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Formula 1
Abu Dhabi GP
F1 Abu Dhabi GP Live Commentary and Updates - FP3 and qualifying
Updates from Saturday's sessions ahead of Formula 1's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
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F1’s season finale is here, as the paddock descends on the Yas Marina circuit for the Abu Dhabi GP.
Fresh from a dramatic Brazilian GP, where George Russell led a Mercedes 1-2 in the team’s first win of the season and his maiden F1 victory, all eyes will again be on Red Bull following the team orders row that erupted at Interlagos.
Lewis Hamilton led a Mercedes 1-2 in FP1, while Max Verstappen topped FP2 from Russell.
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Plenty is the answer. Perez goes quickest on a 1m24.419s, which is a full 0.443s faster than Verstappen.
Leclerc now snatches the top spot by 0.018s away from Russell, before Sainz and Norris go quicker still. What have Red Bull got in their locker?
A big left-front lockup for Hamilton at Turn 6 doesn't help his cause and will go some way to explaining his four-tenth deficit to the Brazilian GP winner.
Now the cavalry follows them out, but the Mercedes pair enjoy the benefit of a clear road as Hamilton posts a 1m25.772s, pipped moments later by Russell's 1m25.363s.
Hamilton and Russell are alone out on track as they wind up for their first Q2 laps.
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"The brake is still a problem," reports Hamilton over the radio.
We're underway for Q2, with Hamilton the first man out on track.
Intriguingly Perez had the fastest second and third sectors in Q1, topped by Verstappen. Can he convert that potential into a pole challenge come Q3?
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Such are the fine margins between Schumacher safe in P11 and Magnussen out in P16:
Schumacher, Ocon, Stroll, Ricciardo and Alonso squeak through into Q2 as well.
Verstappen ends the Q1 session on top from Perez, Sainz, Leclerc, Norris, Vettel, Russell, Hamilton, Zhou and Tsunoda the top 10.
"No temperature with the queue," says Bottas, who explains that his tyres didn't work at the start of his final flyer. Vettel profits then from going first with what you might call the anti-Monza strategy.
Alonso just rescues himself and goes P15 to push Magnussen back down into the drop zone. Gasly, Bottas, Albon and Latifi also miss out.
Magnussen improves to 14th, pushing Gasly into the drop zone.
Bottas, Alonso, Albon, Latifi and Magnussen are currently the men in danger.
Zhou and Schumacher improve too, moving up to ninth and tenth respectively as the checkered flag comes out.
Vettel launches up to fifth! A superb effort from the four-time world champion, despite finding the final sector littered with cars waiting for their turn at a final flyer.
Can Vettel and Schumacher escape the Q1 drop zone on what could be the last appearance for both Germans?
Time for the drivers to head out for their final runs now. Make it or break it time.
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As we head into the final minutes of the session, Verstappen currently leads Perez, Sainz, Leclerc, Russell, Norris, Hamilton, Ocon, Ricciardo and Tsunoda.
On the bubble just ahead of them are Stroll in P15, Zhou in P14, Magnussen, Alonso and Gasly.
Five minutes to go, and those currently in danger of the drop are Vettel, Schumacher, Bottas, Albon and Latifi.
Alonso's delayed first effort is only good enough for P12, not helped by a huge snap of oversteer at Turn 9 as he encountered the wake of - you guessed it - slowing team-mate Ocon up ahead.
Albon becomes the first driver to have a lap deleted for track limits. The Williams man is currently 18th.
Sainz now goes third with his first effort, albeit 0.336s down on Verstappen, who reports that he thinks his headrest is broken over the radio.
The Mercedes pair post their first flyers and land fourth and sixth, with Russell and Hamilton sandwiching Norris.
Verstappen though is the fastest of all and ducks underneath his team-mate's best effort with a 1m24.754s, as the McLarens of Norris and Ricciardo go fourth and fifth-quickest.
Leclerc then goes top on a 1m25.211s, but his rival for the runner-up spot Perez continues his FP2 pace by going faster still on a 1m24.820s.
Mercedes twins Russell and Hamilton are now joined on track by Ocon, leaving only Alonso still in the pits as Leclerc begins his first flying lap.
Now here come some of the big guns, as Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari and Alfa enter the fray. Only Alpine and Mercedes are staying home for the time being.
A fired-up Schumacher now goes second behind Tsunoda on 1m26.265s, Magnussen slower than the Astons and Gasly goes sixth ahead of Albon and Latifi.
But that's immediately beaten by the two AlphaTauris, with Tsunoda the quicker of the two on 1m26.841s. The Astons slot in-between the AlphaTauris, with Stroll ahead of Vettel and Gasly.
The first time on the board comes from Latifi, a 1m26.841s.
Perhaps tellingly of where they sit in the pecking order, the first cars to go out are Aston, Haas, Williams and AlphaTauri.
As Vettel heads out of the Aston garage, his father Norbert gives a rousing "come on, let's go" message which is greeted with some clapping. All very proper.
Green flag
And we're underway for Q1.
As regards temperature, air conditions are 28.9 °C with track temps of 34.2 °C. How will these cooler evening conditions suit the cars relative to the hotter climes of FP3 earlier on?
The timing screens report that the risk of rain for this session is 0%. Stating the obvious perhaps.
By: autosport.com
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