F1 Portuguese GP Live Updates - final practice and qualifying
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At the top of the times, yes there is still a long way to go in qualifying, but Verstappen has split the Mercedes pair again. Can he keep it up in Q2 and Q3?
Having had his lap time deleted Kvyat will consider himself a little fortunate as he ends the session P14 and in Q2. Out in Q1: P16 Raikkonen, P17 Giovinazzi, P18 Grosjean, P19 Magnussen and P20 Latifi.
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Russell does it again! He puts in a 1m17.931s to haul himself out of the drop zone at the death to take P15 which pushes Raikkonen down a spot and out in Q1.
Grosjean doesn't improve with his final lap but Raikkonen does which pushes the French driver out of Q1. Further last laps coming up.
Kvyat is the latest to fall foul of the track limits, this time at Turn 4, as he loses his lap and stays P13.
Along with the top three both Perez and Leclerc remain in the pits confident of their Q2 places. Russell improves with a 1m18.440s but remains in the drop zone in P16.
Grosjean, Raikkonen, Russell, Magnussen and Latifi are the bottom five needing to find something with their final runs in Q1. Giovinazzi is on the bubble in P15.
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Hamilton turns it up a little more as he goes fastest in the session with a 1m16.828s. Given the margin the top three have on the rest it is fair to assume they are sure bets for the second session with just over five minutes to go.
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Verstappen shakes off his earlier struggles to go top with a 1m16.879s. That's a lap which will comfortably see him into Q2.
Verstappen gets it wrong at the first corner, not for the first time this weekend, as he slides wide and has to back out of the lap. Latifi and Vettel also have lap times deleted for going too far off the track at Turn 1.
Stopwatch
Hamilton endures no such problem next time around with a 1m17.114s to slot into P2.
Stopwatch
Bottas restores familiarity to the top of the times by going quickest for Mercedes with a 1m17.064s, but team-mate Hamilton appears to get held up on his first flying lap as he logs a leisurely 1m23.987s having backed off.
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Verstappen instantly jumps to the top with a 1m17.700s, but not for long as Perez's second effort sees him regain top spot with a 1m17.629s.
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Here come Hamilton, Bottas and Verstappen to join the action. All 20 F1 cars in action.
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Instead Perez provides the early leading time of 1m18.040s to take provisional P1 ahead of Ricciardo and Ocon.
Every driver is out on track straightaway except for the Mercedes pair and Verstappen - perhaps no surprise given they are the trio who have been the top three contenders for almost every qualifying this year.
There is no change in the length of the qualifying sessions so Q1 will still run for the usual 18 minutes to decide who will qualify in the final five places of the grid. A result none of the drivers want.
Green flag
Here we belatedly go for Q1...
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A number of F1 drivers are getting into their cars and there has been no word of a further delay, so as it stands qualifying will be getting underway in three minutes. Just enough time to grab a quick cup of something.
Various drain and manhole cover mishap memories are flooding back now - Monaco 2016 with Button and Sepang 2017 with Grosjean are the latest reminders. Not such an unusual occurance with these modern F1 cars.
Autosport
As mentioned already this weekend, this is F1's first Portuguese GP since 1996. Here's an explainer on why the race has been so important to the series, even if it has been absent for so long: 
Obviously this isn't the first time F1 track action has been delayed by track issues. Only last year in Baku during Friday practice the running was suspended by a broken manhole cover which put a big dent in Russell's Williams. That's a situation which everyone will want to avoid.
Another loose drain cover has been found at Turn 7 which is being worked on. Not great timing for the Algarve circuit who had been hoping to put on a big show this weekend welcoming F1 for its first-ever grand prix.
This delay could about to become longer. TV cameras pick up two track marshals inspecting another drain cover, we think on the straight between Turns 4 and 5, who literally lift up the cover without much fuss. That probably needs looking at.
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The track repairs are currently ongoing at Turn 14, plus inspections across the rest of the circuit, so there will be a clear sign of how close qualifying is to starting - the lack of marshals on track and no further construction banging will be a dead giveaway.
While both excellent pieces of writing in their own right, here's my personal highlight from FP3: https://twitter.com/F1/status/1319974419968757760
Autosport
To supplement that, here's F1 reporter Luke Smith's report on final practice from this morning: 
Autosport
The extra time is a perfect period to catch up on all things Friday practice at Portimao. Here's Grand Prix editor Alex Kalinauckas' feature on what we discovered from an eventful pair of practice sessions yesterday: 
So rather than the 10 minutes of build-up we had planned, there is a little bit more time to fill. Don't worry, if you were with us for Friday practice at the Nurburgring you'll know we're used to this game.
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To confirm, qualifying for the Portuguese GP is delayed and will now start at 14:30 local time which is in just over 40 minutes.
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But we won't be getting qualifying underway as planned because the start of the session has been delayed by 30 minutes for track repairs. FP3 was red-flagged late on after Vettel's Ferrari damaged a drain cover at Turn 14 and the repairs are still being completed.
Good afternoon! We've refuelled and tweaked the set-up in preparation for all-out attack for qualifying.
We're going to grab a spot of lunch and will be back with you in time for qualifying. In the last Portuguese GP at Estoril in 1996, Williams team-mates Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve were separated by just 0.009s. Will it be as close once again between the Mercedes pair? Don't miss it!
Autosport
Here's the full report of all the action from FP3, as Bottas narrowly edged Hamilton: 
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Meanwhile, in the Track Limits World Cup, it's very tight at the top - but still all to play for in this lesser-known competition.
By: Jake Boxall-Legge
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