Abu Dhabi GP: Mixed FP3 for Williams Martini

Team Summary:
The final practice session for the 2017 Abu Dhabi GP would see the sun shining with a rush of drivers coming out. Both Ferrari's were on the ultra soft tyre but the others were on the soft tyre. Drivers would quickly pit after their installation laps but Vandoorne would set a time of 1m:41.103 running on used ultra soft tyres. Given the time of the day it was not expected to see a lot of running as qualifying and the race would be under lights. Vettel and Raikkonen were out on the ultra soft tyre with under fifty minutes remaining. A 1m:38.999 from Raikkonen as both Mercedes cars came out on new ultra soft tyres. Vettel was now second with a 1m:39.152.

Bottas was now third with a 1m:39.205 but this would become fourth as Hamilton went quickest with a 1m:38.702. Both Williams drivers were out of their cars so it was not looking like they would run a lot in the session. Bottas would go to the top of the times with a 1m:38.637 followed by Hamilton and Raikkonen. But Hamilton would improve with a 1m:38.159 to again be quickest. Perez and Ocon were now sixth and seventh with everyone now on the ultra soft tyres. Raikkonen and Vettel were now third and fourth with Alonso fifth. Ricciardo would move up to fifth followed by Verstappen, Alonso, Sainz, Perez and Ocon tenth. With just over half an hour remaining both Williams cars would take to the track. They would finish in tenth and sixteenth positions.

At the front Raikkonen would go quickest with a 1m:38.157 to be just 0.002 ahead of Hamilton. Vettel was now third followed by Bottas in fourth. Alonso had improved to be sixth followed by Verstappen and Hulkenberg. Drivers were starting to come out on new ultra soft tyres with just over fifteen minutes remaining and it would be Hamilton who would go quickest with a 1m:37.627 on what was his qualifying simulation run. Bottas would also move ahead with a 1m:37.900 to be second. Verstappen would move up to fifth behind the Ferrari's. ten minutes remaining and the Williams drivers were now tenth and seventeenth. Both would come out on their qualifying simulations. After their runs they were in eleventh and seventeenth.

The session would end with the top ten Hamilton, Bottas, Raikkonen, Vettel, Ricciardo, Verstappen, Alonso, Vandoorne, Sainz and Perez in tenth. For the Williams team this session was very much a repeat of Friday with Felipe well ahead of Lance but once again both cars were outside the top ten. Qualifying is going to be difficult for the Williams drivers in particular for Lance he is really going to have to complete a lap without mistakes in order to get past the opening period.

Felipe Massa:
Felipe would also come out on the soft tyre pitting after a one lap run. Felipe would join his team-mate back out on the track except he was on new ultra soft tyres. Felipe would follow his team-mate in setting a very slow lap time of 2m:10.535. Felipe would set a 1m:39.949 to move up to eighth. He would drop to tenth behind Alonso. Felipe would improve with a 1m:39.446 to move up into ninth. Felipe would join Lance in the pits. With seven minutes remaining and Felipe was out on new ultra soft tyres. The opening sectors of the lap would see an improvement but the final part of the lap would fail to see make any big improvement setting a 1m:39.383 to be eleventh. He would end the session in this place.

Lance Stroll:
Lance would be out quickly onto the track running on new soft tyres. Lance would pit after a two lap run but would not set a time. lance would return with just over half an hour remaining running on used ultra soft tyres. Lance's time was a very slow 2m:21.935. His next lap was a 1m:42.717 to be twentieth. He would improve with a 1m:40.917 to now be sixteenth. Lance would pit after a five lap run. He would return quickly to the track still on the used ultra soft tyres. He would pit again currently in seventeenth. Lance had dropped to twentieth and was also out on new ultra soft tyres. Lance was on a quicker lap but would abort his lap. Lance had locked up on his lap but his next would see him set a 1m:40.572 to be seventeenth. Lance was 1.2 seconds off Felipe's pace as he apologised for his mistake that saw him run wide ruining his flying lap.