As fears that Typhoon Fitow could blow out Sunday’s Korean grand prix subside, the stage is set for another stormy showdown between Red Bull and Mercedes.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton looked sharp as he completed a practice double on Friday, topping session one at the Korea International Circuit on the medium-compound tyres.

The Briton then repeated the feat on the supersofts during second practice, though Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel finished a close second behind him on both occasions.

From 13 races so far this term the reigning world champion and Hamilton have claimed five pole positions apiece, with Nico Rosberg taking the other three.

And with the main men at Red Bull and Mercedes in fine fettle on the Yeongam track, Sunday’s race could well be a fight to the finish between the pair.

Victory for Vettel would simply take him a step closer to what now seems an inevitable fourth-straight world crown.

The German has looked unbeatable of late with three successive race wins in Belgium, Italy and Singapore putting him on the brink of title number four.

In contrast Hamilton has won just one race since joining Mercedes but while his triumph in Hungary represents the only time he has topped the podium the Briton has scored points consistently.

A win for him tomorrow could see him close on second spot in the drivers’ standings, with Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso sitting ahead of him with 187 points to Hamilton’s 151.

Alonso himself has finished runner-up to Vettel in the last three races but given that there are still six rounds to go and a maximum of 150 points up for grabs, Hamilton could well overtake the Spaniard in the standings if he can pull a few wins out of the bag between now and the season’s end.

Finally the day is also a particularly important one for the future of the race itself, with financial concerns and the unpopularity of the circuit leading to the possibility that Formula One won’t return next year.

Organisers are yet to sign a contract to confirm the event’s place on the 2014 race calendar, meaning that though concerns about the weather could prove a storm in a teacup, next year’s race is likely to be washed out if no deal is done.