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    Mercedes to remind Valtteri Bottas of future conduct after he ignored team orders and risked Lewis Hamilton title bid

    MERCEDES bosses will remind Valtteri Bottas about his future conduct after he defied team orders at the Dutch GP.The Finn stopped two laps from the end for fresh tyres and was told NOT to set the fastest lap, which was held by his teammate Lewis Hamilton at the time.
    Valtteri Bottas is to get a ticking off from Mercedes bossesCredit: Splash
    Bottas took the fastest lap before Lewis Hamilton went even fasterCredit: Getty
    However, Bottas set blistering times in the first two sectors only to ease off in the final but still set a new record, potentially denying Hamilton a championship bonus point.
    It forced Merc to pit Hamilton a lap from the end so he too could get fresh tyres in a bid to regain the fastest lap honour and subsequent extra point.
    It created an unnecessary risk and provided the first glimpse that the axed Finn – who will be replaced by George Russell next season – will not fully-support Hamilton’s own title defence.
    Merc boss Wolff said: “It was a bit cheeky, but understandable. 
    “Valtteri is always on the receiving end because this championship is so tight and he lifted off massively in the last sector.
    “It could have ended up in the loss of a point for Lewis and it would also have also been not right because he had fastest lap until then.
    “We are going to talk about it but in a most amicable and professional way. But I can certainly relate to the situation.”

    Bottas, once dubbed the “perfect wingman” by Wolff, said he was “just playing around” – a flippant remark that could concern the Mercedes hierarchy.
    He said: “I was pushing on the first lap sector one, two, like flat out and then they started asking me to slow down at the end of the lap.
    “I was just playing around, really, because Lewis needs that one extra point more than me.
    “He is fighting for the world championship and as a team we’re trying to get the maximum points so that’s how it is.”
    Hamilton admitted he “had no idea” Bottas had taken the fastest lap time away from him – albeit temporarily as he regained it – but added “it doesn’t really matter.”
    He said: “If Valtteri had got it, that would have been fine. At the end of the day we needed to get the fastest lap, as many points as we can as a team.
    “So if Valtteri gets it or I get it, it doesn’t really make a huge difference.”

    🏁 F1 2021 calendar: practice times, dates and racetrack info
    Hamilton admits he has his work cut out if he is to win his record eighth world title, with nine races remaining.
    Now without a victory on pure pace since the Spanish GP in May, Hamilton added: “I’m giving it everything but since the first race, Red Bull have had such a strong car.
    “We had a couple of races where it looked like we just about were on par with them but there’s only been a couple of those.” More

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    F1 Dutch Grand Prix LIVE RESULTS:Max Verstappen WINS home GP to go back to top of championship, Hamilton second

    THE Dutch Grand Prix is UNDERWAY at a packed Circuit Zandvoort.Max Verstappen has huge support in the busy stands, but Lewis Hamilton is giving chase.

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    PARTY TIME
    It’s no exaggeration to say that the fans are going absolutely wild for Max Verstappen. That’s some reception.
    It’s a sea of orange in the stands and they’re jubilant after a wonderful day of racing on a fantastic track.
    The Dutch GP is definitely one to keep an eye on for next year as well. Wonder whether we’ll look back on today at the end of the season as a defining moment for Max Verstappen…

    UP IN THE POINTS
    An outrageous drive from Sergio Perez who started down in P16 and managed to overtake the likes of Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo to get up to P8 place. A thoroughly good day for Red Bull.
    A special mention also for Fernando Alonso in the Alpine, who started in P9 and drove a superb race to overtake Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari as well as teammate Esteban Ocon to finish P6.
    The 40-year-old shows us again that class is permanent.

    HOME CHAMP
    Incredible scenes as Max Verstappen is crowned the first ever Dutch winner of the Dutch Grand Prix after a 36 year absence from the F1 circuit.
    It was a brilliant drive from the new leader of the Drivers Championship, who did incredibly well to keep Hamilton and Bottas at bay, who both pushed him right until the end.
    There could be no other winner though.

    MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS THE DUTCH GP
    Who else? This was a mega event. A mega crowd and a popular winner.
    The grandstands are lit up with orange smoke bombs.
    Lewis Hamilton is second. Bottas is third.
    Hamilton also gets the point for the fastest lap.
    BOTTAS GETS THE FASTST LAP
    And now Hamilton pits for tyres. Lap 72
    BOTTAS FINAL PITSTOP
    And that was a slow stop. It will allow him a crack at setting the fastest lap and earning a bonus point.
    However, that will crucially take a point away from Hamilton, who currently has the fastest lap. Unless Hamilton stops again.
    LAP 64 HAMILTON’S CHALLENGE HAS FADED
    The Mercedes man has dropped his pace to preserve his tyres. The gap is now up to 4 seconds.
    LAP 55
    Hamilton has been eating into Verstappen’s advantage. He has reduced that gap to 1.3 seconds.
    In doing so, he has taken some life out of his tyres. This might actually put Verstappen under some pressure.

    TSUNODA HAS RETIRED FROM THE RACE
    The Alpha Tauri man is back in the garage and out of this race.

    MAZEPIN IS THE FIRST CAR TO RETIRE FROM THIS RACE
    The Haas man is back in the garage. No real surprise of loss.
    LAP 41 VERSTAPPEN PITS
    Red Bull respond to the threat of the undercut from Hamilton by calling in Verstappen.
    The pitstops is clean and he is back on his way again, three seconds ahead of the Mercedes man.

    LAP 40 HAMILTON PITS
    Another stop for the world champion, who takes another set of medium tyres.
    He returns to the track in second place but almost 25 seconds behind the leader.
    FEW OVERTAKES OF NOTE SO FAR, BUT THIS WAS A GOOD ONE
    Pierre Gasly on Fernando Alonso. I bet they enjoyed watching that down at Honda.

    SEBASTIAN VETTEL SPINS ON THE BANKING
    The Aston Martin man loses the rear of his car and slides to a halt. He’s now down in 17th place.
    PENALTY FOR RUSSELL
    The Brit has been given a five second time penalty for speeding in the pitlane.
    LAP 31 VERSTAPPEN GETS PAST BOTTAS INTO TURN ONE
    The grandstands erupt as the Dutchman regains the lead. The Finn, then surrenders P2 to Hamilton.
    It is Verstappen, Hamilton, Bottas, Leclerc, Sainz – the two Ferraris are yet to pit.
    LAP 30 BOTTAS IS BACKING VERSTAPPEN INTO HAMILTON
    The Finn is helping out tactically here as Verstappen has become the jam in a Mercedes sandwich.
    LAP 22 VERSTAPPEN PITS
    The Red Bull team respond to Hamilton’s pitstops by calling him in a lap later.
    The pitstop was a second-quicker to increase the Dutchman’s lead in this race.
    Valtteri Bottas, who has yet to pit, is the new race leader.
    LAP 22/72Verstappen and Hamilton pit from P1 and P2 respectively Verstappen emerges in P2, 10 seconds behind Bottas (P1)Hamilton in P3, three seconds further backBottas has not stopped yet #DutchGP 🇳🇱 #F1 pic.twitter.com/Mkta2tXMHz— Formula 1 (@F1) September 5, 2021

    HAMILTON REPORTING TYRE PROBLEMS
    Lap 21 Hamilton comes in for some fresh tyres. He’s gone for a set of medium tyres in the hope of reaching the end of the race.
    SO FAR, NO RED FLAGS
    I will admit, I’d almost guaranteed there would be at least one red flag so far, judging by the support races.
    But this GP has been incident free. Already on lap 19/72. It is whizzing by.
    1,000 LAPS
    Max Verstappen has now lead 1,000 laps in Formula One.
    MAX IS PULLING AWAY
    The Red Bull man is trying to get out of the way of a Hamilton fight back. If he builds a gap it will make life easier on his team when it comes to deciding when to pit him for tyres.

    NEAR MISS FOR GIOVINAZZI
    The Alfa Romeo man is in he thick of the action and almost clatters into Carlos Sainz and then Fernando Alonso.
    PROBLEMS FOR RICCIARDO?
    His McLaren is pumping out blue smoke and George Russell is travelling behind and says the Aussie is leaking oil.
    Now, it could be a little bit of oil overfill burning off, or maybe there is a bigger issue.
    LIGHTS OUT – WE ARE GO
    A great start from Verstappen who is already a two car lengths clear of Hamilton into Turn One.
    He absolutely nailed that start. The Red Bull man is flying as Hamilton came under attack from teammate Valtteri Bottas.
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    Max Verstappen wins Dutch GP with Lewis Hamilton finishing second but pushing F1 rival the whole way

    MAX VERSTAPPEN has taken the lead in the Formula One Drivers’ Championship after a dominant victory in Holland on Sunday.The Belgian-born racer – who represents Holland – started on pole at the Circuit Zandvoort and went on to win his home Grand Prix.
    Max Verstappen won the Dutch GP – his home raceCredit: Getty
    Red Bull star Verstappen, 23, finished ahead of Mercedes pair Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas to move three points clear at the top.
    Hamilton, 36, pushed his title rival all the way but couldn’t catch him, although he did win an extra point for having the fastest lap.
    The British star has eight races remaining in the season to reclaim the lead and win a record EIGHTH world title.
    Sunday’s race was the first time the Dutch GP has been held since 1985, with Verstappen becoming the first Dutchman to win on home soil.
    More to follow…

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    Lewis Hamilton arrives at Dutch GP wearing Holland’s famous orange colours More

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    F1 star Max Verstappen shares rare snap alongside stunning girlfriend Kelly Piquet who is nine years his senior

    FORMULA ONE hero Max Verstappen has shared a rare snap of himself with his girlfriend Kelly Piquet on holiday.The 23-year-old racer is currently embroiled in a fascinating tussle with Lewis Hamilton for the F1 Driver’s Championship.
    Max Verstappen has shared a picture of him and his girlfriend on InstagramCredit: Instagram @kellypiquet
    The F1 star has been dating Kelly Piquet since October 2020Credit: Instagram @kellypiquet
    The Brazilian model dated former F1 star Daniil Kvyat between 2016 and 2019Credit: Instagram @kellypiquet
    Verstappen posted a picture of him and Kelly on Instagram, writing: “Enjoying the last few days of the summer break!”
    The Brazilian model also shared some pics from their holiday to her 416,000 Insta followers, writing: “You and me, and the sound of the sea.”
    Kelly, 32, is nearly nine years older than Verstappen and is the daughter of racing legend Nelson Piquet, who won three F1 titles during the 1980s.
    She previously dated former F1 star Daniil Kvyat, 27, between 2016 and 2019, giving birth to their baby daughter in July 2019.
    Verstappen doesn’t share a lot of photos from his personal life on Insta but does give his 5.5 million followers plenty of F1 pics.
    The couple are reportedly soaking up the sun on the Caribbean island of Sint Maarten ahead of the next race in Spa, Belgium on August 29.

    🏁 F1 2021 calendar: practice times, dates and racetrack info
    Hamilton has won seven world titles during his career and is hoping to claim an eighth and become the outright record holder later this year.
    Verstappen is his biggest challenger and wants to become the third-youngest racer in history to win the Drivers’ Championship.
    The title rivals have already experienced some heated moments this season, with the pair colliding in a brutal crash at Silverstone.
    Kelly is the daughter of three-time F1 champ Nelson PiquetCredit: Instagram @kellypiquet
    Kelly has one child with KvyatCredit: Instagram @kellypiquet
    Dramatic F1 fan footage shows brutal impact of Max Verstappen’s 180mph crash as Lewis Hamilton is blamed for collision More

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    F1 Dutch Grand Prix: UK start time, TV channel and live stream for Circuit Zandvoort race

    MAX VERSTAPPEN is on home turf as he looks to turn up the heat on Lewis Hamilton in the F1 Dutch Grand Prix.The Dutchman moved to within three points of the Brit after picking up half points from a controversial win in Belgium.
    Max Verstappen reduced Lewis Hamilton’s world championship lead to three points in BelgiumCredit: Splash
    The ‘race’ at Spa, which was criticised by both Verstappen and Hamilton, consisted of two laps behind the safety car with every driver ending up in the position they finished qualifying in.
    What time is the F1 Dutch Grand Prix?

    The Dutch Grand Prix race weekend takes place from Friday, September 3 to Sunday, September 5.
    Qualifying takes place on Saturday September 5 at 2pm.
    Practice Three takes place before at 11am on the Saturday.
    The race then takes place at 2pm on Sunday.

    What TV channel is the F1 Dutch Grand Prix on and can I live stream it?

    The F1 Dutch Grand Prix weekend will be live on Sky Sports F1.
    To stream the action live, head to your Sky Go account.
    Non-Sky Sports subscribers can still watch all the action with a Now TV Day Pass from £9.99.
    Friday’s coverage commences at 10am.
    Saturday’s coverage commences at 10.45am.
    Sunday’s coverage commences at 12.30pm.

    Race schedule
    Friday
    Practice One – 10.30am
    Practice Two – 2pm
    Saturday
    Practice Three – 11am
    Qualifying – 2pm
    Sunday
    Race – 2pm More

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    Formula One star Mazepin blasts Mick Schumacher and says German team-mate ‘f****d last attempt’ in Dutch GP qualifying

    FORMULA ONE star Nikita Mazepin lashed out at Haas team-mate Mick Schumacher after their squabble in their Dutch Grand Prix qualifier.Mazepin and Shcumacher, the son of legendary Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher, seem to be at odds over who was at fault at the end of Q1 when they fought for track position.
    Haas star Nikita Mazepin lashed out at team-mate Mick Schumacher after Q1Credit: Getty
    Haas driver Mick Schumacher insists he did nothing wrong during the Dutch Grand Prix’s Q1Credit: Rex
    That saw them block Aston Martin star Sebastian Vettel, who almost crashed on them as he was charging into Turn 13 around the narrow Zandvoort track.
    Mazepin was furious after the race as the Russian driver claimed Schumacher “f****d” his last attempt in qualifying “on purpose”.
    The 22-year-old said: “I’m really annoyed to be honest.
    “How the rules in a Formula 1 team works, one weekend you’re the first car, next weekend you’re the second car. This weekend it was my turn to be the first car.
    “I once in Imola overtook the first car when I was the second car and I got a b********g from the team.
    “And now this has happened to me for the second time where my team-mate overtakes me and then bumps me into the traffic and then f***s my last attempt in qualifying on purpose.
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    “So I’m not happy because if you do it once and you didn’t know about it, that’s fine, but when you do it twice, that’s deliberate…
    “There shouldn’t be any tension like that in the team, so I’m f****d off.”
    Schumacher, on the other hand,, disagrees with Mazepin as he claims he “did everything the right way”.
    The 22-year-old German remained coy on his relationship with his Haas team-mate even though they have both endured some edgy moments this year.
    Schumacher replied: “From my point of view I did everything the right way. It was discussed publicly on the radio.
    The ten greatest F1 drivers of all-time – according to SunSport’s motorsport correspondent Ben Hunt
    “Obviously you can’t hear that but it was, so obviously we’re both in a situation that wasn’t great because the last corner wasn’t easy.
    “Sebastian… is the last person I want to block on this grid, so very sorry for that and also to Aston Martin. But we’ll try to do our best in the race tomorrow.
    “Again, I think whatever happened before, they’re always different situations.
    “I think in this one, there’s no reason to complain. I don’t really know what to say more.”
    Meanwhile, Dutch GP stewards have cleared Mazepin, Schumacher and Vettel of any wrongdoing.
    Max Verstappen storms to pole in front of home fans at Dutch GP More

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    Max Verstappen storms to pole in front of home fans at Dutch GP with Lewis Hamilton second behind title rival

    MAX VERSTAPPEN thrilled 70,000 home fans by winning pole for Sunday’s Dutch GP ahead of title rival Lewis Hamilton.Red Bull ace Verstappen beat Mercedes duo Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas at Zandvoort, with Pierre Gasly an impressive fourth for Alpha Tauri.
    Max Verstappen is breathing down Lewis Hamilton’s neck in the F1 title race and landed pole for his home GP in HollandCredit: Reuters
    Seven-time world champ Lewis Hamilton still has one eye on winning the Dutch GP and another on retaining his world title leadCredit: Getty
    Dutch star Verstappen trails Britain’s reigning world champ by just three points in this year’s title standings.
    And after missing out on pole Hamilton said: “It was so close.
    “First I want to say a big thank you to all the orange fans, the Dutch fans, what an amazing venue, what an amazing track.
    “Great support from the fans here and I appreciate it. Max did an amazing lap. I was so close and I gave it everything.
    “It’s a difficult circuit to overtake but what a place for us to be racing.
    “Strategy will come into it and it’s great to see so many people here. Hopefully the track provides a great race.”
    FULL STORY TO FOLLOW

    RUNNING ORDER FOR DUTCH GPHere’s how they will line up at Zandvoort for Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix

    Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
    Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
    Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
    Pierre Gasly (Alpha Tauri)
    Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
    Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
    Antonio Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo)
    Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
    Fernando Alonso (Alpine)
    Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren)
    George Russell (Williams)
    Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
    Lando Norris (McLaren)
    Nicholas Latifi (Williams)
    Yuki Tsunoda (Alpha Tauri)
    Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
    Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin)
    Robert Kubica (Alfa Romeo)
    Mick Schumacher (Haas)
    Nikita Mazepin (Haas)

    Lewis Hamilton arrives at Dutch GP wearing Holland’s famous orange colours More

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    F1 Dutch Grand Prix qualifying LIVE: Stream, TV channel as Verstappen goes for pole infront of raucous crowd

    MAX VERSTAPPEN is on home turf as the F1 Driver’s Championship drama continues at the Dutch GP.Lewis Hamilton remains just three points ahead in the standings going into a crucial qualifying session today, where the racers will compete for pole.
    But Kimi Raikkonen will not be appearing this weekend after testing positive for Covid-19.

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    VERSTAPPEN GETS POLE – BUT ONLY JUST
    Hamilton is just 0.038 seconds behind the Red Bull man. Super close but Verstappen is on pole.
    Hamilton will start second. Bottas in third. Gasly in fourth.
    It is going to be an exciting start and some 72 laps tomorrow!

    FINAL RUNS FOR GRID PLACES
    Can anyone beat Max?

    VERSTAPPEN TAKES PROVISIONAL POLE -THEN GOES EVEN QUICKER
    He is into the 1:08s as he sets the benchmark. Two belting laps from the Red Bull man while Hamilton’s best crack is only good enough for third.
    Six minutes still to run in this session and it is Verstappen, Bottas, Hamilton.

    Q3 IS GO – AFTER A SHORT DELAY THE TOP 10 SHOOT OUT IS UNDERWAY
    Verstappen vrs Hamilton. This could be a tasty one. All been advantage Verstappen.
    However, he is on his own in this session, as his teammate Sergio Perez is out. Hamilton, however, can rely on Bottas to give him some help.
    THIS TRACK IS CERATINLY PROVING TRICKY
    Plenty of red flags over the two days so far. And still time for more drama. Q3 set to start in five minutes.

    SESSION ENDED – LATIFI’S CRASH BRINGS AN EARLY END TO THE SESSION THAT WILL NOT BE RESTARTED
    It means that Tsunoda, Latifi, Norris, Stroll and Russell are all eliminated.

    RED FLAG – LATIFI CRASHES OUT
    This time is it Russell’s teammate, Nicholas Latifi who crashes. That’s a hefty slam into the barrier at Turn 8. He is OK, but winded.

    GREEN LIGHT – FINAL FEW MINUTES
    This is going to be a hectic end to Q2.
    3 MINUTES AND 54 SECONDS REMAINING
    It means that Williams can quickly patch up Russell’s car and get him out for another crack of reaching the top 10.
    RED FLAG – GEORGE RUSSELL HAS A SPIN AND IS IN THE BARRIER
    He’s OK, has the car going again and is heading back to the pitlane. He pushed it too hard on the final corner and lost control.
    That’s a shame as he was going along nicely on that lap.

    VERSTAPPEN TOPS P2
    Hamilton and Bottas cannot better his time as it stands. Giovinazzi in P4, Russell in fifth.

    MAZEPIN COULD BE IN HOT WATER
    Not that it will help out Vettel, who is out in Q1.

    LANDO NORRIS SCRAPES IN BUT PEREZ IS OUT
    That is a blow to Red Bull as Perez is eliminated at the first hurdle. He is down in 16th place.
    That is simply not good enough from the Mexican or indeed Red Bull.
    Vettel is also out after nearly getting taken out but the Haas of Nikita Mazepin.
    Stewards will be looking at that incident after the session. However, it means that Norris is into Q2 – but only just.

    RUSSELL IS ON A FLYER
    He goes fifth quickest in a Williams. Following on from his excellent result at Spa, the Brit delivers another performance that underlines just why he’s being picked to replace Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes next season.
    SAINZ IS OUT
    The Ferrari man is out on track. That is a cracking re-build by his Ferrari team. He is out on track with a little under seven minutes remaining of Q1.
    THERE IS A BIG ROAR FROM THE GRANDSTANDS AS VERSTAPPEN GOES P1
    The Red Bull man is the quickest again around his home track and looks safely into Q2.
    Hamilton is right behind him, just 0.147 seconds off his lap time.

    GREEN LIGHT – QUALIFYING IS GO
    Q1 is underway in Zandvoort. I expect this session to be fairly stop start, so an early lap could be key.

    PLENTY AT STAKE
    It is all to play for in the championship but it is not just about the individual drivers.
    The team standings are also tightly packed and Mercedes hold a narrow lead over Red Bull heading into the Dutch GP.

    RACE AGAINST TIME FOR SAINZ
    Ferrari are still repairing his car following his accident in FP3. He is ready, should it be fixed in time.

    HAMILTON LOVING TRACK
    Lewis Hamilton appears to be a big fan of this weekend’s Dutch circuit and will be looking for a big performance this afternoon.
    Wow what a circuit and what a crowd! Had to stop due to a loss of power. We will work through this and hope for a better day tomorrow. Thank you #teamlh for all the incredible support and also to the Dutch Orange fans for making the atmosphere electric today and for welcoming me. pic.twitter.com/ZdzgOmDIUJ— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) September 3, 2021

    VERSTAPPEN FOCUSED
    Max Verstappen topped final practice and appears to have his eye on the prize as he chases pole position at the Dutch GP.

    MAX TOPS THE LOT – VERSTAPPEN LEADS FINAL PRACTICE
    Home advantage? It doesn’t matter. The Red Bull man heads into qualifying top of the pile.
    Over half a second quicker than Valtteri Bottas and almost 0.8 seconds on Lewis Hamilton.
    That’s huge. He’s also been cleared of any penalty for the confusion over the red light overtake on Lance Stroll from FP2.

    SCHUMACHER SKIRTS ACROSS THE GRAVEL
    He goes in too fast into the corner, loses control and runs across the gravel. He manages to keep moving but that will be a blow to his confidence.
    WOW VERSTAPPEN HAS JUST GONE TOP OF THE TIME SHEETS
    But what is even more impressive is that he set a time of 1:09.623 a full 0.556 seconds quicker than Bottas and 0.794 faster than Hamilton.
    He says over the radio: “That last sector won’t get any better than that!”
    He’s not wrong. That was a sensational lap.

    FERNANDO ALONSO ROLLING BACK THE YEARS
    The two-time world champion is in P1 in final practice.

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