daniel Ricciardo as he rolled wide into the grass straight out of the grid and destroyed his front wing over a bump. He was forced to pit immediately to replace it and ended up retiring midway through the race. McLaren driver Carlos Sainz also retired after easing into pit lane on the 11th lap with his car on fire. Haas, who lost both cars due to botched tyre changes in last year's race, showed they were not free of their pit-stop gremlins, as a poor stop caused Romain Grosjean to lose two places. Grosjean later was forced to retire with a reliability problem. Prior to the start, drivers and officials stood for a minute's silence at the grid in tribute to the late F1 racing director Charlie Whiting and in remembrance of victims of a mass shooting at two mosques in New Zealand on Friday.

Valtteri Bottas wins Australian Grand Prix for Mercedes

More than eight years after his last Formula One race, Robert Kubica is eager to step back into the cockpit but the Pole has been too busy to soak up his comeback at the Australian Grand Prix due to problems with the Williams car.

By any measure, Williams have had a chaotic preparation for the season-opener, with technical director Paddy Lowe taking "a leave of absence" after they failed to finish their new car in time for the start of testing in Barcelona and turned up two days late.

The car was the slowest on track when it did appear, adding to the woes of an outfit who finished last in 2018 and have not won a race since 2012.

Kubica's inspiring comeback, eight years after a crash in a rally in Italy partially severed his right arm, has been a rare good news story for once formidable Williams.

Not that the 34-year-old has had much time to enjoy it.

"Emotions? To be honest, I’ve not really had a lot of time to think about them," he told reporters at Albert Park on Thursday.

"I’ve been really focused on the job, focused on the things to do, trying to learn as much as you can with the new F1 since I was racing here last time.

"We didn’t have a perfect start for winter testing, so there are a lot of things to be checked."

His nation's first Formula One driver, Kubica claimed the Canadian Grand Prix with now defunct BMW-Sauber in 2008 and was one of the series' most highly regarded racers before his accident in the leadup to the 2011 season.

After extensive surgery, Kubica returned to motor sport in 2012 and enjoyed some success in the World Rally Championship before returning to F1 as a reserve driver for Williams last year.

Fans waved huge banners for the Pole at the season launch at Melbourne's Federation Square, and Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo led a tribute during the pre-race media conference on Thursday.

"Robert mentioned he had a pretty long 'winter break'. I don't think we all know what the extent of what he's been through to get back here," Renault driver Ricciardo said.

"So I just think it's awesome to see him back ... It's just a testament to his character," he added, leading a round of applause from drivers, including Mercedes' champion Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel.

Formula One has introduced a new rule awarding a championship point to the driver that can put in the fastest lap on race day -- so long as they finish in the top 10.

Kubica remarked ruefully that it would probably not help Williams much.

"It is a difficult period but we have to make sure we are doing everything we can in the current situation," he said.

"There’s no point wasting energy and time thinking of difficult moments ... We have to make sure we maximise our opportunities."

More than eight years after his last Formula One race, Robert Kubica is eager to step back into the cockpit but the Pole has been too busy to soak up his comeback at the Australian Grand Prix due to problems with the Williams car.

More than eight years after his last Formula One race, Robert Kubica is eager to step back into the cockpit but the Pole has been too busy to soak up his comeback at the Australian Grand Prix due to problems with the Williams car. By any measure, Williams have had a chaotic preparation for the season-opener, with technical director Paddy Lowe taking "a leave of absence" after they failed to finish their new car in time for the start of testing in Barcelona and turned up two days late. The car was the slowest on track when it did appear, adding to the woes of an outfit who finished last in 2018 and have not won a race since 2012. Kubica's inspiring comeback, eight years after a crash in a rally in Italy partially severed his right arm, has been a rare good news story for once formidable Williams. Not that the 34-year-old has had much time to enjoy it. "Emotions? To be honest, I’ve not really had a lot of time to think about them," he told reporters at Albert Park on Thursday. "I’ve been really focused on the job, focused on the things to do, trying to learn as much as you can with the new F1 since I was racing here last time. "We didn’t have a perfect start for winter testing, so there are a lot of things to be checked." His nation's first Formula One driver, Kubica claimed the Canadian Grand Prix with now defunct BMW-Sauber in 2008 and was one of the series' most highly regarded racers before his accident in the leadup to the 2011 season. After extensive surgery, Kubica returned to motor sport in 2012 and enjoyed some success in the World Rally Championship before returning to F1 as a reserve driver for Williams last year. Fans waved huge banners for the Pole at the season launch at Melbourne's Federation Square, and Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo led a tribute during the pre-race media conference on Thursday. "Robert mentioned he had a pretty long 'winter break'. I don't think we all know what the extent of what he's been through to get back here," Renault driver Ricciardo said. "So I just think it's awesome to see him back ... It's just a testament to his character," he added, leading a round of applause from drivers, including Mercedes' champion Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel. Formula One has introduced a new rule awarding a championship point to the driver that can put in the fastest lap on race day -- so long as they finish in the top 10. Kubica remarked ruefully that it would probably not help Williams much. "It is a difficult period but we have to make sure we are doing everything we can in the current situation," he said. "There’s no point wasting energy and time thinking of difficult moments ... We have to make sure we maximise our opportunities."

Motor Racing: Williams problems give Kubica little time to soak up comeback

Red Bull boss Christian Horner has poured cold water on the prospect of challenging Mercedes and Ferrari early in the Formula One season despite a "positive" start with new engine partner Honda.

Powered by Renault last year, Red Bull finished a distant third behind winners Mercedes and runner-up Ferrari in the constructors' championship.

But with the Honda-powered RB15 car having a positive winter testing, Red Bull are tipped to improve.

Four days before the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Horner said his team still had plenty of ground to make up, however.

"We've got an exciting new partnership with Honda starting this weekend so it's off to a positive start but we have to keep expectations realistic," he said at the F1 season launch at Melbourne's Federation Square on Wednesday.

"There's a big gap to close from Mercedes and Ferrari.

"But we're confident that we can do that during the course of the year."

With Daniel Ricciardo having switched to Renault, Red Bull's 21-year-old driver Max Verstappen is now the effective team leader on track and is rated a title contender in his fifth season.

"It was very nice to experience the car, with the new partnership with Honda," Dutchman Verstappen said of pre-season testing. "It's very exciting times for us."

Pierre Gasly, who graduated from feeder team Toro Rosso, has replaced Australian Ricciardo.

The Frenchman had two crashes during testing as he got up to speed with the RB15 and said he still had plenty to learn as he embarks on his second season in Formula One.

"It's an amazing opportunity," he said at the launch. "It's probably the best place to be in Red Bull, with (these) guys next to me."

Red Bull boss Christian Horner has poured cold water on the prospect of challenging Mercedes and Ferrari early in the Formula One season despite a "positive" start with new engine partner Honda.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner has poured cold water on the prospect of challenging Mercedes and Ferrari early in the Formula One season despite a "positive" start with new engine partner Honda. Powered by Renault last year, Red Bull finished a distant third behind winners Mercedes and runner-up Ferrari in the constructors' championship. But with the Honda-powered RB15 car having a positive winter testing, Red Bull are tipped to improve. Four days before the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Horner said his team still had plenty of ground to make up, however. "We've got an exciting new partnership with Honda starting this weekend so it's off to a positive start but we have to keep expectations realistic," he said at the F1 season launch at Melbourne's Federation Square on Wednesday. "There's a big gap to close from Mercedes and Ferrari. "But we're confident that we can do that during the course of the year." With Daniel Ricciardo having switched to Renault, Red Bull's 21-year-old driver Max Verstappen is now the effective team leader on track and is rated a title contender in his fifth season. "It was very nice to experience the car, with the new partnership with Honda," Dutchman Verstappen said of pre-season testing. "It's very exciting times for us." Pierre Gasly, who graduated from feeder team Toro Rosso, has replaced Australian Ricciardo. The Frenchman had two crashes during testing as he got up to speed with the RB15 and said he still had plenty to learn as he embarks on his second season in Formula One. "It's an amazing opportunity," he said at the launch. "It's probably the best place to be in Red Bull, with (these) guys next to me."

Motor racing: Red Bull has big gap to close from Mercedes, Ferrari, says boss Christian Horner

Daniel Ricciardo will raise plenty of cheers if he beats his former Red Bull teammates in Melbourne next week but the new Renault driver will not be throwing any toys out of the pram if the opposite happens.

The Australian's move to the French manufacturer team at the end of last year was a long term play for the Perth native, a home hero now in yellow overalls ahead of the season-opening race.

"I was aware when I signed the deal here that it was very realistic that, at least come Melbourne, they (Red Bull) are going to be in front," said Ricciardo when asked about the immediate prospects.

"Because I in a way expect it, it's not going to be a shock or anything like that.

"I'm not going to be bitter if they beat us in Melbourne. I feel now we're still on a bit of a different journey," added the 29-year-old.

Former champions Renault, who won titles with Fernando Alonso in 2005-06 and powered Red Bull and their German driver Sebastian Vettel to four double titles in a row between 2010-2013, were fourth overall last season.

Red Bull were third behind champions Mercedes and Ferrari, with Ricciardo and Max Verstappen each winning two races and have since switched to Honda engines.

The evidence from testing suggested Honda had got on top of the performance and reliability problems that have plagued them in the past.

"I know probably a lot of people think 'Ah, if he were to beat Red Bull how good would that be? Sticking it to them'. But it's honestly not like that. If we could overcome any of those top three I'd be stoked," said Ricciardo.

"Seeing what I've seen so far (at Renault) I think there's enough resources to get into that world. So I don't think that's unattainable for us.

"It might not be this year, but it's not a permanent handicap, so to speak."

RUNNING FROM A FIGHT

Had Ricciardo stayed at Red Bull, and they were clear about wanting him to, he would have continued to fight for star billing with Verstappen, the 21-year-old Dutch driver considered a future champion.

The likeable Australian sees himself in a similar light but risked being considered increasingly as a number two alongside the favoured son.

Ricciardo told reporters before the start of testing that his decision to leave was due to a 'kaleidoscope' of different pieces, however.

There was a desire to repeat Lewis Hamilton's success in recognising the potential of a major manufacturer when he moved from McLaren to Mercedes and also annoyance at how Red Bull treated him after an incident in Baku last season.

The team held both Ricciardo and Verstappen equally to blame for a collision that the Australian still holds was mainly Verstappen's fault.

"We both got a talking to, putting it politely. But in my eyes I guess the incident itself I felt I was not really in the wrong," he said. "I guess the way it was handled at the time didn't sit too well with me."

Team boss Christian Horner suggested Ricciardo was "running from a fight" in leaving but the Perth driver, whose new German team mate Nico Hulkenberg has yet to stand on the podium in 156 starts, denied that.

"I love a good fight," he said. "It wasn't about Max. I can understand why they'd say that, but it's wrong."

Ricciardo said the main aim for the season ahead was simply to make progress, for the team to continue on an upward trajectory.

"As long as we make inroads, that's got to be a pretty successful year," he said.

Daniel Ricciardo will raise plenty of cheers if he beats his former Red Bull teammates in Melbourne next week but the new Renault driver will not be throwing any toys out of the pram if the opposite happens.

Daniel Ricciardo will raise plenty of cheers if he beats his former Red Bull teammates in Melbourne next week but the new Renault driver will not be throwing any toys out of the pram if the opposite happens. The Australian's move to the French manufacturer team at the end of last year was a long term play for the Perth native, a home hero now in yellow overalls ahead of the season-opening race. "I was aware when I signed the deal here that it was very realistic that, at least come Melbourne, they (Red Bull) are going to be in front," said Ricciardo when asked about the immediate prospects. "Because I in a way expect it, it's not going to be a shock or anything like that. "I'm not going to be bitter if they beat us in Melbourne. I feel now we're still on a bit of a different journey," added the 29-year-old. Former champions Renault, who won titles with Fernando Alonso in 2005-06 and powered Red Bull and their German driver Sebastian Vettel to four double titles in a row between 2010-2013, were fourth overall last season. Red Bull were third behind champions Mercedes and Ferrari, with Ricciardo and Max Verstappen each winning two races and have since switched to Honda engines. The evidence from testing suggested Honda had got on top of the performance and reliability problems that have plagued them in the past. "I know probably a lot of people think 'Ah, if he were to beat Red Bull how good would that be? Sticking it to them'. But it's honestly not like that. If we could overcome any of those top three I'd be stoked," said Ricciardo. "Seeing what I've seen so far (at Renault) I think there's enough resources to get into that world. So I don't think that's unattainable for us. "It might not be this year, but it's not a permanent handicap, so to speak." RUNNING FROM A FIGHT Had Ricciardo stayed at Red Bull, and they were clear about wanting him to, he would have continued to fight for star billing with Verstappen, the 21-year-old Dutch driver considered a future champion. The likeable Australian sees himself in a similar light but risked being considered increasingly as a number two alongside the favoured son. Ricciardo told reporters before the start of testing that his decision to leave was due to a 'kaleidoscope' of different pieces, however. There was a desire to repeat Lewis Hamilton's success in recognising the potential of a major manufacturer when he moved from McLaren to Mercedes and also annoyance at how Red Bull treated him after an incident in Baku last season. The team held both Ricciardo and Verstappen equally to blame for a collision that the Australian still holds was mainly Verstappen's fault. "We both got a talking to, putting it politely. But in my eyes I guess the incident itself I felt I was not really in the wrong," he said. "I guess the way it was handled at the time didn't sit too well with me." Team boss Christian Horner suggested Ricciardo was "running from a fight" in leaving but the Perth driver, whose new German team mate Nico Hulkenberg has yet to stand on the podium in 156 starts, denied that. "I love a good fight," he said. "It wasn't about Max. I can understand why they'd say that, but it's wrong." Ricciardo said the main aim for the season ahead was simply to make progress, for the team to continue on an upward trajectory. "As long as we make inroads, that's got to be a pretty successful year," he said.

Motor racing: No regrets if Renault are chasing Red Bull, says Daniel Ricciardo

The 2019 Formula One world championship starts on March 17 with 21 races in a season that ends later than any since 1963.

The following are key details (start times 1310 GMT unless stated).

MARCH 17 - AUSTRALIA

Albert Park street circuit, Melbourne. 58 laps of 5.303km. Total distance 307.574km. 0510 GMT start (1610 local). 2018 pole position: Lewis Hamilton (Britain) Mercedes. 2018 winner: Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Ferrari.

Melbourne has hosted the Australian GP since 1996.

MARCH 31 - BAHRAIN

Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir. 57 laps of 5.412km. 308.238km. 1510GMT (1810 local). 2018 pole and winner: Vettel.

Desert track 30km south-west of Manama. The race has a day-to-night format under floodlights.

APRIL 14 - CHINA

Shanghai International Circuit. 56 laps of 5.451km. 305.066km. 0610GMT (1410 local). 2018 pole: Vettel. Winner: Daniel Ricciardo (Australian) Red Bull.

Built in the shape of the Chinese character "shang", the circuit has hosted a race since 2004. This year's will be Formula One's 1,000th grand prix.

APRIL 28 - AZERBAIJAN

Baku City Circuit. 51 laps of 6.003km. 306.049km. 1210GMT (1610 local). 2018 pole: Vettel. Winner: Hamilton.

New in 2016, the race has earned a reputation for thrills against a backdrop of the historic old town and long seaside promenade.

MAY 12 - SPAIN

Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona. 66 laps of 4.655km. 307.104km. 2018 pole and winner: Hamilton.

Venue for pre-season testing. On the calendar since 1991.

MAY 26 - MONACO

Monte Carlo. 78 laps of 3.337km. 260.286km. 2018 pole and winner: Ricciardo.

The slowest and shortest race but also the most glamorous. -

JUNE 9 - CANADA

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal. 70 laps of 4.361km. 305.270km. 1810 GMT (1410 local). 2018 pole and winner: Vettel.

An F1 favourite since 1978, the circuit is named after the late Ferrari great and father of 1997 world champion Jacques and is on the Ile Notre Dame in the St Lawrence River.

JUNE 23 - FRANCE

Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet. 5.861km. 309.690km. 2018 pole and winner: Hamilton.

The circuit returned last year as the first French Grand Prix since 2008, when the race was held at Magny-Cours.

JUNE 30 - AUSTRIA

Red Bull Ring, Spielberg. 71 laps of 4.318km. 306.452km. 2018 pole: Bottas. Winner: Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Red Bull).

A rural circuit in the southern Styria region, not far from Graz, and owned by Red Bull.

JULY 14 - BRITAIN

Silverstone. 52 laps of 5.891km. 306.198km. 2018 pole: Hamilton. Winner: Vettel.

A former World War Two airfield, the first world championship grand prix was held here in 1950. This year's race is the last under the current contract.

JULY 28 - GERMANY

Hockenheim. 67 laps of 4.574km. 306.458km. 2018 pole: Vettel. Winner: Hamilton.

The track was heavily modified in 2002, with a long forest stretch removed. Also out of contract after this year.

AUG 4 - HUNGARY

Hungaroring, Budapest. 70 laps of 4.381km. 306.670km. 2018 pole and winner: Hamilton.

The first race in 1986 was a breakthrough for F1 behind the 'Iron Curtain'. The circuit is tight, twisty and slow.

SEPT 1 - BELGIUM

Spa-Francorchamps. 44 laps of 7.004km. 308.052km. 2018 pole: Hamilton. Winner: Vettel.

The longest lap on the calendar and one of the fastest circuits. Often wet, always thrilling.

SEPT 8 - ITALY

Monza. 53 laps of 5.793km. 307.029km. 2018 pole: Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Ferrari. Winner: Hamilton.

"La Pista Magica" is the temple of Italian motorsport and Ferrari. Dates back to the 1920s but still the fastest in F1.

SEPT 22 - SINGAPORE

Marina Bay street circuit. 61 laps of 5.065km. 308.828km. 1210GMT (2010 local). 2018 pole and winner: Hamilton.

On the calendar since 2008 as the sport's first night race.

SEPT 29 - RUSSIA

Sochi street circuit. 53 laps of 5.848km. 309.745km. 1110GMT (1410 local). 2018 pole: Bottas. Winner: Hamilton.

The race made its debut in 2014, with the circuit looping around the park built for the Winter Olympics.

OCT 13 - JAPAN

Suzuka. 53 laps of 5.807km. 307.471km. Race start 0510 GMT (1410 local). 2018 pole and winner: Hamilton.

A classic fast figure-of-eight circuit, owned by Honda with a funfair alongside. Always a passionate crowd.

OCT 27 - MEXICO

Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City. 71 laps of 4.304km. 305.354km. Race start 1910 GMT (1310 local). 2018 pole:

Ricciardo. Winner: Verstappen.

Returned to the calendar in 2015. Has won the award for best grand prix of the season for the past four seasons but this year's could be the last with state funding set to be withdrawn.

NOV 3 - UNITED STATES

Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. 56 laps of 5.513km. 308.405km. Race start 1910 GMT (1310 local). 2018 pole: Hamilton. Winner: Raikkonen.

Anti-clockwise layout with 20 turns.

NOV 17 - BRAZIL

Interlagos, Sao Paulo. 71 laps of 4.309km. 305.909km. Race start 1710 GMT (1510 local). 2018 pole and winner: Hamilton.

Atmospheric anti-clockwise circuit, home of the late triple champion Ayrton Senna.

DEC 1 - ABU DHABI

Yas Marina. 55 laps of 5.554km. 305.355km. 2018 pole and winner: Hamilton. Race start 1310 GMT (1710 local).

Day-to-night anti-clockwise race under floodlights.

The 2019 Formula One world championship starts on March 17 with 21 races in a season that ends later than any since 1963. The following are key details (start times 1310 GMT unless stated).

The 2019 Formula One world championship starts on March 17 with 21 races in a season that ends later than any since 1963. The following are key details (start times 1310 GMT unless stated). MARCH 17 - AUSTRALIA Albert Park street circuit, Melbourne. 58 laps of 5.303km. Total distance 307.574km. 0510 GMT start (1610 local). 2018 pole position: Lewis Hamilton (Britain) Mercedes. 2018 winner: Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Ferrari. Melbourne has hosted the Australian GP since 1996. MARCH 31 - BAHRAIN Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir. 57 laps of 5.412km. 308.238km. 1510GMT (1810 local). 2018 pole and winner: Vettel. Desert track 30km south-west of Manama. The race has a day-to-night format under floodlights. APRIL 14 - CHINA Shanghai International Circuit. 56 laps of 5.451km. 305.066km. 0610GMT (1410 local). 2018 pole: Vettel. Winner: Daniel Ricciardo (Australian) Red Bull. Built in the shape of the Chinese character "shang", the circuit has hosted a race since 2004. This year's will be Formula One's 1,000th grand prix. APRIL 28 - AZERBAIJAN Baku City Circuit. 51 laps of 6.003km. 306.049km. 1210GMT (1610 local). 2018 pole: Vettel. Winner: Hamilton. New in 2016, the race has earned a reputation for thrills against a backdrop of the historic old town and long seaside promenade. MAY 12 - SPAIN Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona. 66 laps of 4.655km. 307.104km. 2018 pole and winner: Hamilton. Venue for pre-season testing. On the calendar since 1991. MAY 26 - MONACO Monte Carlo. 78 laps of 3.337km. 260.286km. 2018 pole and winner: Ricciardo. The slowest and shortest race but also the most glamorous. - JUNE 9 - CANADA Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal. 70 laps of 4.361km. 305.270km. 1810 GMT (1410 local). 2018 pole and winner: Vettel. An F1 favourite since 1978, the circuit is named after the late Ferrari great and father of 1997 world champion Jacques and is on the Ile Notre Dame in the St Lawrence River. JUNE 23 - FRANCE Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet. 5.861km. 309.690km. 2018 pole and winner: Hamilton. The circuit returned last year as the first French Grand Prix since 2008, when the race was held at Magny-Cours. JUNE 30 - AUSTRIA Red Bull Ring, Spielberg. 71 laps of 4.318km. 306.452km. 2018 pole: Bottas. Winner: Max Verstappen (Netherlands) Red Bull). A rural circuit in the southern Styria region, not far from Graz, and owned by Red Bull. JULY 14 - BRITAIN Silverstone. 52 laps of 5.891km. 306.198km. 2018 pole: Hamilton. Winner: Vettel. A former World War Two airfield, the first world championship grand prix was held here in 1950. This year's race is the last under the current contract. JULY 28 - GERMANY Hockenheim. 67 laps of 4.574km. 306.458km. 2018 pole: Vettel. Winner: Hamilton. The track was heavily modified in 2002, with a long forest stretch removed. Also out of contract after this year. AUG 4 - HUNGARY Hungaroring, Budapest. 70 laps of 4.381km. 306.670km. 2018 pole and winner: Hamilton. The first race in 1986 was a breakthrough for F1 behind the 'Iron Curtain'. The circuit is tight, twisty and slow. SEPT 1 - BELGIUM Spa-Francorchamps. 44 laps of 7.004km. 308.052km. 2018 pole: Hamilton. Winner: Vettel. The longest lap on the calendar and one of the fastest circuits. Often wet, always thrilling. SEPT 8 - ITALY Monza. 53 laps of 5.793km. 307.029km. 2018 pole: Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Ferrari. Winner: Hamilton. "La Pista Magica" is the temple of Italian motorsport and Ferrari. Dates back to the 1920s but still the fastest in F1. SEPT 22 - SINGAPORE Marina Bay street circuit. 61 laps of 5.065km. 308.828km. 1210GMT (2010 local). 2018 pole and winner: Hamilton. On the calendar since 2008 as the sport's first night race. SEPT 29 - RUSSIA Sochi street circuit. 53 laps of 5.848km. 309.745km. 1110GMT (1410 local). 2018 pole: Bottas. Winner: Hamilton. The race made its debut in 2014, with the circuit looping around the park built for the Winter Olympics. OCT 13 - JAPAN Suzuka. 53 laps of 5.807km. 307.471km. Race start 0510 GMT (1410 local). 2018 pole and winner: Hamilton. A classic fast figure-of-eight circuit, owned by Honda with a funfair alongside. Always a passionate crowd. OCT 27 - MEXICO Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City. 71 laps of 4.304km. 305.354km. Race start 1910 GMT (1310 local). 2018 pole: Ricciardo. Winner: Verstappen. Returned to the calendar in 2015. Has won the award for best grand prix of the season for the past four seasons but this year's could be the last with state funding set to be withdrawn. NOV 3 - UNITED STATES Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. 56 laps of 5.513km. 308.405km. Race start 1910 GMT (1310 local). 2018 pole: Hamilton. Winner: Raikkonen. Anti-clockwise layout with 20 turns. NOV 17 - BRAZIL Interlagos, Sao Paulo. 71 laps of 4.309km. 305.909km. Race start 1710 GMT (1510 local). 2018 pole and winner: Hamilton. Atmospheric anti-clockwise circuit, home of the late triple champion Ayrton Senna. DEC 1 - ABU DHABI Yas Marina. 55 laps of 5.554km. 305.355km. 2018 pole and winner: Hamilton. Race start 1310 GMT (1710 local). Day-to-night anti-clockwise race under floodlights.

Motor racing: Formula One calendar and details for 2019

Lewis Hamilton shrugged off Ferrari's testing pace on Wednesday while recognising that he and Mercedes faced their toughest challenge yet as they seek to stretch their Formula One domination into a sixth successive season.

Ferrari, overall runners-up last year, have led the timesheets for the first two days of testing at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya and have also done plenty of laps with their new SF90 car.

Sebastian Vettel, the four times champion who is partnered by young Monegasque Charles Leclerc this year, said on Monday his Ferrari had been "close to perfection".

Mercedes, winners of both titles for the past five years, have also been pounding out the mileage without setting any eye-catching times.

"They (Ferrari) have been looking great," Hamilton, who will be chasing his sixth title, told reporters. "For us it's been just digging deep, trying to understand the car, Pretty much the same as the beginning of every year.

"The Ferraris always look strong, particularly in the last few years they look very strong right at the beginning so it's to be expected."

Ferrari won the first two races of last year with a car that seemed quicker than the Mercedes but the champions came back strongly and Hamilton ended the year with 11 wins to Vettel's tally of five.

NO WORRIES

Last year Ferrari -- who won six successive constructors' titles between 1999 and 2004 -- were fastest in testing but it was still Hamilton who put his Mercedes on pole position at the first race in Melbourne with a circuit record time.

"At the moment I don't really hold any worry about anything," said the 34-year-old Briton, who conceded that Ferrari did appear to have produced a better package than last season.

"I just try to focus on our job. I don't know what everyone's doing, there's different fuel loads. I've been in this business a long time so I know how it goes over the first week and into the second.

"It's not a time where we need to be focusing on others. We let everyone else do their thing and really try to focus on digging deep, making sure our processes are better than ever before, analysing the data better than ever before."

Hamilton said the W10 Mercedes felt similar to last year's W09, despite aerodynamic rule changes, and he was in the best shape of his life physically.

"I'm here for round seven with the team," he said. "This is going to be the most challenging year, I think, of our partnership.

"And I still love racing so nothing really changes there."

Lewis Hamilton shrugged off Ferrari's testing pace on Wednesday while recognising that he and Mercedes faced their toughest challenge yet as they seek to stretch their Formula One domination into a sixth successive season.

Lewis Hamilton shrugged off Ferrari's testing pace on Wednesday while recognising that he and Mercedes faced their toughest challenge yet as they seek to stretch their Formula One domination into a sixth successive season. Ferrari, overall runners-up last year, have led the timesheets for the first two days of testing at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya and have also done plenty of laps with their new SF90 car. Sebastian Vettel, the four times champion who is partnered by young Monegasque Charles Leclerc this year, said on Monday his Ferrari had been "close to perfection". Mercedes, winners of both titles for the past five years, have also been pounding out the mileage without setting any eye-catching times. "They (Ferrari) have been looking great," Hamilton, who will be chasing his sixth title, told reporters. "For us it's been just digging deep, trying to understand the car, Pretty much the same as the beginning of every year. "The Ferraris always look strong, particularly in the last few years they look very strong right at the beginning so it's to be expected." Ferrari won the first two races of last year with a car that seemed quicker than the Mercedes but the champions came back strongly and Hamilton ended the year with 11 wins to Vettel's tally of five. NO WORRIES Last year Ferrari -- who won six successive constructors' titles between 1999 and 2004 -- were fastest in testing but it was still Hamilton who put his Mercedes on pole position at the first race in Melbourne with a circuit record time. "At the moment I don't really hold any worry about anything," said the 34-year-old Briton, who conceded that Ferrari did appear to have produced a better package than last season. "I just try to focus on our job. I don't know what everyone's doing, there's different fuel loads. I've been in this business a long time so I know how it goes over the first week and into the second. "It's not a time where we need to be focusing on others. We let everyone else do their thing and really try to focus on digging deep, making sure our processes are better than ever before, analysing the data better than ever before." Hamilton said the W10 Mercedes felt similar to last year's W09, despite aerodynamic rule changes, and he was in the best shape of his life physically. "I'm here for round seven with the team," he said. "This is going to be the most challenging year, I think, of our partnership. "And I still love racing so nothing really changes there."

Motor racing: Lewis Hamilton shrugs off Ferrari's early testing pace

Ferrari made a strong start to the first day of Formula One testing on Monday with four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel top of the timesheets at lunchtime with 72 laps completed.

The Italian team won six of the 21 races last year, finishing overall runners-up, and are hoping the new SF90 car can end Mercedes's five-year stranglehold on both championships.

Vettel's fastest lap of one minute 18.161 seconds, on a sunny morning at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya, was already quicker than anything set during the weather-hit first four-day test of 2018.

The German was also nearly two seconds faster than the best of the rest.

Racing Point's Mexican Sergio Perez was next on the timesheets, with a 1.19.944, on a day when mileage mattered more than outright speed as teams get to grips with their new cars for the first time and focus on getting in plenty of laps.

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Feels great to be back! 👊<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/F1Testing?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#F1Testing</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/F1?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#F1</a> <a href="https://t.co/zH4IwM44yj">pic.twitter.com/zH4IwM44yj</a>
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Reigning champions Mercedes, with Valtteri Bottas first behind the wheel of the silver W10, completed the second most laps -- three fewer than Ferrari -- with Renault's Nico Hulkenberg doing 65.

Five-times world champion Lewis Hamilton will take over from Bottas, who was third fastest, in the afternoon.

Former champions McLaren also made a solid start with Spaniard Carlos Sainz, stepping into the shoes of departed compatriot Fernando Alonso, completing 56 laps with the sixth fastest time.

Red Bull, now powered by Honda after their split from Renault, managed 52 laps with Dutch driver Max Verstappen in action.

Alfa Romeo, the renamed former Sauber team, had 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen in new overalls after leaving Ferrari and completing 46 laps after an early trip into the gravel that brought out the first red flag of 2019.

The Finn was fourth fastest at the lunch break.

Russian Daniil Kvyat was slowest in the Honda-powered Toro Rosso but did more laps than Romain Grosjean, who did only 18 for Haas, while Perez took Racing Point's tally to 20.

Only nine of the 10 teams appeared on track, with struggling Williams failing to get their car ready on time and not expecting to test until Wednesday at the earliest.

Ferrari made a strong start to the first day of Formula One testing on Monday with four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel top of the timesheets at lunchtime with 72 laps completed.

Ferrari made a strong start to the first day of Formula One testing on Monday with four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel top of the timesheets at lunchtime with 72 laps completed. The Italian team won six of the 21 races last year, finishing overall runners-up, and are hoping the new SF90 car can end Mercedes's five-year stranglehold on both championships. Vettel's fastest lap of one minute 18.161 seconds, on a sunny morning at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya, was already quicker than anything set during the weather-hit first four-day test of 2018. The German was also nearly two seconds faster than the best of the rest. Racing Point's Mexican Sergio Perez was next on the timesheets, with a 1.19.944, on a day when mileage mattered more than outright speed as teams get to grips with their new cars for the first time and focus on getting in plenty of laps. Feels great to be back! 👊#F1Testing #F1 pic.twitter.com/zH4IwM44yj — Formula 1 (@F1) February 18, 2019 × Reigning champions Mercedes, with Valtteri Bottas first behind the wheel of the silver W10, completed the second most laps -- three fewer than Ferrari -- with Renault's Nico Hulkenberg doing 65. Five-times world champion Lewis Hamilton will take over from Bottas, who was third fastest, in the afternoon. Former champions McLaren also made a solid start with Spaniard Carlos Sainz, stepping into the shoes of departed compatriot Fernando Alonso, completing 56 laps with the sixth fastest time. Red Bull, now powered by Honda after their split from Renault, managed 52 laps with Dutch driver Max Verstappen in action. Alfa Romeo, the renamed former Sauber team, had 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen in new overalls after leaving Ferrari and completing 46 laps after an early trip into the gravel that brought out the first red flag of 2019. The Finn was fourth fastest at the lunch break. Russian Daniil Kvyat was slowest in the Honda-powered Toro Rosso but did more laps than Romain Grosjean, who did only 18 for Haas, while Perez took Racing Point's tally to 20. Only nine of the 10 teams appeared on track, with struggling Williams failing to get their car ready on time and not expecting to test until Wednesday at the earliest.

Sebastian Vettel gets Ferrari off to strong start in F1 testing

Ferrari turned a page on their recent past&nbsp;as they unveiled the Formula One car designed to end an era of Mercedes domination and shatter Lewis Hamilton's dreams of a sixth championship this season.&nbsp;

The sport's oldest and most successful team, who last won a title more than a decade ago and finished runners-up last year, presented the SF90 with plenty of fanfare at their Maranello factory.&nbsp;

"I'm looking forward to this year. I think the team is on the right path and hopefully we can continue improving," four times world champion Sebastian Vettel, winner of five races in 2018, assured the audience.&nbsp;

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Newborn <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SF90?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SF90</a> 
 
Discover all contents at <a href="https://t.co/bS2YGkBDkv">https://t.co/bS2YGkBDkv</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/essereFerrari?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#essereFerrari</a> <a href="https://t.co/FvzpUdWrGt">pic.twitter.com/FvzpUdWrGt</a>
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The German has a new team mate in Charles Leclerc, replacing 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen, and a new principal following the departure of Maurizio Arrivabene and appointment of Mattia Binotto.&nbsp;

"I'm extremely excited to start this new adventure," said Leclerc. "It's a dream since childhood. I've always been looking at the red cars, hoping to be one day in this car, so it's a very emotional day for me."&nbsp;

Testing starts in Spain on Monday with the first race in Australia on March 17.&nbsp;

Ferrari turned a page on their recent past as they unveiled the Formula One car designed to end an era of Mercedes domination and shatter Lewis Hamilton's dreams of a sixth championship this season.

Ferrari turned a page on their recent past as they unveiled the Formula One car designed to end an era of Mercedes domination and shatter Lewis Hamilton's dreams of a sixth championship this season. The sport's oldest and most successful team, who last won a title more than a decade ago and finished runners-up last year, presented the SF90 with plenty of fanfare at their Maranello factory. "I'm looking forward to this year. I think the team is on the right path and hopefully we can continue improving," four times world champion Sebastian Vettel, winner of five races in 2018, assured the audience. Newborn #SF90 Discover all contents at https://t.co/bS2YGkBDkv#essereFerrari pic.twitter.com/FvzpUdWrGt — Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) February 15, 2019 × The German has a new team mate in Charles Leclerc, replacing 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen, and a new principal following the departure of Maurizio Arrivabene and appointment of Mattia Binotto. "I'm extremely excited to start this new adventure," said Leclerc. "It's a dream since childhood. I've always been looking at the red cars, hoping to be one day in this car, so it's a very emotional day for me." Testing starts in Spain on Monday with the first race in Australia on March 17.

Ferrari launch new SF90 looking to end F1 title drought

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