FP3 in Abu Dhabi marks the last opportunity for the teams to find the right balance before playing it all in the final qualifying of the year. With the McLaren that after the free practice sessions of the Friday seems to be traveling on another planet, strong of the domination seen so far, Ferrari is called to respond with a feat. Sainz and Leclerc, the latter burdened by a penalty of ten places on the grid, face an almost prohibitive challenge against an opponent who, both on the single lap and on the race pace, has shown few weak points.
But it's not just Ferrari and McLaren that are competing for the win. Mercedes wants to give Lewis Hamilton a worthy finale to his career with the team, while Red Bull, far from the fight for the constructors' title, is aiming to at least close with one last individual win. Let's see if the balance has changed and how the teams have prepared in this last free practice session of the year.
The first to take to the track in FP3 in Abu Dhabi were Alonso and Stroll, who began running-in work on the hard tyres in their Aston Martins, before switching to the mediums, finding decidedly better sensations than the previous day.
Haas Surprises, Ferrari Seeks Answers
The first time of the day was set by Pierre Gasly, who set a 1'26"040 on the soft tyres as an initial reference. Jack Doohan also took to the track next, while the Aston Martins decided to test the soft tyres as well. Ferrari also made a move, with Charles Leclerc being the first of the two Maranello drivers to complete a timed lap on the soft tyres. However, the Monegasque finished far from the top positions.
Kevin Magnussen stole the show, with his Haas setting an impressive lap: fuchsia in the first two sectors and an overall time of 1:24.470, a full second faster than Leclerc. A lap that demonstrates the Dane's competitiveness on a flying lap and raises hopes of seeing Haas as a protagonist in an already surprising weekend. After the first half hour both Magnussen and Hulkenberg are in the top three, with Norris in between the two.
Halfway through the session, FP3 proved to be an unpredictable battlefield. Kevin Magnussen continued to lead the way with a surprising time, while Carlos Sainz, despite some technical issues, took second place. The Spaniard's Ferrari had caused concern earlier, when white smoke from the rear of his SF-24 had raised concerns about potential mechanical problems. However, Sainz then responded on track with a lap that sent him ahead of Max Verstappen.
The four-time Dutch world champion, fresh from victories in Brazil and Qatar, had shown signs of recovery with a competitive time on medium tyres, but the second place achieved by Sainz relegated him to third position.
Last attempts at a flying lap, 1-2 McLaren, Ferrari struggles in the third sector
In the final fifteen minutes of FP3 in Abu Dhabi, the action on the track intensifies as the drivers launch themselves for their last attempts at a fast lap. Alexander Albon, in great form with his Williams, breaks the initial balance by snatching the lead from Kevin Magnussen with a time of 1:24.378, just 92 thousandths better than the Dane.
With 10 minutes to go, McLaren took control of the session with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris moving into first and second place. Behind them were Max Verstappen, despite some brake problems, and Carlos Sainz, who finished in fourth position after losing precious time in the last sectorThe top five is completed by Nico Hulkenberg, once again surprising with Haas.
Among the other big names, Charles Leclerc finished only eighth, while Lewis Hamilton struggled to find his rhythm and was seventh, behind Tsunoda's Racing Bull. Sergio Perez also did badly, relegated to fourteenth place, far from the competitiveness needed to make his mark in the final race of the season.
With the final attempts completed, FP3 in Abu Dhabi closes with the following top 10: Piastri, Norris, Hamilton, Verstappen, Sainz, Russell, Hulkenberg, Magnussen, Leclerc, Perez.
