Motor racing-Hamilton wraps up British practice with fastest lap

By Alan Baldwin

SILVERSTONE, England, July 4 (Reuters) - Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton found the speed he wanted and wrapped up British Grand Prix practice with the fastest lap in another Mercedes (Xetra: 710000 - news) one-two at the top of the timesheets on Saturday.

Hamilton's best time around Silverstone of one minute 32.917 seconds was 0.552 quicker than his German team mate Nico Rosberg and 0.775 faster than Ferrari's under-pressure Finn Kimi Raikkonen.

Rosberg lost some time to a late gearbox oil leak, however.

The Briton, who had said on Friday he needed to find some more performance after setting only the fourth best time, came good as he prepared for qualifying and a potential eighth pole position in nine races.

Winner of four of the eight races so far this season, he leads Rosberg by 10 points going into a home race that he won last year.

Ferrari again looked the strongest rivals to Mercedes, with four times world champion Sebastian Vettel fourth fastest ahead of young Toro Rosso rookies Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz.

Williams pairing Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas were seventh and eighth fastest with Red Bull's Daniil Kvyat ninth and Lotus's Pastor Maldonado 10th.

Honda-powered McLaren had another tough session, with Spaniard Fernando Alonso 18th and largely sidelined by an hydraulics problem, and Jenson Button 16th. (Editing by John O'Brien)