Moreover, having comprehensively beaten his title rival, Max Verstappen, into second, the world champion made no bones that he would display this combative spirit again if required in Sunday’s race. Verstappen however may yet face further difficulties. The flags were briefly waved but Verstappen went through and improved his time. “It’s still not clear what the limits of the track are, it’s clearly not the white line any more when overtaking, so we just go for it. It was a mighty run, with Hamilton pushing to the limit on a circuit where using the full width of the track and going to the very edge of the kerbs is key. Verstappen was fast in the tighter first sector but lost time through those final corners and was a tenth back. With the track evolving, the final laps were key but Hamilton was eager to finish the job and, rather than waiting, went out first. Verstappen went out last but could not improve and finished with a deficit with the foreboding air of a chasm.

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