Hopefully a harbinger of what's to come in qualifying, the two Mercedes were barely a hair's breadth apart in final practice for the Portuguese Grand Prix on Saturday. Pushing each other throughout the session, Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton traded fastest times before edged ahead for good with a 1:16.654, with Hamilton 0.026s seconds in a battle with seemingly little to separate them. However, if Max Verstappen's effort in P3 is any indication, the Dutchman might be a contender for pole in his own right, as his time was only 0.158s slower than the Black Arrows despite being fitted with mediums to their softs.       Report in progress…
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