Hamilton tops pre-qualifying practice at Malaysian GP

SEPANG, Malaysia (AP) Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time in Saturday's pre-qualifying practice session at the Malaysian Grand Prix, announcing himself as the man to beat in the grid-deciding session later in the day.

Hamilton's best lap at the Sepang International Circuit was just under half a second better than that of Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

Hamilton's teammate and drivers' championship leader Nico Rosberg was third fastest, ahead of the Ferrari drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel.