Kimi Antonelli faces a Ferrari-shaped threat to his hopes of clinching the Formula One world championship in Texas as Lewis Hamilton topped final practice at the United States Grand Prix.

The Scuderia have brought an upgraded package to Austin and it helped Charles Leclerc claim a practice double on Friday.

Hamilton’s prancing horse was on top in Saturday’s practice session, 0.168 seconds ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen with Leclerc in third.

Lewis Hamilton topped the charts in final practice (Bradley Collyer/PA) (PA Wire)

For Antonelli to claim the crown in the Lone Star State is a tall order; he would need to win Sunday’s race and hope that George Russell finishes lower than ninth and Hamilton lower than fifth.

The first part of that equation looks set to be a challenge as his rivals showed their prowess in the final running ahead of qualifying.

Antonelli was fourth-fastest after his best lap was deleted for a breach of track limits, one place ahead of Mercedes team-mate Russell.

Sunday…