Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton started the last Saturday of the 2018 Formula 1 season in good shape. The reigning champion went fastest in the third free practice session prior to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton Dominates The Last Free Practice Session Of The Year
Hamilton is the favourite to take pole position once again at Abu Dhabi, which would be his eleventh of the season. Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel followed the English driver closely on the timesheets. Raikkonen was faster than his teammate in every session of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix so far.
After performing at a high level during Friday, Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas and the two Red Bulls, Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo, did not have a great morning session. Verstappen lined up fourth, Bottas was fifth, and Ricciardo was sixth. The Australian driver had trouble with his car in the closing stages of the session, which might hurt his qualifying chances.
The Midfield
Haas continues to perform well at Abu Dhabi. Romain Grosjean was the fastest driver in the midfield, albeit 1.1 seconds behind the leader’s pace. Force India did not have a great morning session. After finishing fifth and tenth in the first two sessions, Esteban Ocon could only do seven laps due to an issue with his car. Sergio Pérez was eleventh, behind his French teammate.
Another story of the session was Sauber’s, Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque driver is in his last weekend with the Swiss team before his move to Ferrari for next year. Leclerc crashed in the first part of the practice and damaged the rear wing of his C37.
The Last Word
Hamilton and Mercedes should be favorites to take the last pole of the year. However, Ferrari is known for improving their pace from the practice sessions to qualifying and the race. Red Bull had a good Friday, but they seem to be a little bit off the pace of the Silver Arrows and the Red cars. Another thrilling qualifying session could be in front of us.
Results of FP3:
FP3 CLASSIFICATION: Ahead of qualifying, Hamilton is in pole position #AbuDhabiGP ?? #F1 pic.twitter.com/D1QT67d84y
— Formula 1 (@F1) 24 de noviembre de 2018
