LEWIS NEARS VICTORY RECORD

LEWIS HAMILTON finished fastest on another crushing day for Mercedes ahead of tomorrow’s Italian Grand Prix. After team-mate Valtteri Bottas topped the time charts in opening practice, the allconquering Mercedes cars traded positions later in the day at Monza. Hamilton finished 0.262 seconds clear of Bottas, with Lando Norris third in his McLaren, nine tenths of a second off the pace. For Ferrari, it was another sobering day. Charles Leclerc finished in ninth, three places ahead of his team-mate Sebastian Vettel. As Ferrari’s troubles show few signs of easing, Hamilton’s quest for a seventh world championship grows stronger with each passing round. Ahead of the eighth of 17 races here on Sunday, Hamilton holds a 47-point title lead. Michael Schumacher’s win tally now looks set to fall, with Hamilton on course to move to within one of the German’s all-time total with a 90th career triumph tomorrow. Hamilton’s closest championship challenger, Max Verstappen, who crashed in practice, was in fifth, more than a second off the pace. Ferrari might be pleased their home race is being played out before empty grandstands. Leclerc and Vettel both fell off the road during second practice, with the former venting his frustration over the radio. ‘This car is so hard to drive,’ he complained. The 22-year-old finished 1.4 sec slower than Hamilton with Vettel 1.6 sec down. The Alpha Tauri pair Pierre Gasly and Daniil Kvyat finished fourth and seventh. Carlos Sainz was sixth for McLaren. George Russell handed the keys over to Williams’ reserve driver Roy Nissany for the morning session. The Briton returned later but finished last of the 20 competitors.