Oscar Piastri leads a McLaren one-two in FP3, while Ferrari falters with Leclerc and Sainz struggling to match the pace.
The third and final practice session for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix took place at the Yas Marina Circuit. A last opportunity to prepare ahead of qualifying, scheduled this afternoon at 3 p.m. French time.
Fernando Alonso, who yesterday described his car as the worst he had ever driven, seemed much more optimistic today, telling his team radio during his out-lap that it felt like “a beautiful day.”
Pierre Gasly set an initial benchmark on soft tires with a 1’26″040, while his teammate Jack Doohan quickly left the pits as well, continuing an intensive learning curve for his debut Formula 1 Grand Prix this weekend. The Australian went faster with a 1’25″633.
Lance Stroll topped that with his Aston Martin at 1’25″528, while Alonso slotted into third, just 0″126 behind his teammate. Charles Leclerc, facing a 10-place grid penalty tomorrow, was the first of the leading team drivers to hit the track.
Guanyu Zhou took the top spot with a 1’25″496, ahead of Stroll, while Leclerc could only manage the fifth-fastest time. Kevin Magnussen then set the pace with a 1’24″470, a full second ahead of Zhou. Nico Hülkenberg moved into second place, and Valtteri Bottas took fourth, putting the Haas and Stake teams temporarily at the top.
Lando Norris disrupted the order despite a mistake in the final corner, taking provisional second, three-tenths off Magnussen. Oscar Piastri placed the other McLaren in fourth.
Max Verstappen, struggling yesterday, secured fifth on medium tires, while Sergio Pérez set the sixth-fastest time on softs. Lewis Hamilton climbed into the top five, unlike George Russell, who complained of a slow car.
Russell admitted he had “no idea why the pace is so bad. Everything seems pretty normal, just very slow,” he told his race engineer over the radio. Meanwhile, Verstappen improved to second on mediums.
Carlos Sainz moved into second place with his Ferrari, also on medium tires, while Hamilton claimed fifth. Doohan went for another quick lap, finishing 1″065 off the best time, which put him 17th, underscoring how tight the field was. Pérez climbed back to sixth.
Alex Albon set the fastest time of the session with a 1’24″378, 17 minutes before the end. The driver himself seemed puzzled by the lap: “The balance shifted wildly during that lap.”
Doohan initially placed second, just 0″056 behind Albon, only to be beaten by Gasly, who slotted in 0″030 behind the Williams. Russell found pace and posted a 1’24″075 to lead, before being immediately surpassed by Piastri’s 1’24″433.
Magnussen moved into third, with Norris doing better to take second behind his teammate. Hülkenberg improved to fourth, while Zhou climbed back into the top 10.
Verstappen made gains to secure third, though still four-tenths off the fastest lap. Bottas set the tenth-fastest time, Liam Lawson was 11th, and Yuki Tsunoda went quicker to take seventh.
Leclerc ended up eighth, while Sainz improved to climb into fourth. The Monegasque driver sounded frustrated: “We’re nowhere. Absolutely nowhere.” Pérez made some progress but could only manage 14th.
Hamilton moved up to third with under two minutes remaining. Pérez remained tenth, and Doohan improved but stayed 14th, just 1″001 off the fastest time and 0″026 behind Gasly. Alonso also improved but could only manage 15th. Notably, from 14th to 18th, five drivers were separated by less than a tenth.
Piastri and Norris secured a McLaren one-two ahead of qualifying, with Hamilton following in third, ahead of Verstappen and Sainz. Russell finished sixth, ahead of the two Haas cars, Leclerc, and Pérez.
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes MCL38 | 1:23.433 |
| 02 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes MCL38 | 1:23.626 |
| 03 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes W15 | 1:23.823 |
| 04 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Honda RBPT RB20 | 1:23.844 |
| 05 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari SF-24 | 1:23.871 |
| 06 | George Russell | Mercedes W15 | 1:24.075 |
| 07 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas Ferrari VF-24 | 1:24.093 |
| 08 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari VF-24 | 1:24.094 |
| 09 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari SF-24 | 1:24.098 |
| 10 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull Honda RBPT RB20 | 1:24.283 |
| 11 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT VCARB 01 | 1:24.343 |
| 12 | Alex Albon | Williams Mercedes FW46 | 1:24.378 |
| 13 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault A524 | 1:24.408 |
| 14 | Jack Doohan | Alpine Renault A524 | 1:24.434 |
| 15 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR24 | 1:24.453 |
| 16 | Valtteri Bottas | Stake F1 Kick Sauber C44 | 1:24.479 |
| 17 | Liam Lawson | RB Honda RBPT VCARB 01 | 1:24.519 |
| 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR24 | 1:24.531 |
| 19 | Guanyu Zhou | Stake F1 Kick Sauber C44 | 1:24.668 |
| 20 | Franco Colapinto | Williams Mercedes FW46 | 1:24.766 |
- Discover More>No Finns in F1: Viaplay’s Plan to Sustain Viewership
- Follow us on >Facebook and >Twitter for F1 updates.
McLaren Shines in Abu Dhabi FP3, Ferrari Faces Struggles McLaren Shines in Abu Dhabi FP3, Ferrari Faces Struggles
