Nico Rosberg beat Lewis Hamilton during qualifying to claim pole position for the final round of the year in Abu Dhabi. Rosberg set a time of 1:40.480 to edge out Hamilton by almost four-tenths of a second, while Valtteri Bottas claimed third. Rosberg held the advantage after the first runs as Hamilton went wide at the penultimate corner and locked up into the final turn. Both drivers improved on their final runs but Hamilton was not able to find enough time to claw back his […]

Nico Rosberg set the fastest time during the final practice session ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Rosberg's time of 1:41.424 was 0.369s quicker than Lewis Hamilton, who set the fastest time in the first two sectors before losing ground in the final part of the lap. The Mercedes pair were comfortably clear of their nearest rivals, with Williams's Felipe Massa in third position, 1.005s down on Rosberg. Fernando Alonso set his time on Options during the early stages of the session and ended […]

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Fernando Alonso has admitted that he and Ferrari head into qualifying in Abu Dhabi on the back foot after he completed just two laps during the second practice session at the Yas Marina Circuit. Alonso's car crawled to a halt due to an electrical problem and he ended the session at the bottom of the table, having been unable to register a time. "It was a real shame losing the opportunity to take part in the second free practice session here at Yas Marina, as […]

Kevin Magnussen says that McLaren is moving in the right direction after a new front wing helped him finish in third position during Friday practice for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Magnussen, whose future with the team remains uncertain, clocked the 'best of the rest' time behind the dominant Mercedes duo at the Yas Marina Circuit. "It hasn’t been a bad day, all in all," he said. "I tried out our new front wing during both today’s sessions, and it felt different, which is good. […]

Outgoing world champion Sebastian Vettel says securing fourth place in the standings is his priority at this weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Vettel finished in fourth place in Friday's second practice session and currently holds a slender advantage over Fernando Alonso and Vatteri Bottas in the fight for the same position in the championship. "I think we have improved the car today, but we can still improve more," he said. "The Super Soft tyre seems pretty good for one lap, but I don’t think they […]

Lewis Hamilton labelled the Mercedes W05 Hybrid the best car he's driven around the Yas Marina Circuit after he topped both practice sessions ahead of this weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Hamilton finished the second practice session 0.083s ahead of Mercedes team-mate and title rival Nico Rosberg and needs just a second place finish to secure the championship. "It's been a good Friday," he said. "We've run the same programme as we run every race weekend but this time we had the whole of both […]

Esteban Ocon says he would like further Formula 1 outings with Lotus after making his practice debut at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Ocon, 18, claimed this year's F3 title - beating Toro Rosso's Max Verstappen in the process - and replaced Romain Grosjean during the first practice session at the Yas Marina Circuit. The French driver set the 16th quickest time, three-tenths of a second slower than Pastor Maldonado. "Well it went great, I had to adapt from the 2012 car because it’s really […]

Romain Grosjean will start the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from the back of the grid after being slapped with a 20 place grid penalty. Lotus has opted to use a sixth internal combustion engine, Turbocharger and MGU-H on Grosjean's E22. The FIA has also stipulated that Grosjean will take time penalties in the race for any grid positions he cannot serve. If Grosjean has one to five positions that he cannot take, he will sustain a five second time penalty in the race, 10 seconds […]

Lewis Hamilton edged out Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg during the first practice session for this weekend’s season finale in Abu Dhabi. Hamilton set a time of 1:43.476, 0.133s faster than title rival Rosberg, as Mercedes finished comfortably clear of its nearest rivals. Fernando Alonso was third for Ferrari, 1.7s off the pace, with his 2015 replacement Sebastian Vettel close behind in fourth. Less than a tenth of a second separated the Red Bull drivers as Daniel Ricciardo placed fifth, with Toro Rosso pair Jean-Éric Vergne […]

Lewis Hamilton is sure that he and title rival Nico Rosberg can have a fair fight at this weekend's season finale in Abu Dhabi. Hamilton leads Rosberg by 17 points ahead of the final round of the year at the Yas Marina Circuit. The pair made contact during the Belgian Grand Prix, resulting in a retirement for Hamilton, but the Championship leader is sure that they can have a clean weekend. "It’s already been discussed at the beginning of the season and several times through […]

Formula 3 champion Esteban Ocon will drive for Lotus during the first free practice session at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Ocon, 18, claimed this year's title in the junior category and recently tested for Lotus and Ferrari as his prize for clinching the championship. Ocon, a Lotus junior driver, will replace Romain Grosjean during the first session at Yas Marina. "It is a fantastic opportunity for me to drive in my first session at a Grand Prix and I am tremendously grateful to Lotus […]