F1 Abu Dhabi GP Live Updates - final practice and qualifying
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It's early days of course, but we've not had a Red Bull on pole in Abu Dhabi since Mark Webber in 2013. Every year in the turbo hybrid era, it's been a Mercedes with Hamilton taking the plaudits in 2016, 2018 and 2019, Bottas in 2017 and Nico Rosberg in 2014-15.
Bottas now moves up to fourth, but is still behind his team-mate. It's a 1m37.857s for the Finn, three tenths behind Hamilton.
Norris and Stroll so far are the only two drivers to have used the medium, with everybody else on softs.
Leclerc meanwhile has moved up to fifth, ahead of Bottas and just behind fellow Twitcher Norris. It's a 1m38.010s from the Monegasque, who squandered a strong grid slot in Sakhir last weekend by torpedoing Perez on lap one.
Stopwatch
Clearly dissatisfied with seeing his team-mate P1, Verstappen has elbowed his way back into the top spot he occupied in FP1 yesterday with a 1m37.175s. Red Bull now sit 1-2 - giving us some serious 2012 vibes.
Hamilton has indeed gone for another laptime on the softs and sticks it second, 0.025s behind Albon.
Stopwatch
A flurry of improvements now sees Albon move into P1 - a 1m37.536s from the soft-shod Red Bull driver putting him clear of Norris (medium) and Bottas, with Ricciardo moving into fourth ahead of Ocon.
Hamilton backed out of his first run on the softs after encountering traffic at Turn 1, but is now going for another lap. Ocon, buoyed with confidence after his first podium last weekend, meanwhile moves into second.
Indeed, Bottas now goes quickest on a 1m38.034s. That was on the soft tyre for the Finn.
Now Giovinazzi goes quickest on a 1m39.190s, but with the Mercedes setting purple sectors it likely won't be for long.
Fittipaldi and Magnussen now post their first times, and both are slower than Latifi.
Latifi sets the first time of session then, a 1m39.812s to go P1. That will keep the Canadian press corps amused.
Now we get our first sighting of the Mercedes pair with just over 40 minutes left on the clock. Thanks for sticking with us so far, folks...
Now Latifi's Class C rivals Haas and Alfa Romeo now come and play too, but Williams returnee Russell stays in the garage for now.
If ever there was an opportunity to play 'Caption This', we think now might be the time.
Hurrah, a car on track! Nicholas Latifi decides to get busy and have a whirl in his Williams.
Since we got talking about 2005 earlier - what are your favourite memories from that season? Pedro de la Rosa's spectacular overtaking moves in Bahrain? Red Bull's Star Wars livery in Monaco? Let us know.
Autosport
There's some intriguing news from McLaren this morning that it is considering a Formula E entry once its current battery supply deal ends. It would certainly be a welcome boost for the series if it came off, with Audi and BMW both set to exit next year. Here's LUKE SMITH with more: 
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Still precious little happening out on track at the moment. If they'd made the trip over as part of the biosphere, the Turkish sweeper lorry driver would currently stand a chance of setting some purple sectors.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who would find a non-championship race for 2005-spec F1 cars on the Abu Dhabi support bill might elevate the spectacle a bit. What are Messrs Friesacher and Albers doing these days?
Charles Leclerc is now suiting up and getting ready to step into his Ferrari - he's wearing a special helmet this weekend in tribute to departing Ferrari team-mate Sebastian Vettel.
Still eerily quiet around the Yas Marina circuit. Where's Fernando Alonso and his R25 when you need them?
Green flag
The session is green. Nobody taking the bait just yet for the moment though, as everybody remains in the pits for the time being.
Remember, in yesterday's FP2 session we didn't really get to see the ultimate pace of the soft tyre due to track limits infringements, traffic and a Turn 1 mishap respectively for the heavy-hitters - so there will still be plenty of data for the teams to gather ahead of qualifying this afternoon, even if the conditions are a trifle warmer than ideal to simulate qualifying properly.
Two minutes to go until the session starts - will we get any early takers at the start?
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Air temperature on the ground in Abu Dhabi is a roasty 24.4°C, with track temperatures at 37.7 °C. Again, not exactly the most representative of conditions for qualifying and the race tomorrow, which we can expect to be slightly cooler as day turns to evening.
With Camilleri's departure leaving such a senior vacancy, anybody fancy taking a leaf from the George Russell playbook and dusting off the old GCSE IT Powerpoint skills?
Autosport
It's a significant weekend at Ferrari too - although perhaps not for the reasons of the other teams just above them in the fight for third. Following the news that company CEO Louis Camilleri had resigned with immediate effect after a battle with COVID-19, Ferrari sporting director Laurent Mekies has spoken of the team's surprise at the decision: 
Here's your 10 minute warning - it's almost time for the green light in Abu Dhabi.
Another man perhaps with something to prove is Pietro Fittipaldi at Haas. Romain Grosjean's stand-in didn't have too much of a chance to impress in Sakhir - knowing he would start from the back anyway with engine penalties, he towed Kevin Magnussen around in qualifying - but this weekend could be a good opportunity for him to impress somebody for a ride in 2021. With Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin already signed for next year, it looks unlikely that he'll find a race berth in F1, but he does have experience in almost every other top-line category going.
Of course, there's also the rumbling saga about the destiny of Max Verstappen's 2021 team-mate at Red Bull. Alex Albon has been given every opportunity to show the team that he merits the second seat, and not departing Racing Point driver Sergio Perez, and this weekend will be crucial if he is to leave a good lasting impression into the winter. As the old saying goes, you're only as good as your last race after all...
Autosport
There are plenty of others with lots at stake too. After being upstaged by stand-in George Russell last week, Valtteri Bottas will be keen to show what he can do against the returning Lewis Hamilton and stake a claim ahead of the off-season that he's still the best option for the team in 2022. Toto Wolff says Bottas has its "unconditional support", but a first win since Sochi here would do Bottas the world of good.
Autosport
First and foremost, the battle for third in the constructors' championship is still very much alive, despite the double podium for Racing Point in last week's Sakhir GP. The Silverstone team, which becomes Aston Martin next year, is 10 points ahead of McLaren, with Renault 22 points back. But as ALEX KALINAUCKAS explained in his Friday feature, the margins on Friday were almost too tight to call. 
Good morning and welcome to Autosport's coverage of Saturday's action at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with FP3 beginning in around 20 minutes. There's certainly an 'end of term' feeling about the 2020 finale with the drivers' and constructors' championships long sewn up, but there's still plenty to play for this weekend.
By: Jake Boxall-Legge
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