Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Free Practice 3: Hamilton’s Domination

Last session of free practice for the drivers. Indeed, since these FP3 take place in the morning, the track temperature is much hotter than it will be later in the evening. It is therefore important to gather as much data as possible while keeping in mind that the tires will not react in the same way for qualifying and the race.

Small scare for Lewis Hamilton who was struggling with his brakes during his first laps. Returning to the pit to fix it, no one expected the British driver to take another lap so soon. And yet, only 2 minutes later, the Mercedes was back on track with soft tires.

His rival for the title, Max Verstappen, also experienced some reliability issues with his Red Bull. Indeed, the Dutchman struggled to complete laps. The probable cause was his rear wing, which was very, or even excessively, flexible. His mechanics spent a lot of time this session trying to fix it. The rear wing has already been the source of numerous working hours for the mechanics of the Austrian team in recent races.

Contrary to the Mercedes, who focused on qualifying pace very early on, the Red Bulls waited 40 minutes before putting on the soft tires.

After spending the entire first part of free practice 3 more than one second behind Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen achieved a 1’23’4’88 time towards the end of the session, placing him only two tenths behind his rival.

On a track that seems very challenging in terms of tire management, it will be crucial for the drivers to choose the right moment to set their fastest lap times during qualifying.

Result of FP3: