Lewis Hamilton showed no sign of easing up after securing his record-equalling seventh drivers’ championship when he completed a practice ‘double top’ for Mercedes in Bahrain on Friday. However, in a little light turn of events, a dog was seen running on the track, halting the Bahrain practice for a brief time and providing amusement to the viewers and racers alike.

Watch the video below.

Adding to the comic scene, when Hamilton was told on team radio that a dog is running loose on the track, “I hope it’s not Roscoe,’ Hamilton joked, referring to his own pet dog.

Also Read | Lewis Hamilton fired up to resist ‘new generation’ again in 2021

‘If I’d known we were allowed dogs, I’d have brought mine,” said Vettel on team radio.

The 35-year-old Briton, who was fastest in the morning’s opening practice for Sunday’s Grand Prix, outpaced his rivals to top the times again in the afternoon’s twice red-flagged second session.

Hamilton clocked a late best lap in one minute and 28.971 seconds at the Bahrain International Circuit at Sakhir, outpacing nearest rival Max Verstappen of Red Bull.

His Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas was third ahead of Sergio Perez of Racing Point, Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo and Pierre Gasly of Alpha Tauri.

Also Read | Sebastian Vettel says Lewis Hamilton ‘greatest driver of our era’

Lando Norris was seventh for McLaren ahead of Lance Stroll in the second Racing Point, Daniil Kvyat in the second Alpha Tauri and the luckless Alex Albon, who is fighting to keep his Red Bull seat, but who crashed heavily and wrecked his car.

After occasional light drizzle during opening practice in the morning, the floodlit second session was run in very warm and dry conditions with several drivers, including Hamilton, testing tyres for Pirelli,

Sainz was soon in the 1:30s to top the times followed by Raikkonen and then Verstappen, who was amusing himself with some droll messages to the Red Bull pit-wall.

“Who’s that in front of me?” he asked. “He’s drifting very nicely.”

Also Read | Lewis Hamilton: ‘Not bad for a boy from a council estate’

There was no answer to broadcast, but the drifting ‘black arrow’ was being driven by Hamilton, slithering around on worn tyres.

This light-hearted banter was soon abruptly interrupted when Albon crashed heavily at the final corner, Turn 14, causing the session to be red-flagged.

With 12 minutes remaining, Hamilton regained the top spot for the session with a lap in 1:28.971, a burst of speed that endorsed his competitive nature.