Abu Dhabi – Free Practice 3: Vettel for the symbol?

The final weekend of this season arrived at the time of the ultimate free practice session, held on Saturday morning, French time; Saturday afternoon at Abu Dhabi time. Once again, the weather did not entirely reflect the conditions of the Qualifying and the Race tomorrow, held as the sun sets into the night.

Last training session and final chances for the drivers to acquire the right settings, the right trajectories. Particularly for Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton. Dominant in FP1 as well as FP2, Hamilton had the edge at the end of Friday.

Shortly before, the United Arab Emirates track had already been used by the GP3 competitors. A race that saw the victory of Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc, whom we had already seen this season at the wheel of a Haas during free practice sessions. However, the Ferrari Academy driver did not finish the race after a collision with another competitor. Fortunately, Alexander Albon, his closest rival, also had to retire due to a similar incident a few laps earlier. The Monegasque thus succeeds Esteban Ocon, the current driver in the premier category with Manor.

Congratulations to @Charles_Leclerc! #GP3 Champion 👊🏾👊🏾👊🏾 pic.twitter.com/z8osd1d58I— FerrariDriverAcademy (@insideFDA) 26 novembre /f1/actualite/21561-abu-dhabi-essais-libres-1-hamilton-devant-un-rosberg-dans-lattente.html

Ferrari in the running from the first stint on super-softs

At exactly 2:00 p.m. (11:00 a.m. Paris time), the light turned green for this FP3. Still far from getting on the track, Lewis Hamilton and especially Nico Rosberg were just arriving in the Mercedes garage. Once again with headphones on, the world championship leader played the (possibly fake?) relaxation card.

On the tarmac, the session began smoothly with a few installation laps. The drivers who were behind on their schedule from yesterday were the first to take the lead, notably Daniil Kvyat’s Toro Rosso, which suffered two punctures on the left rear tire. To address this, the Italian team made significant changes to the rear suspension to ensure that both the Russian and Carlos Sainz Jr could drive without issues.

After ten good minutes, only three times had been set, by Verstappen, Pérez, and Kvyat. The Red Bull driver went out on super-soft tires and completed an initial flying lap in 1:42.461. This first mark was improved by Lewis Hamilton, with a 1:42.120, on the same tires. Against him, Rosberg was half a second behind.

A time also lower than those of the two Red Bulls: Ricciardo ahead of Verstappen. A provisional ranking of the top four, symbolic, which would see Rosberg lose the title this Sunday in the race. But we were only in this session, quite paradoxical in the end. The drivers are indeed using tires that are unlikely to be fitted again this weekend…

At Mercedes, there was a minor alert with Lewis Hamilton, who was returning to the pits at a slow pace. The Briton complained of losing speed. However, within the team, it was quickly assured that the situation was under control after a routine check. Further along, Toro Rosso had a slight scare with Carlos Sainz, who spun off at the eighteenth corner. But no signs of a puncture this time on one of the two Italian single-seaters…

Most of the drivers were following a program based on short stints. Everyone seemed to be practicing for the Qualifications. Interestingly, under these conditions, Räikkönen’s Ferrari was ahead of Ricciardo’s Red Bull, on ultra-soft tires. “Iceman” achieved a time of 1:41.700 as the session reached its midway point.

A milestone that the Toro Rosso drivers occasionally crossed from the garage. The suspension problem was still relevant, and it was necessary to shave part of the rear suspension to prevent rubbing against the tire. Both cars were placed under the supervision of the chief commissioner from Pirelli.

Last practice lap on ultra-softs: the Ferraris and Verstappen steal the show!

20 minutes before the end, the Mercedes had regained the lead in the standings after putting on the softest tires. The next two times: 1:41.065 for Hamilton, 1:41.178 for Rosberg, achieved simultaneously. These times are tough on the close competition: Red Bull and Ferrari. The last sector is telling: the Silver Arrows build a strong lead in this section of the track. Räikkönen was then pushed back by 6 tenths. But we were not at the end of our surprises…

Opposite in the standings, Carlos Sainz took to the track for another routine check. The Spaniard clocked a time only in the final minutes. The excitement resumed in these last moments. Vettel chose this moment to attack: 1:40.775 for the German, an impressive time; among the top two, as in the final sector, which was favorable to Mercedes. The four-time world champion had a margin of two-tenths over Hamilton. Even with weather conditions different from the Qualifications, the Scuderia boosted their cars, particularly in terms of the engine.

Generally, the big guns returned to the track at the very end of the session. And none managed to unseat Vettel. Verstappen fell short by a tenth. The two Mercedes did not improve their times.

So it’s indeed Sebastian Vettel who takes this FP3 in Abu Dhabi, ahead of Verstappen and Räikkönen. Even though the conditions will be very different in qualifying later on, it’s surprising to see the two Mercedes only in 4th and 5th positions, Hamilton ahead of Rosberg. Will it be the same later on? The Brackley team will certainly be forced to push their engine regime more than usual…

Here is the final ranking of this last free session of the season:

PROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION: Two Ferraris in the top three after the final practice session of the season #AbuDhabiGP #F1Finale 🇦🇪 pic.twitter.com/fxcxk0kQ7P

— Formula 1 (@F1) 26 novembre 2016

Thus, it is appropriate to take a fairly distant perspective on this FP3. The track improved as the hour progressed, as evidenced by Vettel’s time. What is particularly surprising is the competitiveness displayed by Scuderia Ferrari. Hope springs eternal as the data clearly shows: the Italian car gets faster as the temperature drops. Vettel and Räikkönen should therefore enjoy themselves during the Qualifications. The two Red Bulls will also be contenders, even though they are expected primarily tomorrow during the race with effective tire management.

For the favorites, the pressure will be at its maximum. We have, in any case, observed in this session that all the spotlights are focused on the Mercedes garage. The crowd of journalist-followers adds stress for the mechanics and drivers and could cause errors, which are decisive in the scenario of this grand finale.

Join us shortly from 1:45 PM to follow this fateful qualifying session live in text form!