Norris quickest out of title contenders in FP3, Hamilton causes red flag

Only 0.004 seconds separated the two British drivers in FP3 in Abu Dhabi. Max Verstappen finished in third place and Oscar Piastri set the fifth quickest time ahead of qualifying.

Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari woes continued in Abu Dhabi after the seven-time world champion crashed out and caused a red flag at the Yas Marina Circuit today.

Many drivers were in no rush to begin the final free practice session on track, as among others, Verstappen, Isack Hadjar and Alexander Albon were preparing for these 60 minutes without sitting in their cars.

The two Aston Martins were first to appear on track, after both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll missed FP1 earlier this weekend giving up their seats for young drivers.

After a quiet start to the session, the two Alpines set the first lap times 10 minutes into the session on the softs with Pierre Gasly leading Franco Colapinto.

Minutes after, more drivers began making their way to the circuit. 20 minutes into the session, Norris lead the session with a 1:24.5, while Verstappen was yet to complete a lap at all in the session.

25 minutes into the session, Norris had a close call with Yuki Tsunoda in Turn 12. The Japanese driver will be investigated by the stewards after the session. Later on, Tsunoda was involved in another incident, as he made contract with Kimi Antonelli in the pit lane after the Italian was released unsafely from his garage.

After the halfway point of FP3, Hamilton caused the first red flag of the day. The seven-time world champion lost control of his Ferrari in Turn 9 and crashed into the barrier.

After the session resumed, with around 10 minutes to go, Piastri took the lead from Verstappen with a 1:23.593. Norris then improved the fastest time to a 1:23.338.

In the end, the Dutchman separated the two McLarens with a 1:23.514, while George Russell topped the final FP3 session of the season finishing just 0.004 seconds ahead of Norris. Verstappen also improved on his final lap and finished around a tenth behind the championship leader.

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