#F1 #AbuDhabiGP #FP3: @OscarPiastri leads team-mate @LandoNorris in another @McLarenF1 one-two.
Oscar Piastri, #81, McLaren Formula 1 Team-Mercedes, MCL38, Free Practice 3, Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Image credit to by Clive Mason/Getty Images. Piastri Abu Dhabi FP3, 2024 Abu Dhabi GP FP3 Results, Formula 1 Abu Dhabi GP FP3 Results, F1 Abu Dhabi FP3 Results.
Piastri Abu Dhabi FP3 – Oscar Piastri lead from team-mate Lando Norris in a McLaren one-two in the final FP3 session of the season at the Abu Dhabi GP as Mercedes’ Sir Lewis Hamilton completed the top three.
Piastri posted the session-topping benchmark of a 1:23.433 and was 0.193 seconds quicker than team-mate Norris whilst Hamilton was a further 0.390 adrift in third and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen fourth and 0.411 seconds off.
There was little action in the beginning of the 60-minute session, with the Aston Martin pairing emerging in the early minutes for lengthy sighting laps.
BWT Alpine F1 Team duo Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan came out at the end of the opening 10 minutes of proceedings and registered the initial benchmark of a 1:26.040 and 1:25.633 respectively – with the former running his A524 racer’s plank heavily along the kerb exiting the turn five long hairpin at the end of the middle sector.
The Aston Martin’s then re-joined as Lance Stroll took P1 with a 1:25.528, with Fernando Alonso at first behind with an opening hot-lap on the C5 softs, which most of the teams were running early on that feature the Spaniard having to jink to avoid a low-flying seagull on track.
When the opening third of proceedings ended, Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu jumped ahead, before MoneyGram Haas F1 Team’s Kevin Magnussen planted his VF-24 racer to the top of the pile setting a 1:24.470 and Verstappen, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Mercedes’ Hamilton came out on the C4 yellow-branded mediums.
The frontrunners emerged at this stage of proceedings, but only Norris troubled the leading efforts – his initial lap-time on the softs coming only 0.3 seconds down on Magnussen – with Mercedes’ biggest problem involving Hamilton wanting to have a motivational sticker removed from behind his steering wheel.
Magnussen’s benchmark lasted until the hour-long session’s final third as Williams Racing’s Alexander Albon gained over 0.6 seconds on the Dane to move to P1 from 12th posting a 1:24.378.
After this, Mercedes’ George Russell, who had been complaining about his pace earlier on in the session, jumped to the top setting a 1:24.075, before Piastri nudged ahead 0.642 seconds clear.
Norris could not better his team-mate’s effort with a 1:23.433 on his next flying lap, as the Briton sat 0.193 seconds back, with newly-crowned four-time world champion moving into third place a short time later with all cars running the softer tyres.
Piastri and Norris attempted another go on the C5’s as there was five minutes remaining, but other than the former setting a personal best in sector two, they could not improve, with his team-mate running off circuit at the opening corner and turn 13 struggling with oversteer.
The top two returned to the pits after this, as Hamilton’s late effort slotted him into third place ahead of Verstappen and was behind Piastri by 0.390 seconds – despite the Mercedes driver using the softer rubber.
Sainz wounded up fifth and in-front of Russell who was sixth Haas’s Nico Hulkenberg who placed seventh in the order.
MoneyGram Haas F1 Team’s Magnussen took eighth as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez rounded out the top ten.
Leclerc declared Ferrari were “nowhere” in it’s battle with McLaren for the World Constructor’s Championship title fight as the Monegasque driver – who takes a ten-grid-placed-penalty from wherever he qualifies later on Saturday at the Yas Marina Circuit – was 0.665 adrift of Piastri’s session-topping benchmark.
RB’s Yuki Tsunoda finished FP3 outside the top 10 in 11th place and ahead of Williams Racing’s Alexander Albon who was 12th and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly who followed in 13th.
Alpine’s Jack Doohan placed 14th in the order and in-front of Aston Martin’s Alonso who took 15th and Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas who came 16th in the classification.
RB’s Liam Lawson ended the final practice session of the year in 17th and ahead of Aston Martin’s Stroll who was 18th whilst Sauber’s Zhou and Williams’ Franco Colapinto brought up the rear.
You can see the full Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2024 Free Practice 3 Results Classification at the link: https://www.formula1.com/en/results/2024/races/1252/abu-dhabi/practice/3
2024 F1 World Championship Standings
@LandoNorris heads @McLarenF1 one-two in #AbuDhabiGP FP2. #F1
#F1 #AbuDhabiGP FP1: @CharlesLeclerc quickest ahead of @LandoNorris, @LewisHamilton.
