Lewis Hamilton topped the final free practice timesheet in Abu Dhabi, clocking in with a new lap record as he edged out team mate Valtteri Bottas and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen.
Yas Marina was predictably basking in the sun as drivers took to the track for the final dress rehearsal before this afternoon's qualifying session.
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Free Practice 3 results
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:37.627s | 19 | |
| 2 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1:37.900s | + 0.273s | 21 |
| 3 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 1:38.157s | + 0.530s | 22 |
| 4 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1:38.174s | + 0.547s | 22 |
| 5 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull | 1:38.340s | + 0.713s | 16 |
| 6 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:38.587s | + 0.960s | 14 |
| 7 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren | 1:39.155s | + 1.528s | 15 |
| 8 | Stoffel Vandoorne | McLaren | 1:39.277s | + 1.650s | 18 |
| 9 | Carlos Sainz | Renault | 1:39.340s | + 1.713s | 15 |
| 10 | Sergio Pérez | Force India | 1:39.367s | + 1.740s | 19 |
| 11 | Felipe Massa | Williams | 1:39.383s | + 1.756s | 16 |
| 12 | Nico Hülkenberg | Renault | 1:39.396s | + 1.769s | 18 |
| 13 | Esteban Ocon | Force India | 1:39.500s | + 1.873s | 18 |
| 14 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1:39.831s | + 2.204s | 19 |
| 15 | Romain Grosjean | Haas | 1:40.079s | + 2.452s | 19 |
| 16 | Pascal Wehrlein | Sauber | 1:40.307s | + 2.680s | 20 |
| 17 | Lance Stroll | Williams | 1:40.572s | + 2.945s | 16 |
| 18 | Pierre Gasly | Toro Rosso | 1:40.737s | + 3.110s | 21 |
| 19 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber | 1:40.789s | + 3.162s | 21 |
| 20 | Brendon Hartley | Toro Rosso | 1:40.883s | + 3.256s | 23 |
Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel traded places at the top of the timesheets yesterday and the Ferrari driver was the first man out, although for just an installation lap.
McLaren's Stoffel Vandoorne set the first time, the McLaren driver running on Pirelli's ultrasoft tyres, but running well off yesterday's fastest free practice lap.
The Belgian was quickly replaced at the top by Mercedes' Bottas, only for the Finn to see himself pushed down by his team mate.
Half-way through the session however, everyone headed to the pits from a brief respite when the yellow flags came out to allow the lcoal marshals to deal with a parasol blown on to the track.
Raikkonen fired in a new fastest lap, but Hamilton would have none of it, promptly taking back the top spot after a blindingly fast last sector. An effort which yielded a new lap record in 1m37.627s.
After enduring a moment on the astro-turf as he tried to play catch-up, Bottas posted a time good for P2, 0.273s adrift from Hamilton.
Red Bull Racing kept a relatively low profile, with both Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen ending the session behind both Mercedes and Ferrari drivers, with the Dutch driver in particular complaining about his mount's behaviour.
The last 60-minute run of the season concluded with Hamilton at the top, but the Briton is likely to be challenged later today by his front-running rivals as qualifying shall be run in cooler and likely less windy conditions.
Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
