Hamilton trails Bottas in Silverstone sessions

HOME favourite Lewis Hamilton was beaten to top spot by his Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas in both practice sessions for the British Grand Prix yesterday.

Hamilton, the 32-year-old Briton who is bidding for a record-equalling fifth victory on home soil, has seen his preparations this week overshadowed by his no-show at a Formula One promotional event in London on Wednesday night.

And it was Finn Bottas, the 27-year-old fresh from his second victory of the campaign in Austria last Sunday, who led the way at an overcast Silverstone.

Hamilton, however, failed to post his best time in the afternoon session on the supersoft tyre after he ran off the track through the superquick Becketts section. He was still just 0.047 seconds slower than Bottas.

But it will provide the triple world champion with enough confidence that he can get the better of his in-form team-mate in what could prove to be a pivotal qualifying session today.

Hamilton won from pole in 2015, and again last year, and how the Englishman could do with another dominant victory as he bids to trim the 20-point margin to rival Sebastian Vettel at the summit of the championship.

Vettel, who has been so consistent this season, was only fourth here, four tenths of a second slower than the Mercedes pair.

His Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, who spun off the circuit during the second session, was also faster after he ended the day third in the order.

Red Bull have brought a number of updates with them to Silverstone. Max Verstappen was fifth, 0.6 sec slower than Bottas, with Australian Daniel Ricciardo sixth in the order.

Fernando Alonso, who is set to serve a grid drop here following a series of penalties for changes to his Honda engine, was ninth.

Britain’s Jolyon Palmer, who also took an unscheduled trip across the gravel, finished 18th in both practice sessions