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Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: FP3 Report - Max Verstappen denies Mercedes hat-trick!

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: FP3 Report - Max Verstappen denies Mercedes hat-trick!

30-11-2019 11:00 Last update: 11:07
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Bobby Vincent

Max Verstappen went quickest by under a tenth of a second as he topped the timesheet for the final practice session of the weekend. Lewis Hamilton was quickest for Mercedes for the majority of the session as the Silver Arrows looked to complete a free practice hat-trick at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Valtteri Bottas was close behind his team-mate in P3, after being quickest in FP1 and FP2. 

How it Happened

Bottas wanted to complete a hat-trick of fastest times in the free practice sessions and early indications were that he'd do just that. However, his team-mate Hamilton had something to say about that and was continuously setting fastest lap times.

Verstappen was also challenging the Mercedes pair, with the top three very much clear of Sebastian Vettel in P4. Bottas locked up massively but managed to keep his car on track.

Charles Leclerc didn't have much track-time at all, until the final moments of the hour-long session, with Vettel having more time on the circuit for Ferrari. 

When Leclerc did get on track with just 15 minutes to go, he looked on course to set the fastest lap; completing two purple sectors in one and two but lost control of his racing line ever so slightly in the final sector and could only manage P3. Moments before, Vettel went P2, just behind Hamilton. Both Ferraris were attempting runs on the Medium compound, preparing themselves for Q2, seemingly.

Bottas was back out, though, and managed to get back to P2; just 0.015 of a second behind Hamilton in first. Verstappen then went quicker than both Ferraris and was within a tenth of Hamilton at the top, with the front three all incredibly close together as we prepare for the qualifying session this afternoon.

Alex Albon set the fourth quickest lap with just over five minutes remaining, overtaking both Ferraris, and was just under three-tenths off the top of the timesheet. His Red Bull team-mate Verstappen then set a brilliant lap and went 0.074 of a second ahead of Hamilton, as the Dutchman moved to the top.