Abu Dhabi. George Russell, driving a Mercedes, dominated the last free practice session of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with an exceptional lap, securing the top spot on the timesheet. The session was characterized by an increasing pace, an incident without consequences for Lewis Hamilton, and the intense competition for the title between the McLaren drivers.
Russell set a time of 1:23.334, surpassing championship leader Lando Norris by just four thousandths, who demonstrated consistency in various conditions. Max Verstappen, second in the championship, finished third in a session that, although it took place during the day and without race conditions, provided relevant data.
Alonso in a Prominent Position
Fernando Alonso, representing Aston Martin, achieved the fourth-best time, 25 hundredths of a second behind Russell, after completing 17 solid laps on soft tires. The two-time world champion displayed a pace that suggests a possible favorable position in the night qualifying session.
Carlos Sainz, now at Williams, finished the session in sixth place, 690 thousandths of a second behind, showing progress in short runs and a good adaptation to the Yas Marina circuit.
Piastri Persists in the Fight for the Title
Oscar Piastri, still with mathematical possibilities of winning the championship, placed fifth, completing a competitive performance for McLaren. He is 16 points behind Norris, preparing for the decisive qualifying round.
Hamilton and Red Flag Incident
A moment of tension occurred when Lewis Hamilton lost control of his Ferrari at Turn 9, impacting the barriers. The incident caused a brief red flag, but the seven-time world champion was unharmed and his single-seater will be repaired for qualifying.
Franco Colapinto, from Alpine, finished nineteenth, 1.167 seconds behind the best time, adding 18 valuable laps in his learning process.
The decisive qualifying session is scheduled for 6:00 PM local time (3:00 PM CET / 2:00 PM GMT), under the spotlights and in conditions similar to those of the race. With the championship still at stake and very close times, Abu Dhabi anticipates a day of high tension.
