LEW'S IN LE SCRAP

Hamilton battling his Merc and rival Verstappen

- Nick Pattison

LEWIS HAMILTON faces a battle with his Mercedes and with title leader Max Verstappen in today’s French GP – and he is loving it.

The British seven-time world champion has bossed the past two editions of the race, winning both rounds from the pole.

But he had no answer for the pace of Red Bull and Verstappen in qualifying yesterday.

The championship leader finished 0.258 seconds clear of t it le rival Hamilton with Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas third.

Wrong

Hamilton, using Bottas’ old chassis following a planned rotation of parts, has not been entirely at one with his machine, complaining in practice on Friday that there was something wrong with his car.