Hamilton tops Malaysian practice

Lewis Hamilton found a new way to demonstrate Mercedes’ domination of Formula One by sitting out two thirds of Friday’s practice sessions for the Malaysian Grand Prix and yet was still the fastest. The period spent cooling his heels in the garage, out of the fierce tropical heat, was not of Hamilton’s choosing. The car developed a problem with its engine inlets very early in morning practice, and it took the crew three hours to fix, costing him the first 40 minutes of afternoon practice, too. He then went out on track and almost immediately set the top time at the Sepang International Circuit, and later said that was not representative of the true pace he should achieve on Saturday and Sunday.