Hamilton records a No.1 hit

LEWIS HAMILTON is guaranteed to be No.1 this weekend no matter where he finishes in Abu Dhabi.

Hamilton (above) was only fourth fastest in second practice as he aims to end the season with his 11th victory of a remarkable year.

The Mercedes star finished 0.207 seconds slower than his team-mate Valtteri Bottas at the Yas Marina circuit.

But the five-time world champion will be No.1 as he has requested that number on his car rather than his usual No.44. “Lewis has been given permission to run the number one on the nose at this final race of the season because he’s world champion,” said a Mercedes spokesman. “It’s even a nice shade of metallic red to match his helmet.”

Bottas is searching for his first victory of an inauspicious campaign.

The Finn finished four hundredths ahead of Max Verstappen. Daniel Ricciardo, taking part in his 100th and final race for Red Bull, was third.