Max Verstappen fastest in final practice as drivers limber up for Sprint race

Lewis Hamilton was eighth fastest in his Mercedes.

Philip Duncan
Saturday 17 July 2021 13:38 BST
Verstappen - "We can't dream about our results so far"

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Max Verstappen finished fastest in the final practice session ahead of Formula One’s inaugural Sprint race on Saturday.

The Dutchman, who will start behind pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton ended the one-hour running at a sun-cooked Silverstone three tenths faster than Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

Leclerc’s team-mate Carlos Sainz finished third, with Hamilton eighth in his Mercedes.

The seven-time world champion was 1.2 seconds adrift of his title rival, but the field were operating on varying fuel levels.

Hamilton delighted the home crowd here on Friday evening when he saw off Verstappen by just 0.075 secs to qualify first for the Sprint.

The maiden race – a 17-lap dash to the chequered flag which determines the grid for Sunday’s British Grand Prix – will take place at 4.30pm in front of more than 100,000 fans.

Alpine’s Esteban Ocon finished fourth in Saturday’s practice ahead of the Red Bull of Sergio Perez and McLaren’s Lando Norris.

Valtteri Bottas who spun late in the session, finished ninth.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in