THE battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen is going to the wire as they arrive in Saudi Arabia. Verstappen has an eight-point lead in the F1 Drivers’ Championship but all the momentum is currently with Hamilton – and the Brit will start on pole. Hamilton overcame what amounted to a 25-place grid penalty to beat Verstappen to the chequered flag in Brazil, then eased to victory in Qatar two weeks ago. However, his use of four engines has caused controversy with former McLaren rival Fernando Alonso calling for Hamilton to be sent to the back of the grid again.

Follow MotorMouth on social media:

• 
• 
• 
•