Abu Dhabi – George Russell, driving his Mercedes, led the final free practice session of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The session was marked by an increasing pace and an accident without consequences for Lewis Hamilton, in addition to the intense fight for the title between the McLaren drivers.
Russell set a time of 1:23.334, beating championship leader Lando Norris by just four thousandths, who demonstrated consistency in various conditions. Max Verstappen, second in the World Championship, placed third.
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 laps on soft tires. The two-time world champion exhibited a pace that suggests a good position for the night qualifying.
Carlos Sainz, now at Williams, finished sixth, showing progress and adaptation to the Yas Marina circuit.
Piastri 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 and arrives with confidence for the final classification.
A moment of tension occurred when Lewis Hamilton lost control of his Ferrari at Turn 9, resulting in a temporary red flag. Fortunately, Hamilton was unharmed and his single-seater will be repaired.
Franco Colapinto (Alpine) finished nineteenth, accumulating valuable laps in his learning process.
The decisive classification will take place at 18:00 local time, promising a day of high tension with the championship still at stake and very tight times.
