Hamilton "struggled with the balance" during qualifying

Lewis Hamilton says that it was tough to get back in the rhythm of driving after his week away as he could only qualify third for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Hamilton was within a tenth of polesitter Max Verstappen, but just missed out on pole at the final race of the season.

Speaking to David Coulthard after the session, Hamilton expressed how pleased he was to be back, despite the result. He said: "I'm really grateful to be back with the team for the end of a strong season. It's been a difficult weekend to get back into the rhythm.

"I struggled with the balance but gave it my all, congrats to Max, it's a great way for him to seal the year and hopefully we can give them a run for their money tomorrow.

"You can't always start first, this makes it more exciting. It's a difficult track to overtake, but with the strategy, I'm excited to see how I can turn it around," he added. "It's normally a one-stop here, I don't think a two-stop works with the long pitlane, everyone will try and minimise it, so we'll see."