Hamilton on top after eventful day in Bahrain

A stray dog halted an eventful second practice for tomorrow’s Bahrain Grand Prix after Alexander Albon crashed out at high speed.

Lewis Hamilton celebrated his title coronation by finishing fastest in both sessions at the Sakhir Circuit, but the drama unfolded away from the world champion.

First, the London-born Albon did his decreasing hopes of salvaging a seat with Red Bull few favours when he lost control of his car through the final corner.

After being elevated from AlphaTauri to Red Bull midway through his rookie season, Albon, 24, has endured a troubled second campaign.

And facing mounting speculation here that he will be replaced by Racing Point’s Sergio Perez in 2021, Albon wrote off his Red Bull.

The driver emerged unscathed from the accident, but his Red Bull mechanics were facing a hefty repair job following severe damage to the front and rear of Albon’s Red Bull machine.

The running, under the 495 bulbs that light up the circuit in Manama, was brought to an immediate halt, but only moments after Albon’s stricken car had been removed and the safety barrier patched up, the 90-minute session was red-flagged again when a stray dog broke through a fence and galloped on to the circuit.

Eight drivers on the track at the time gingerly returned to the pits and a five-minute delay ensued.

Hamilton finished almost four tenths clear of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, with Valtteri Bottas third in the other Mercedes. Perez was fourth.