46
12:16
New best lap by Sergio Pérez
First Hamilton takes the lead, but a little later he has to give it to Sergio Pérez. He drove a 1:24.982 and was able to take two tenths off Hamilton.
45
12:14
Tight number
Very tight number between Nicholas Latifi and Lando Norris. He just barely overtakes the McLaren on his fast lap.
44
12:13
George Russell’s new best lap
With fresh softs, George Russell beat the Dutchman’s time by two tenths and now takes the lead in the rankings. Schumacher has improved to tenth place on the fresh soft set.
43
12:13
Max Verstappen’s new best lap
Max Verstappen sets the new best lap time on used softs. He drove a 1:25.618.
42
12:12
Some on fresh softs
In the last 20 minutes, some in the field unpack fresh softs and try a qualifying test. Among other things, the Mercedes are now on new softs. Leclerc still drives medium.
37
12:07 p.m
Hamilton exam after exercise
Race Direction announce the Hamilton red flag incident will be investigated after practice.
36
12:06
New best lap by Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton can set the new best time. He needed 1:25.824 minutes for his lap. Max Verstappen has sorted himself into third place after his first lap. He was missing two tenths at Hamilton time.
35
12:05
Verstappen on the track
Max Verstappen has meanwhile also driven onto the track. He’s on a used set of softs. Meanwhile, the race management reports that the Hamilton incident has at least been noted once.
34
12:03
Hamilton faces trouble
Hamilton could face trouble. A radio message and an onboard from Lando Norris show how he had just overtaken Norris and one of the Haas under red flags.
32
12:02
Route reopened
The part is collected and the route is released again. The Ferrari drivers go out first.
29
12:01
Red flag
Red flag! Part of Pierre Gasly’s mudguard lies on the track. The Frenchman had previously driven hard over the curbs.
28
11:58
Pit radio Pierre Gasly
“Something’s broken,” radios Pierre Gasly as he comes back to the garage. Looks like a punctured tyre.
26
11:56
New best lap by Sergio Pérez
Sergio Pérez sets a new best lap time. On the medium he can do a 1:25.861 and is almost two tenths ahead of Hamilton. Sebastian Vettel is in seventh place, with Mick Schumacher in 18th place.
24
11:54
Verstappen in the box
For his part, Max Verstappen remains in his garage and is in no hurry to start training. Already yesterday he explained that the session would have little relevance for him.
23
11:54
Yellow flag
There are yellow flags in the last sector. Esteban Ocon was slow going into Turn 14.
22
11:52
Pit radio Sebastian Vettel
“Smoke front left,” reports Sebastian Vettel on his pit radio. One seems to have a similar problem with overheating brakes as McLaren.
20
11:50
Three kilometers without training
Three drivers are still without training kilometers. Yuki Tsunoda, Nicholas Latifi and Max Verstappen haven’t gone out yet.
19
11:49
Pit radio Lando Norris
“I’ve got a fire on the left front wheel brake,” Lando Norris informed via his pit radio. “Yes, we saw that,” the team replies. Lando Norris comes back to the garage a little later.
17
11:47
Leclerc comes close
Charles Leclerc can improve again and on the medium he comes within 0.055 seconds of Hamilton. Fernando Alonso takes second place after another good lap. Vettel is currently seventh, Schumacher is in twelfth place.
14
11:44
It stays calm
It remains calm on the track in Abu Dhabi. Only gradually do the drivers go onto the track and begin the 3rd training session. Sebastian Vettel has just left the pits again. He’s on the soft.
11.
11:41
New best lap by Lewis Hamilton
The Mercedes drivers are on the soft tires and that means the Ferraris can be overtaken directly. Lewis Hamilton clocked a 1:26.040. George Russell finishes in second behind.
9.
11:39
New best lap by Charles Leclerc
Charles Leclerc has done two warm-up laps and is now half a second ahead of teammate Sainz after his first fast lap.
8th.
11:38
Mercedes also on the way
Mercedes has also opened up and started the 3rd training session. Russell and Hamilton are on the softest tire compound. Five pilots are currently on the track. The Aston Martin drivers are back in the garages after starting off with their tyres.
5.
11:35
Schumacher starts on the soft
Mick Schumacher starts his 3rd training session on the soft tire. It will also be a kind of farewell for him in Abu Dhabi. If the Williams deal with Logan Sargeant doesn’t surprisingly burst, then he won’t have a cockpit in 2023.
3.
11:33
Ferrari starts
Now Ferrari is also getting started and starting its practice session in Abu Dhabi. Both Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc are initially on the medium.
2.
11:32
Switch to media
After one lap, Vettel goes from hard to medium. So that will be the next set of tires that hit. Furthermore, Vettel and Stroll are the only drivers on the track. Since there is not much to learn in Abu Dhabi in the 3rd training session, the teams are not in a hurry.
1.
11:30
Start 3rd training
The traffic lights are green, the 3rd training session in Abu Dhabi has started. Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel drive as the first pilots on the track. They have the hardest compound on their cars. Looks like the team will complete the usual tire run-off at the start of the session.
11:24
The weather
Before the 3rd training session, the track temperature is 45 degrees. The air temperature is 31 degrees. So it’s warm again in Abu Dhabi.
11:20
How much more can you learn?
The 3rd practice in Abu Dhabi is not necessarily one where there is still a lot to learn in terms of qualifying and the race. Starting at 2:30 p.m. local time, the conditions in practice are completely different than in qualifying and the races, which are driven at dusk and with floodlights.
11:16
Ferrari struggles in the long run
Ferrari was still doing well on the fast lap, considering that Verstappen drove soft twice, but the Italians are struggling with the long runs. During the session, Leclerc wondered over the radio why he was so slow. The command post confirmed that they lacked the pace in race trim. You should have worked on that again on Saturday.
11:08
Vettel’s last Friday
Sebastian Vettel completed his last Friday in Formula 1. While there were great emotions in the pits before training, the German then went through his program normally. A good sixth place jumped out in first practice, while in the afternoon he was twelfth but just a little off the top ten places.
11:01
Verstappen dominates 2nd practice
After Max Verstappen had given his car to Liam Lawson in the junior program in the first practice session, the Dutchman showed in the second practice session that he can cope with little break-in time and dominated the session. Max Verstappen set a time of 1:25.146, 0.341 seconds faster than second-placed Mercedes driver George Russell. Charles Leclerc was 0.453 seconds slower and finished third. But unlike the competition, Verstappen drove two soft sets, which is why the competition can at least hope that the gap will actually be smaller.
Warm welcome!
The Formula 1 Saturday in Abu Dhabi starts with the 3rd practice session. It starts at 11:30 a.m.!
6.
00:00
Sainz sets first lap time
Carlos Sainz sets the first lap time in practice 3. The Spaniard needed 1:27.821 minutes for his lap.