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Formula 1
Abu Dhabi GP
F1 Abu Dhabi GP Live Commentary and Updates - race day
Minute-by-minute updates for Formula 1's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit
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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.
Max Verstappen is on pole from Sergio Perez, who is battling Charles Leclerc for second in the championship.
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Slow stopping Russell overtakes Ricciardo, who hasn't pitted yet, to move up to eighth place. He's now got a 2.2s gap to bridge to catch Sainz.
Russell's stop looked quite unsafe there as he pulled out as Norris was coming in. Meanwhile, Perez repasses Vettel once more with DRS on lap 17, and manages not to make a Horlicks of it into the chicane.
All those who pitted early are lighting up the timing screens with personal best laps, aided by a lighter fuel load, but that should indicate the rest of the pack will pit shorty.
Perez gets very scruffy on his return to the track, and passes Vettel with DRS - but clunks over the Turn 6 kerb and lets Vettel repass into Turn 9. This will help Leclerc out, if Ferrari can make the most of it.
That's a bit of an iffy stop for Russell, he was in his box about three seconds longer than expected.
Pit stop
Perez comes in to pit, as Russell reports his front tyres are gone. The Mercedes driver pits - both take the hard tyre.
Pit stop
On lap 15 Ocon, Tsunoda, Schumacher and Gasly all pit to properly shake up the running order. Ocon rejoins in 15th, Tsunoda, 17th, Schumacher 19th and Gasly 20th.
Lap 15, and Verstappen is 5.7s ahead of Perez, as Leclerc is closing down the gap to his runner-up rival. It's currently 1.3s between them, as Sainz continues to lurk in fourth.
Pit stop
A lap later Stroll, who was at the back of the DRS train in the midfield, pits for hards and comes out in 19th ahead of Albon and into clear air to attempt an undercut.
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"There's something up with the car," Hamilton reports - perhaps a result of the shudder across the sausage kerb earlier on?
Pit stop
Albon becomes the first to stop, trading his mediums for hards, and comes out in last place. All eyes up and down pitlane will be on his pace for when to make the move to the hards.
Vettel looks for a route past Ocon around the outside at Turn 9 but his interest is rebuffed by the Alpine driver.
Ocon is leading a DRS train in eighth place with Vettel, Alonso, Tsunoda and Stroll tucked up behind him. Not a lot of movement with everyone on the same tyre compound - but, there's hope, the first pitstop window is coming up.
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"Pace is good, and deg is lower than expected," Carlos Sainz is told. "I don't agree," comes the driver's response, as he's continuing to shed time to the cars in front.
At the back of the pack the hard tyre twins Magnussen and Bottas have re-passed Latifi, who is on mediums, to put the Canadian back to last place on his final F1 outing.
"I'm losing power, what's going on?" Hamilton says, as he's looking very ponderous on the straights compared to his team-mate. Russell's going to try and close the gap to Sainz, in the meantime.
"What's going on?" Russell asks. "You're free to race," replies engineer Riccardo Musconi. And thus, Russell opens up DRS as Hamilton drops out of range from Sainz and leaving him vulnerable, as the younger Briton grabs fifth.
Vettel and Ocon are also engaging in a fight for eighth place, with Ocon fending off the retiring German around Turn 10.
Sainz now puts a move back on Hamilton into Turn 9 on lap 8, and moves back up to fourth.
Gasly had look for a way past Schumacher along the back straight but he can't make the move stick, with the German aided by DRS.
Sainz has managed to stay within DRS range of Hamilton on lap 7, and gets close to deny Russell a chance of an overtake - that might have been helped by an off for Hamilton into Turn 1.
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"Lewis needs to pick up the pace so he doesn't give Sainz DRS. We can beat the Ferraris," Russell says over the radio.
DRS passes were rather tough in F2, particularly due to the dirty air through Turn 6/7, but it seems you can stay close in these F1 cars much more easily. Russell has a look at Sainz into Turn 9, but can't clear the Ferrari.
Schumacher's woes are increasing as Albon overtakes him for 15th place. Gasly, on the softs remember, isn't making much gains stuck in 17th.
Lap 5, and Hamilton is back on Sainz - he gets a run on DRS into Turn 6, can't make the pass, but gets a tremendous run through the chicane and blasts past into Turn 9.
Hamilton gives the position back to Sainz, so that should ward off the threat of a penalty.
Zhou gets by Schumacher to climb up to 13th place, while further back Albon has made a bright start to this race climbing to 16th having started on the back row of the grid.
Hamilton's now under investigation for leaving the track/gaining an advantage, after Sainz was cleared. We'll keep an eye out for the verdict.
Stopwatch
Verstappen does a 1m30.541s as he tries to waltz off into the night, but Perez is sticking with him now DRS is available.
Ricciardo, who had lost a place to Schumacher on the opening lap, fights back to regain 13th running down the back straight into Turn 6.
No further investigation on that Hamilton/Sainz contretemps, so we carry on as per - Hamilton holds the place.
Bottas, who started on the hards, had a terrible start and has dropped to last place - while Gasly, the only driver on the softs, hasn't made much progress in 18th.
Leclerc then has a crack at Perez into Turn 5, can't get it done, as Hamilton comes under fire from Sainz - Hamilton takes to the run-off, but will he have to give the place back?
Norris gets by Russell who is sluggish off the line and takes sixth place off his fellow Brit.
Lights out
The 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is go! Perez has a nose down the inside of Verstappen but the Dutchman holds the lead!
Green flag
Here's the formation lap, then. Last time this year. And then we'll get into the last lap 1 of the year. Then lap 2...you get the idea, I'm just filling for time.
Breaking news
Tyre news: all on mediums, except Magnussen, Bottas (hard tyre) and Gasly (soft). 58 laps, possibility for strategic variance.
We're not far away from this evening's/afternoon's final story of 2022. Are you sitting comfortably? Then we'll begin.
Vettel gets his final farewell from the other drivers, before he rides off into the sunset.
15 minutes to go until lights out, then. Even though the sun is setting, there's at least two more hours of daylight to shine on the 2022 season.
By: autosport.com
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