Abu Dhabi, FP3: Pérez quickest in final practice ahead of Verstappen

Red Bull Racing’s Sergio Pérez set the quickest time in the final practice session for the 2022 FIA Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, beating team-mate Max Verstappen by 1500ths of a second, with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in third place.

Pérez, level on points with Charles Leclerc, is looking to claim second place in the Drivers’ Championship and the Mexican driver’s hopes look bright after a practice in which his Ferrari rival finished sixth.

The session, held in hot, sunny conditions not related to those the drivers will encounter is the twilight qualifying session, got off to a slow start with Leclerc setting a conservative early benchmark in the 1m27s before Hamilton and Mercedes team-mate George Russell appeared after 10 minutes. Hamilton took P1 with a lap of 1:26.040.

The rest of the field then began to filter out on track and the Alpine’s of Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon split the Mercedes pair, while Leclerc got closest to Hamilton’s time, sitting half a tenth off the seven-time champion.

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez went top with a 1:25.861 on mediums and then the session was red-flagged when Pierre Gasly suffered a puncture and debris from his AlphaTauri came to rest on the kerb in Turn 9.

Under the red flag, Hamilton passed both McLaren’s Lando Norris and Haas’ Kevin Magnussen, with race control indicating that the matter would be investigated after the session.

When the session resumed, Verstappen emerged on softs and he slotted in third place behind Pérez as Hamilton claimed top spot with a lap of 1:25.824 on soft compound tyres.

Russell then went top with a lap of 1:25.395 but he was soon shuffled back by both Pérez and Hamilton.

And Perez’s lap of 1:24.982 proved enough to hold onto top spot until the end of the session. Verstappen completed another run but the best he could was to leapfrog Hamilton and claim second. Russell finished fourth with Norris in fifth place.

Ferrari duo Leclerc and Carlos Sainz split the McLarens, taking sixth and seventh ahead of Ricciardo. Ninth place went to Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel, while Alex Albon finished in 10th place for Williams.