Verstappen leads Red Bull one-two in final British practice

SILVERSTONE, England, July 2 (Reuters) – Formula One championship leader Max Verstappen led a Red Bull one-two in a breezy final practice for the British Grand Prix on Saturday.

The Dutch 24-year-old lapped with a best time of one minute 27.901 seconds, 0.410 quicker than his Mexican team mate Sergio Perez.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was third with the Mercedes pair of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton fourth and fifth on the timesheets.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was sixth fastest, confirming expectations that the battle in qualifying would be between the top three teams.

Red Bull are leading both championships and are chasing a seventh successive win, with Verstappen 46 points clear of Perez after nine races.

Verstappen has won six times this year but Hamilton, whose team have been struggling with a bouncing car, is a record eight times winner at his home Silverstone circuit.

Qualifying starts at 1400 GMT, with the threat of rain ever-present. 

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Timothy Heritage)