Lewis still top dog...despite stray canine on track

DOG stops play. A long-tailed stray penetrated the security fences and came bounding along the track without a care in the world. Lewis Hamilton, starting his victory parade after sealing title No 7 a fortnight ago, was told of the canine intrusion into the second practice session under floodlights. ‘I hope it’s not Roscoe, man,’ said the champion over the radio, a reference to his own pet bulldog. A red flag brought a temporary halt to proceedings. Over in his Ferrari, Vettel sang: ‘Who let the dogs out/Woff woff.’ The trespasser found its own way off the premises and the action restarted, with Hamilton setting the fastest time, as he had done in the first session, making him favourite to win here in Bahrain and thus claim his 11th victory of a record-crunching campaign. By way of contrast, Red Bull’s Alex Albon ran wide at the last corner, slid as he applied the brakes and spun sharply to plant the right side of his car into the wall. The damage was considerable. Thankfully, the 24-year-old was physically unharmed. Hamilton (below) is close to signing a new contract with Mercedes — worth £40m a year if he gets his way — before the mooted introduction of a driver salary cap across Formula One. Speaking ahead of the first of two races in Bahrain, the sport’s highest-earning participant turned trade unionist. ‘The drivers are the stars and it is their reputations that elevate the sport and help it travel around the world,’ said 35-year-old Hamilton, who is worth £250m-plus. ‘There have been salary caps in NFL and basketball. The one difference is there the individuals own their image rights and can try to maximise their earnings elsewhere. But this sport pretty much controls the driver’s image. ‘The up-and-coming young stars and I don’t see why they should be handicapped if they’re bringing something huge to the sport.’ The cap idea has been approved in principle. It is unlikely to be introduced before 2023. As for the road that has brought Hamilton to the brink of signing an extension at Mercedes, he dismissed the notion he ever seriously considered a move to Ferrari. TV: Qualifying LIVE on Sky F1 from 1pm, race tomorrow from 12.30pm.