LEWIS HAMILTON’S title defence is alive and kicking after the seven-time champion put his Mercedes on pole for the Qatar Grand Prix. Verstappen leads Hamilton by just 14 points in the driver standings as the F1 season heads for its gripping conclusion. The Dutchman saw his championship lead cut as arch rival Hamilton snatched a sensational victory at the Brazilian Grand Prix last weekend. And there is bad blood because of it going into Sunday’s Qatar race after the two clashed in Sao Paulo. The stewards saw nothing wrong and refused to dish out any penalties over the incident at the time. If we believe the Mercedes car is not in compliance, we will protest.”.

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