Lewis Hamilton turns tables on Max Verstappen by going fastest in Yas Marina’s evening practice; Esteban Ocon second, Valtteri Bottas third, Verstappen 0.6s off; Kimi Raikkonen crashes at end of P2; Decider in the Desert – watch final practice and qualifying live on Sky Sports on Saturday
By Matt Morlidge
Last Updated: 10/12/21 2:25pm
Lewis Hamilton landed the first significant blow of F1’s Decider in the Desert by comfortably topping the timesheets in Abu Dhabi GP Practice Two, with championship rival Max Verstappen well adrift back in fourth.
Hamilton, who was behind the pace-setting Verstappen in first practice, found form in Friday’s more representative evening session, finishing his soft-tyre qualifying simulations with a 0.3s advantage over the field.
Surprisingly Esteban Ocon led the chasing pack in the Alpine, with Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas third.
But more significant was the fact Verstappen ended the opening day of F1’s deciding round with a big six-tenths deficit to Hamilton, the man he is tied on points with heading into a winner-takes-all finale this Sunday.
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Kimi Raikkonen hit the barriers at Turn 14 with quite significant damage done to his Alfa Romeo during the second practice session.
Hamilton led with a 1:23.691 at Yas Marina’s much faster newly-configured track, with Verstappen only posting a 1:24.332.
“I feel great,” said Hamilton ahead of the crucial days in his hunt for an historic eighth crown. “Still a bit of a bit of unknown in terms of pace but I’m sure it’s going to be super close.”
Verstappen, desperate for his maiden F1 title, added: “Of course clearly the short run didn’t go to plan, lacking a bit of pace. But I think the long runs were quite a bit more competitive.”
A gripping weekend of action continues with final practice on Saturday before a crunch qualifying session, live on Sky Sports F1, Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Showcase from 12pm.
While Red Bull were off the pace over one lap compared to Mercedes in second practice, they will be encouraged by Sergio Perez’s pace as the Mexican was within a tenth of Verstappen in fifth.
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Ride onboard with Fernando Alonso’s helmet cam, as the Alpine driver speeds through the Yas Marina circuit during the second practice session.
Fernando Alonso was sixth in the other Alpine, although would have been ahead of Verstappen and challenging the Mercedes if not for a lap deletion, having made a small track limits error in the final sector.
The AlphaTauri and Ferrari cars were the next most competitive in the midfield.
The session ended with a crash for Kimi Raikkonen in the Alfa Romeo, with the Finnish world champion – retiring after Abu Dhabi – losing the rear of his car on his very last lap and smashing into the barriers. Raikkonen was unhurt, though his team face a big repair job for his final weekend.
More to follow.