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Formula 1
Abu Dhabi GP
F1 Abu Dhabi GP Live Commentary and Updates - Race
Minute-by-minute updates for the 2023 Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
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The curtain falls on the 2023 F1 season with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc share the front row of the grid with Oscar Piastri and George Russell tucked in behind.
FP2 was the only practice session to take place in representative conditions but was interrupted by over half an hour of red flag delays, meaning teams have minimal long-run data heading into the finale.
While Leclerc and Russell start up the order, the constructors' battle between Mercedes and Ferrari was complicated with Lewis Hamilton starting P11 and Carlos Sainz P16.
The Yas Marina race will get under way at 1pm GMT.
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Verstappen has found a way past Stroll and is now closing on Tsunoda. The gap stands at 3.4s.
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"Sainz will let you by," Leclerc is informed. Moments later, the Spaniard pulls to one side and waves his Ferrari team-mate through.
The stewards have decided no further action over Hamilton's nudge into the rear of Gasly.
At the front, Tsunoda leads from Stroll, with Verstappen third, Sainz fourth and Leclerc fifth.
Of that number, only Verstappen and Leclerc have pitted.
Of that number, only Verstappen and Leclerc have pitted.
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"I don't get how you can undercut me with the other car [Ocon]," Gasly tells Alpine over team radio. He's got a point, he's lost a chunk of time and two places.
Very easy work for Verstappen there, as he passes Sainz for P3.
Gasly makes light work of passing Hulkenberg to take 15th, but he has effectively lost places to Hamilton and Ocon in that pitstop cycle.
On Franz Tost's final weekend with AlphaTauri, Tsunoda leads the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. It's only the second time a Japanese driver has led a grand prix.
Even if it's only for one lap, that's a piece of history and a nice present for Tost.
Even if it's only for one lap, that's a piece of history and a nice present for Tost.
Pit stop
Perez and Gasly pit together at the end of lap 17. Perez comes out in 12th ahead of Hamilton, Ocon and Hulkenberg, with Gasly losing out there down in 16th.
The Hamilton nudge into Gasly has been placed under investigation. Hamilton, back out in 14th, is carrying front wing damage and is being hunted down by Ocon.
Pit stop
One lap after Verstappen, Leclerc pits for hard tyres.
Pit stop
And as we say that, in comes Verstappen, to remove his medium tyres and fit hards.
Pit stop
Hamilton bumps into Gasly, who locked up, going into Turn 6.
Hamilton, plus Ocon and Sargeant, pit at the end of lap 15. Mercedes haven't changed Hamilton's front wing from a touch with Gasly's car, but they probably didn't have time to assess the damage either.
Verstappen and Leclerc are going long here and are ignoring the strategies of their rivals. Tsunoda has also ignored the undercut threat.
Pit stop
Norris and Russell both stop at the end of Lap14 but a pair of problems in the McLaren stop gift Russell a position. Both remain clear of Piastri and Alonso, although the gaps have all disappeared now.
Alonso opens his DRS but can't make the move into Turn 6. Piastri locks up but Alonso can't make the move into Turn 9.
Pit stop
Hulkenberg and Zhou join the pitlane party at the end of lap 13. Both opt for the fresh hards as expected.
Pit stop
In comes Piastri, bailing from his defence against Tsunoda. It also covers Alonso, who stopped one lap earlier.
Mediums off, hards on for the Australian as he comes out metres ahead of the Aston Martin.
Mediums off, hards on for the Australian as he comes out metres ahead of the Aston Martin.
Alonso pits from seventh at the end of lap 12, switching his mediums for hards, and comes out in 18th place.
After a couple of goes at it, Perez gets ahead of Gasly to take eighth place. He uses DRS to go around the outside of the French driver into Turn 9.
Next up to challenge Piastri is Tsunoda, who could even have a chance on this lap.
As McLaren praise Piastri for his tyre management, Russell goes for it again and sweeps in front of the McLaren into Turn 9. P4 for the Mercedes driver and he quickly pulls clear.
The same outcome for the Sargeant and Magnussen incident has been called. On we go.
Track limits warnings are flying in now, with Leclerc and Norris both seeing times deleted on the last lap.
Lap 9 and Russell tries to take Piastri again but, as before, runs wide at Turn 9 and drops back in behind the McLaren driver. This fighting is dropping the pair off Norris' gearbox.
The stewards will take no further investigation on the Zhou vs Albon incident.
Sargeant and Magnussen, plus Albon and Zhou, have each been noted by race direction for forcing another driver off the track. We'll update you on those when we have more.
While all the action is taking place behind him, Verstappen is only 1.5s clear of Leclerc. It wouldn't take much for the pack to close on the leader.
Pit stop
Ricciardo has been hauled into the pits by AlphaTauri with a tear-off in one of his front brake ducts. At the same time he swaps his mediums for hards and gets going again in 19th on the eighth lap.
Norris is reporting that he can feel degradation kicking in on lap seven. But it is Piastri that has the bigger problem as Russell comes close to pulling a move for P4.
As things stand, Ferrari will overturn a four-point deficit to take second in the constructors' by three points from Mercedes. There is a long way to go, however.
Pit stop
Magnussen has pitted at the end of lap five, switching his mediums for hards. Moments earlier he locked up so that could have triggered an enforced pitstop.
With things so close, Russell, Tsunoda and Alonso have all now joined the Leclerc train.
Stopwatch
An early fastest lap from Norris, with a 1m30.188s.
Hamilton's lack of defence against Perez may have a reason. He appeared to pass the Mexican off the track in the opening-lap fight. Last time out in Vegas Verstappen was given a five-second penalty for a similar incident.
Unseen by the cameras, Norris has made his way past Piastri into P3.
On lap three, Piastri activates his DRS but is unable to make a move as Lelcerc uses the slipstream to close on Verstappen. In the second DRS zone, Leclerc in fact has DRS over Verstappen!
On the third lap Perez dives up the inside of Hamilton at Turn 6 to take ninth place off the Mercedes driver. The Brit didn't put up much of a fight for that one.
It was Hulkenberg who got swallowed up by the pack, dropping from eighth to 13th - make that 14th as Sainz gets him on lap two.
But Verstappen has pulled over one second clear already, negating the potential threat from DRS. Instead, Leclerc is now being hounded by the McLarens of Piastri and Norris.
By: Autosport Staff
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