F1 qualifying LIVE: Max Verstappen takes pole position ahead of Sergio Perez at Abu Dhabi GP
Follow qualifying updates and timings as Max Verstappen battles Mercedes pair George Russell and Lewis Hamilton for pole position at Sunday’s finale
The final race of the 2022 Formula One season is on Sunday and there’s still plenty to be decided despite the title being wrapped up.
Max Verstappen clinched his seventh pole of the season as he beat Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez to top of the charts in Abu Dhabi Grand Prix qualifying on Saturday.
Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz filled the second row ahead of the Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and George Russell across the third row. McLaren’s Lando Norris, Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel and Norris’s teammate Daniel Ricciardo rounded out the top 10.
The likes of Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo and Mick Schumacher are set for their final races with their teams - the former is indeed set for his final race altogether after announcing his retirement from F1 earlier this season.
Follow F1 updates with The Independent - qualifying starts at 10:30am (GMT):
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - FP3 LIVE
The Mercedes pair come out and set new fastest laps, Hamilton slightly ahead of Russell.
Six drivers have set a time now and Daniel Ricciardo - also on his final race in F1 for now - is out for McLaren next.
He’s through in fifth, a little ahead of the Haas pair.
Still waiting for the Red Bull pair and those from Williams, Aston Martin and plenty of others. A little over 40 minutes still to go.
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - FP3 LIVE
Mick Schumacher will want to make a big impact on his final weekend as an F1 driver...for now, at least. He’s not involved next year with Haas after being replaced by Hulkenberg, though there’s talk he could join Mercedes as a reserve.
Schumacher crosses the line just shy of Sainz’s time, before the latter’s Ferrari teammate Leclerc takes first place by about half a second.
Leclerc radios in with a bit of porpoising coming through turn 2, not happy about that.
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - FP3 LIVE
Carlos Sainz out for Ferrari. His 162nd start in F1 tomorrow, assuming nothing untoward goes on.
Stroll has set the earliest first lap, with Vettel behind him.
Sainz comes flying down the long top straight at Yas Marina at just over 320km/h, makes his final turns to end the lap with a bit of a shudder and...crosses in 1:27.821.
First, naturally, but early days.
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix LIVE
We are underway in FP3 and lots of talk at the moment on whether Lewis Hamilton can carve out an improbable win in his final race of the season, keeping his record intact of winning at least once in every season.
Hamilton, Stroll and Vettel are some of those already out.
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix LIVE
OK time to focus on the track - let’s see how the final warm-up session goes ahead of the final race of the season.
Abu Dhabi the setting, 60 minutes ahead of us, with qualifying to come at 2pm GMT.
No rain, lots of sunshine, 30 degrees and 45 trackside at Yas Island.
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix LIVE
The drivers speaking before FP3:
Verstappen: “No real problems. The car was working quite well so I’m happy.”
Leclerc: “It was a clean Friday at least which we didn’t have for a long time. On the other hand we lacked a bit of pace.”
Russell: “It felt fast but Red Bull have the legs on us single laps. So a bit of work to do.”
Hamilton: “We didn’t expect this to be our strongest race but we’re generally right there and hopefully we put on a good front.”
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix LIVE
Just over 10 minutes until we get underway for FP3.
Jenson Button says drivers will still get something out of this third session as they need the warm-up ahead of qualification.
Conditions very similar to yesterday and all eyes will be on Max Verstappen, who wasn’t in FP1 but was fastest in FP2.
Daniel Ricciardo set to rejoin Red Bull as reserve driver
Daniel Ricciardo is set to rejoin Red Bull as the team’s reserve driver with team principal Christian Horner hailing the Australian as one of the biggest names in Formula One.
Ricciardo, who has won eight times in F1 – seven with Red Bull between 2014 and 2018 – has been dropped by McLaren after an underwhelming two-season spell.
But the 33-year-old has been handed a temporary lifeline by Red Bull and will serve as backup to double world champion Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s motorsport adviser, revealed to German television in Abu Dhabi that Ricciardo, who discussed a reserve role with Mercedes, has signed a contract with the Milton Keynes team.
“We have not signed anything yet, but in Helmut’s enthusiasm, he has announced it, so I guess that means Daniel will be joining us unless he chooses not to sign it,” said Horner.
Full details here:
Daniel Ricciardo set to rejoin Red Bull as reserve driver
Ricciardo has been dropped by McLaren after an underwhelming two-season spell.
F1 to launch female-only Academy racing series next season
Formula One has announced a female-only racing category will be launched next season.
F1 executives hope the new series – revealed ahead of this weekend’s concluding round in Abu Dhabi – will identify the first female grand prix driver since Italian Lella Lombardi competed in 1976.
The sport’s bosses also insist the category, called the F1 Academy and aimed at young drivers already competing in junior categories, will not replace the W Series.
The single-seater championship launched solely for women in 2019 had to abandon its most recent season amid financial troubles and its future is in major doubt.
F1 to launch female-only Academy racing series next season
The series will consist of 21 races – three races at seven rounds – and will feature on the undercard of at least one F1 event
Max Verstappen sets fastest practice time before Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Max Verstappen returned to the track on which he won his controversial world championship last year by setting the fastest time in practice for Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
A year on from taking the maiden title, which denied Lewis Hamilton a record eighth crown, the Dutch driver set the pace under the lights of the Yas Marina Circuit.
The Red Bull driver, who has won 14 of the 21 races staged so far on his unstoppable gallop to championship number two, finished ahead of George Russell, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc third. Hamilton finished fourth.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton was top of the time sheets in the opening running on Friday, but he ended the day six tenths adrift of Verstappen’s Red Bull.
And all the details from FP2:
Max Verstappen sets fastest practice time before Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
The Dutch driver set the pace under the lights of the Yas Marina Circuit
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