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Hamilton fastest in Abu Dhabi
Briton lays down marker to rival
Lewis Hamilton was fastest in both practice sessions ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday.
The reigning world champion indicated that he won’t give up his title without a fight as he laid down a marker to his rivals for the last race of the 2016 campaign.
Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg leads the championship by 12 points from the Briton heading into the last race and only needs to finish third should Hamilton win to secure his first ever world championship title.
Hamilton set a time of 1:42.869 in the first session this morning to finish 0.379 seconds ahead of his rival despite spinning out at one point.
The Red Bull pairing of Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo were next fastest followed by Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel. The first session took place in very hot conditions, with the track temperature topping 40 degrees centrigrade at times which meant that none of the teams were prepared to risk too much as qualifying and the race itself will be held in the evening under floodlights which should mean a significant drop in temperature.
Hamilton set the pace once again in the second practice session on 1:40.861, pipping Rosberg by just 0.079 seconds as both drivers opted for ultra-soft tyres. Vettel was third fastest this time, just 0.269 seconds behind the Briton, followed by Red Bull’s Verstappen and Ricciardo. Vettel’s Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen was fifth fastest.
Abu Dhabi GP Practice 2 Results:
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1m40.861s
2 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m40.940s 0.079s
3 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1m41.130s 0.269s
4 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Renault 1m41.389s 0.528s
5 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull/Renault 1m41.390s 0.529s
6 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1m41.464s 0.603s
7 Valtteri Bottas Williams/Mercedes 1m41.959s 1.098s
8 Sergio Perez Force India/Mercedes 1m42.041s 1.180s
9 Nico Hulkenberg Force India/Mercedes 1m42.264s 1.403s
10 Felipe Massa Williams/Mercedes 1m42.268s 1.407s
11 Fernando Alonso McLaren/Honda 1m42.366s 1.505s
12 Jenson Button McLaren/Honda 1m42.823s 1.962s.
Photo: Getty/Mark Thompson
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