Hamilton ends Abu Dhabi practice fastest as Ricciardo hits trouble

Lewis Hamilton closed out Formula 1 practice for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as the fastest driver after edging out Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen to top FP3 at the Yas Marina Circuit.

Five-time F1 world champion Hamilton managed to bounce back from a mixed Friday of practice running to lead final practice for Mercedes, seizing the initiative ahead of qualifying later today.

Hamilton turned in a fastest lap time of 1m37.176s on the Hypersoft tyre during a qualifying simulation late in FP3, making up a 0.3 second deficit to the Ferrari drivers in the first sector to ultimately finish 0.288 seconds clear of Raikkonen for top spot.

Raikkonen is however set to receive a reprimand after cutting the white line at the entry to the pit lane midway through the session, with Hamilton being sanctioned for making the same mistake on Friday.

Raikkonen was joined in the top three by Ferrari teammate Sebastian Vettel, who took third place, four-tenths down on Hamilton at the top. Vettel attempted to find more time on a second push lap on his Hypersoft tyres, but failed to match his initial effort.

Max Verstappen took fourth place for Red Bull ahead of Friday pace-setter Valtteri Bottas in the second Mercedes car, with both drivers finishing over half a second off the pace.

Daniel Ricciardo suffered the latest in a long line of setbacks as his Red Bull RB14 car ground to a halt with five minutes left in the session, forcing him to park up at the side of the track at Turn 9. The Australian had finished the session sixth overall, nine-tenths off Hamilton’s time.

Romain Grosjean finished as the leading midfield driver in seventh place for Haas, but is set to visit the stewards before qualifying after a late collision with Pierre Gasly. The two drivers made contact at Turn 17, leaving both cars with damage, with an investigation swiftly confirmed by race control.

Nico Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz Jr. finished eighth and ninth respectively for Renault, while Esteban Ocon rounded out the top 10 positions for Force India, albeit with just seven laps under his belt after an issue forced him to sit out most of the session.

Another driver to hit trouble was Charles Leclerc, who damaged the rear of his Sauber C37 car after spinning at Turn 19, going rear-first into the wall. Leclerc managed to crawl back to the pits where Sauber completed a quick repair to get him back out before the end of the session.