Max Verstappen paces field ahead of qualifying in Saudi Arabia

Max Verstappen topped the final practice ahead of qualifying for the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, where the Dutchman can wrap up his first Formula One world title with a flawless performance.

Verstappen holds an eightpoint lead over seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton in the standings with two races remaining. But a Verstappen victory for Red Bull on Sunday coupled with a finish of seventh or lower by Hamilton would give the 24-year-old the championship before next week's finale.

Hamilton, who was fastest in both of Friday's practices, could also leave Saudi Arabia tied with Verstappen in the standings if the Mercedes driver wins Sunday and scores maximum points. Hamilton was second to Verstappen in Saturday's practice, but Red Bull driver Sergio Perez was third.

The next fastest drivers were in underpowered cars compared to Red Bull and Mercedes: Yuki Tsunoda for AlphaTauri was fourth and followed by teammate Pierre Gasly.

Valtteri Bottas was sixth for Mercedes, which is locked into a tight constructors championship fight with Red Bull.

Later, Hamilton was summoned to the stewards for not respecting double yellow flag.

The drivers have praised the high-speed street circuit that spans 6.2 kilometers (3.8 miles), with 27 corners (16 left turns, 11 right turns). It was built along a 30-kilometer (18.6mile) coastal resort area in Jeddah and workers were still completing final touches ahead of this weekend's F1 debut in the country.

F1 is closing its season with three consecutive races in the Middle East and four total stops in the region on the 2021 calendar. Hamilton spoke out in Bahrain and Qatar and said Thursday he wouldn't choose to race in Saudi Arabia. The season concludes next week in Abu Dhabi.

"As I said (in Qatar) I feel that the sport and we are duty bound to try to help raise awareness for certain issues that we've seen, particularly human rights in these countries that we're going to," the British driver said. "Do I feel comfortable here? I wouldn't say I do. But it's not my choice to be here, the sport has taken the choice to be here. Whether it's right or wrong, while we're here again, I feel it's important that we do try to raise awareness."

Mercedes F1 boss apologizes as fire survivors slam sponsor

The head of the MercedesAMG Petronas Formula One racing team apologized Friday for the way the team announced its partnership with a company involved in a London high-rise where a fire killed 72 people.

The team announced a sponsorship deal this week allowing building products maker Kingspan to put its logo on the nose cone of world champion Lewis Hamilton's car beginning with a weekend race in Saudi Arabia.

Survivors and family members of the people who died in the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire immediately condemned the deal and asked the team to sever its ties with Kingspan. The fire started in a fourth floor refrigerator and raced up the residential building, which experts said likely was caused by flammable materials used in an exterior renovation.

Mercedes-AMG Petronas principal and CEO Toto Wolff said the team "engaged" with Kingspan before the announcement to understand what role the company's products played in the tragedy.

"On behalf of our team, I would sincerely like to apologize to you for the additional hurt that this announcement has caused,'' Wolff said in a letter to the families that was posted on Twitter. "It was never our intention to do so.''

Wolff said he hoped to meet with Grenfell Tower survivors as soon as possible. Criticism of the deal is particularly difficult for Mercedes because Hamilton, a seven-time world champion from Stevenage, England, has been outspoken in his support of the Grenfell community. Hamilton is currently in second place in the Formula One driver's standings with two races left in the season.

In a letter sent to Wolff earlier this week, the community group Grenfell United said Kingspan "played a central role in the pain and suffering that we feel today," citing evidence presented to a public inquiry into the disaster.

Kingspan said it played no role in the design or construction of the remodeling project blamed for the Grenfell disaster. In addition, the company said Kingspan products accounted for only a small percentage of the insulation used in the project, and it was used as a substitute without the company's knowledge "in a system that was not compliant" with building regulations. Wolff acknowledged the "deep and ongoing pain" suffered by survivors

"I would like to thank Grenfell United for the offer to meet in person for me to learn and understand better,'' Wolff said "I look forward to coming together as soon as we can.''