Hamilton ahead as title deciding weekend kicks off
F1 Grand Prix, GP Abu Dhabi, Yas Marina Circuit
Lewis Hamilton enjoyed a comfortable start to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend as he proved the fastest man in the first practice session, and 4 tenths quicker than team mate and Championship rival Nico Rosberg. The Red Bull duo were once again the closest competitors.
While Red Bull were fairly close to Mercedes' pace, Ferrari wasn't, even though Sebastian Vettel was still 5th fastest in the morning session. He was nonetheless more than a second down on the pace setter, and a tenth ahead of Sergio Perez.
Kimi Raikkonen slotted into 7th in the second Ferrari, followed by Carlos Sainz, Felipe Massa and Marcus Ericsson.
Results
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Car | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:42.869 | - | 28 |
| 2 | 6 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:43.243 | +0.374s | 31 |
| 3 | 33 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Tag Heuer | 1:43.297 | +0.428s | 26 |
| 4 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull Racing Tag Heuer | 1:43.362 | +0.493s | 27 |
| 5 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1:44.005 | +1.136s | 27 |
| 6 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Force India Mercedes | 1:44.155 | +1.286s | 23 |
| 7 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 1:44.556 | +1.687s | 27 |
| 8 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Toro Rosso Ferrari | 1:44.685 | +1.816s | 21 |
| 9 | 19 | Felipe Massa | Williams Mercedes | 1:45.039 | +2.170s | 27 |
| 10 | 9 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber Ferrari | 1:45.168 | +2.299s | 20 |
| 11 | 34 | Alfonso Celis | Force India Mercedes | 1:45.476 | +2.607s | 26 |
| 12 | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Haas Ferrari | 1:45.600 | +2.731s | 13 |
| 13 | 12 | Felipe Nasr | Sauber Ferrari | 1:45.778 | +2.909s | 17 |
| 14 | 21 | Esteban Gutierrez | Haas Ferrari | 1:45.925 | +3.056s | 20 |
| 15 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams Mercedes | 1:45.940 | +3.071s | 31 |
| 16 | 30 | Jolyon Palmer | Renault | 1:46.219 | +3.350s | 33 |
| 17 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Renault | 1:46.372 | +3.503s | 21 |
| 18 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren Honda | 1:46.379 | +3.510s | 21 |
| 19 | 94 | Pascal Wehrlein | Mrt Mercedes | 1:46.458 | +3.589s | 29 |
| 20 | 22 | Jenson Button | McLaren Honda | 1:47.127 | +4.258s | 10 |
| 21 | 42 | Jordan King | Mrt Mercedes | 1:47.558 | +4.689s | 27 |
| 22 | 26 | Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso Ferrari | 2:01.989 | +19.120s | 4 |
