Max opens Abu Dhabi weekend with P3

Published on 25 November 2016 by Stefan Meens

Max Verstappen kicked of the final Grand Prix weekend of the 2016 season in third. In Friday’s first free practice session, the Dutchman was ‘best of the rest’ behind the two Mercedes of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton. The latter clocked the quickest time around the Yas Marian Circuit.

At the start of FP1, we see a couple of new faces. Jordan King is driving Esteban Ocon’s Manor and Alfonso Celis is occupying Nico Hulkenberg’s Force India.

As the session gets underway, it is busy out on track with most drivers getting in their installation laps. Max heads out ten minutes into the session.

Daniil Kvyat is the first and only casualty of FP1. Twenty minutes into the session, the Russian Toro Rosso driver is forced to park his car trackside due to a puncture.

In the meantime, Max is clocking his first timed laps on the soft Pirellis. He sets the third quickest lap, behind both Mercedes. The Dutchman is only half a second of Hamilton’s pace, with the world champion having set his time on the faster super-soft compound.

In the closing stages, most drivers head out on a set of used softs, so there are not many lap time improvements, meaning Max stays in third. Hamilton is quickest, ahead of Rosberg. Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo finishes the session in fourth.

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Yas Marina Circuit - Friday 25 November

FREE PRACTICE 1 RESULTS

01 44 Lewis Hamilton      Mercedes                    1:42.869          27
02  6 Nico Rosberg        Mercedes                    1:43.243  +0.374s  30
03 33 Max Verstappen      Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer   1:43.297  +0.428s  25
04  3 Daniel Ricciardo    Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer   1:43.362  +0.493s  26
05  5 Sebastian Vettel    Ferrari                     1:44.005  +1.136s  26
06 11 Sergio Perez        Force India Mercedes        1:44.155  +1.286s  22
07  7 Kimi Raikkonen      Ferrari                     1:44.556  +1.687s  26
08 55 Carlos Sainz        Toro Rosso Ferrari          1:44.685  +1.816s  20
09 19 Felipe Massa        Williams Mercedes           1:45.039  +2.170s  26
10  9 Marcus Ericsson     Sauber Ferrari              1:45.168  +2.299s  19
11 34 Alfonso Celis       Force India Mercedes        1:45.476  +2.607s  25
12  8 Romain Grosjean     Haas Ferrari                1:45.600  +2.731s  13
13 12 Felipe Nasr         Sauber Ferrari              1:45.778  +2.909s  17
14 21 Esteban Gutierrez   Haas Ferrari                1:45.925  +3.056s  19
15 77 Valtteri Bottas     Williams Mercedes           1:45.940  +3.071s  30
16 30 Jolyon Palmer       Renault                     1:46.219  +3.350s  32
17 20 Kevin Magnussen     Renault                     1:46.372  +3.503s  20
18 14 Fernando Alonso     McLaren Honda               1:46.379  +3.510s  20
19 94 Pascal Wehrlein     MRT Mercedes                1:46.458  +3.589s  28
20 22 Jenson Button       McLaren Honda               1:47.127  +4.258s  10
21 42 Jordan King         MRT Mercedes                1:47.558  +4.689s  26
22 26 Daniil Kvyat        Toro Rosso Ferrari          2:01.989  +19.120s  4 

Click here to enter our competition and a chance to win a signed cap and flag!