Sebastian Vettel sets track record to lead Austrian GP final practice
Formula 1 | June 30, 2018 18:44 ISTVettel trails championship leader Hamilton by 14 points going into Sunday's ninth of 21 races.
Vettel trails championship leader Hamilton by 14 points going into Sunday's ninth of 21 races.
Mercedes were unable to deliver a reliable engine upgrade in time for the Canadian GP, helping Ferrari return to the top of the podium for the first time since 2004.
The four-time world champion sped on after the checkered flag was waved one lap too early, finishing his wire-to-wire victory at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Sunday
Vettel covered the 2.71-mile (4.36-km) track in 1 minute, 10.764 seconds to deprive Lewis Hamilton of a record seventh pole in Montreal.
Ricciardo was also fastest in all three practice sessions and the Australian driver will be confident of securing his second win after victory last month in China.
Australian driver Ricciardo headed teammate Max Verstappen to a Red Bull one-two in both practice sessions at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Defending champion Lewis Hamilton has won the last two races with Mercedes this season to move 17 points ahead of Sebastian Vettel in their title battle despite trailing by the same amount after the Ferrari driver won the first two of the season.
Hamilton was never challenged on the way to his 41st win from pole position, surpassing a record he shared with seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher.
Sebastian Vettel qualified in pole position on Saturday for the third straight time this season ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Ferrari's Vettel had lacked pace on Friday on a slippery track but was 0.361 seconds faster than the second-place Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton — his main title rival — in cool, overcast conditions.
The Mercedes duo of Valtteri Bottas — fastest in the first session — and defending champion Lewis Hamilton ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, in the second practice.
Both Ferrari cars were 0.5 seconds faster in qualifying than either Mercedes, a huge gap in F1.
Vettel was almost overtaken by Bottas on the last lap, but made a crucial blocking move and won by only 0.6 seconds.
Raikkonen and Vettel were up front as cooler temperatures and nightfall matched the conditions for Sunday evening's race. Raikkonen's time of 1 minute, 29.8 seconds on the 5.4-kilometer (3.3-mile) desert circuit was a fraction quicker than Vettel's.
The German becomes the fourth driver to claim 100 podium finishes, joining Hamilton, Michael Schumacher and Alain Prost.
The four drivers behind Hamilton were separated by just over 0.3 second, setting up the promise of an extremely competitive race on Sunday between Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull.
The heavy rains subsided by early afternoon, allowing the track to rapidly dry during the third practice session and making conditions safe for drivers to test their soft tires.
Hamilton and Vettel have something else to vie for this year — a chance to pull even with former Argentine driver Juan Manuel Fangio for second place on the all-time championship list.
The Australian GP next weel will be Vettel's 200th race whereas meanwhile, Hamilton seeks a record-extending 73rd pole and a 63rd GP win.
Vettel had the fastest time in the morning session with a lap of 1 minute, 20.396 seconds, two tenths faster than Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes.
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