SILVERSTONE: World champion Lewis Hamilton edged out title rival Max Verstappen in British Grand Prix qualifying on Friday to take top spot on the grid for the sport’s first ever sprint race.
Hamilton clocked 1min 26.134sec in his Mercedes to beat Red Bull’s Verstappen, the championship leader, with Valtteri Bottas in the second Mercedes third fastest.
A crowd of around 90,000 was on hand to witness the first Friday night qualifying session in F1.
Saturday’s inaugural sprint qualifying race, the first of three this season, will be over 100km and will decide the starting positions for Sunday’s main event.
“We have been missing this for a whole year,” said Hamilton, addressing the fans.
The seven-time world…
