Although Hamilton won in Sochi to clinch a record-extending 100th F1 win, Verstappen limited the damage by finishing a surprise second as the rain came thundering down.
.jpg "Italian Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton Fastest Ahead Of Max Verstappen, Valtteri Bottas In First Practice")
Bottas will be leaving Mercedes at the end of the season and race for Alfa Romeo from 2022
Verstappen was .95 seconds ahead of his teammate Sergio Perez and 1.07 seconds ahead of Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton
Hamilton holds F1 records for wins and poles and has a record eight wins at the Hungarian GP, including the last three
Verstappen's sizable championship lead was slashed from 33 points to eight after he crashed at last weekend's British GP after contact with Lewis Hamilton
Hamilton, who drove a victory lap brandishing the British flag, cut the gap to Verstappen in the drivers' championship from 33 points to eight.
Hamilton's front wheel touched Verstappen's rear wheel sending the Red Bull driver off course. Hamilton was given 10-second penalty
Verstappen has a 32-point advantage over Hamilton in the championship.
1.jpg)
It was Max Verstappen's fifth win of the season compared to three for Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton
Max Verstappen leads Lewis Hamilton 5-2 in poles this season and the pressure is on the Mercedes driver heading into Sunday's race
Max Verstappen has won the past two races and leads Lewis Hamilton 4-3 for wins this season heading into Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix, at Red Bull's home track...
.jpg)
Leading from start to finish Red Bull driver Verstappen now has 14th career wins. He now leads Hamilton by 18 points after eight races
Verstappen will share the front row with defending champion Lewis Hamilton as Valtteri Bottas was handed three-place grid penalty
If victory — crazy or not — doesn't come on Sunday at Spielberg, Max Verstappen will still have 15 more chances to get it in the 2021 F1 season
Former F1 driver Eddie Irvine talks about the new generation drivers and former Ferrari great and teammate Michael Schumacher
Sergio Perez was handed victory after Max Verstappen crashed out and title rival Lewis Hamilton incredibly finished outside the points
Formula One title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are unlikely to come to blows, but their bosses might
Charles Leclerc took his second successive pole after a qualifying session with plenty of incident in Baku, with Lewis Hamilton second.
Despite Red Bull starting the 2021 Formula One season with the fastest car, Lewis Hamilton has produced a spectacular start and holds a 14-point lead over Max...
Formula One history was made in Barcelona as Lewis Hamilton reached 100 career pole positions in qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton continued his excellent start to the 2021 Formula One season with a masterful display to win the Portuguese Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen's title challenge was blown slightly off course as a deleted lap time handed pole position at the Portuguese Grand Prix to Valtteri Bottas.
A rare Lewis Hamilton error did not prove too costly as he expertly recovered to finish second behind Max Verstappen at Imola
Max Verstappen had claimed the previous two F1 pole positions, but he ended up behind Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez at Imola.
After a mixed debut season last year, India's F1 hopeful Jehan finds himself third in the Formula 2 standings after the first round in Bahrain
