Abu Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix 2014: Results, Times for Practice and Qualifying
The 2014 Formula One world championship all comes down to this weekend at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg both still in with a chance of winning the title.
While Hamilton currently has a 17-point lead over his teammate, the unique nature of the Abu Dhabi race gives Rosberg more of a chance than he would have had in previous seasons.
The award of double points for the duel at the Yas Marina circuit means that a Rosberg victory would hand him the title if Hamilton finishes anywhere other than second on Sunday.
Tensions were flaring up between the two drivers even before the race, with the German Rosberg warning his British teammate to keep it clean this weekend, per The Guardian's Paul Weaver:
"Lewis can do something to keep it clean, which is drive cleanly himself. So it’s not like he can’t do anything. It’s an intense weekend. I wouldn’t use the word pressure. Lewis is a great competitor and it will hopefully be a great end to the season.
I’m here to try to win the race and I need a bit of help from Lewis that he doesn’t finish second. There are many scenarios and I’m optimistic. In Brazil he made a mistake and I need to do what I can to keep the pressure on.
"
Rosberg has the momentum, having won in Brazil last time out, as Hamilton spun and could only claim second.
Six years ago, Hamilton won his first world championship in the most dramatic of circumstances, overtaking Timo Glock in the final corners to secure the required points to pip Felipe Massa at the death.
He will be hoping for a less nerve-wracking occasion on Sunday, but with everything to play for, it could be a frenetic finish in Abu Dhabi.
Sebastian Vettel will take to the track for the final time in a Red Bull car after the four-time world champion's move to Ferrari as Fernando Alonso's replacement for next season was confirmed on Thursday, per BBC Sport.
Alonso is currently just two points back from Vettel in the race for fourth—with Williams' Valtteri Bottas one further back—while the German's teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, has third spot wrapped up.
Caterham returns to the grid for the final showdown of the season after a two-race absence due to financial problems and will hand England's Will Stevens his F1 debut on Sunday.
With so much at stake for Rosberg and Hamilton, Saturday's qualifying will be absolutely key as pole position could make all the difference.
Read on for a full report of each practice session and qualifying ahead of what is set to be a grandstand finish to the 2014 F1 season.
Qualifying: Further Hamilton Errors Gives Rosberg Pole Position
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UPDATE: Red Bull drivers Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo finished sixth and fifth in qualifying but were later excluded for a breach of rules relating to the design of their front wings, per the official Formula 1 website.
Lotus' Romain Grosjean was also given a 20-place grid penalty and an in-race drive-through penalty for power unit changes.
Nico Rosberg took pole position for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton ruined his chances of grabbing the top spot in the title shootout.
Rosberg achieved a 1:40.48 to beat his team-mate by almost four tenths of a second, showing he has the desire to win the championship decider.
Hamilton had seemed he would go fastest with a flying lap which was ruined when the British driver locked his front wheel on the last corner, after pushing his car too hard.
The mistake pushed Hamilton some three tenths of a second behind Rosberg.
But the German then went faster once again, leaving Hamilton comprehensively behind him.
Valtteri Bottas put in a strong performance in Q3 as the Williams took positions three and four, behind Mercedes.
It was a disappointing qualifying for Fernando Alonso and Ferrari—with the Spaniard only achieving 10th fastest on the grid.
Jenson Button—who could be driving his last race for McLaren tomorrow—will be starting the Grand Prix in eighth after failing to better his times in Q1 and Q2.
Her is the starting grid for Sunday's race, per Formula1.com:
Here are the full results for qualifying, per Formula1.com:
P3: Rosberg Quickest as Hamilton Makes Mistakes
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Nico Rosberg went fastest in P3, going quicker than team-mate and championship rival, Lewis Hamilton.
The German looked impressive, with both Mercedes cars once again looking more fluid than the chasing pack.
However, as Hamilton pushed to reduce the gap on his rival, the British driver made mistakes—with a lock-up at Turn Eight, spinning his car.
He also broke too hard at Turn One later on in P3—after a run on his heavier fuel load.
Therefore, Rosberg took the session by almost four tenths over Hamilton, leaving Mercedes clear favourites to take yet another pole.
Closest to the imperious German team were Williams-Renault and Filipe Massa. The Brazilian was two tenths quicker than the rest of the field and finished third fastest for the session.
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso went fourth fastest for P3 but only completed eight laps, with suggestions the team are saving his engine for qualifying.
The former Spanish champion—in his last race for Ferrari—missed the end of yesterday's practice after the rear of his car caught fire due to electrical issues.
Here are the full results for the third practice session, per Formula1.com:
| 1 | 6 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:41.424 | 19 | |
| 2 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:41.793 | 0.369 | 17 |
| 3 | 19 | Felipe Massa | Williams-Mercedes | 1:42.429 | 1.005 | 18 |
| 4 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 1:42.653 | 1.229 | 8 |
| 5 | 1 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull Racing-Renault | 1:42.679 | 1.255 | 19 |
| 6 | 22 | Jenson Button | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:42.768 | 1.344 | 20 |
| 7 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull Racing-Renault | 1:42.773 | 1.349 | 14 |
| 8 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams-Mercedes | 1:42.794 | 1.370 | 19 |
| 9 | 26 | Daniil Kvyat | STR-Renault | 1:42.809 | 1.385 | 20 |
| 10 | 7 | Kimi Raikkonen | Ferrari | 1:43.038 | 1.614 | 14 |
| 11 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:43.112 | 1.688 | 13 |
| 12 | 25 | Jean-Eric Vergne | STR-Renault | 1:43.352 | 1.928 | 20 |
| 13 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Force India-Mercedes | 1:43.360 | 1.936 | 19 |
| 14 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India-Mercedes | 1:43.501 | 2.077 | 18 |
| 15 | 21 | Esteban Gutierrez | Sauber-Ferrari | 1:43.643 | 2.219 | 24 |
| 16 | 13 | Pastor Maldonado | Lotus-Renault | 1:43.718 | 2.294 | 17 |
| 17 | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Lotus-Renault | 1:43.778 | 2.354 | 18 |
| 18 | 99 | Adrian Sutil | Sauber-Ferrari | 1:44.022 | 2.598 | 22 |
| 19 | 10 | Kamui Kobayashi | Caterham-Renault | 1:45.044 | 3.620 | 16 |
| 20 | 46 | Will Stevens | Caterham-Renault | 1:45.959 | 4.535 | 21 |
P2: Hamilton Tops Rosberg Again as Button's Struggles Continue
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Lewis Hamilton once again went fastest in the second practice session on Friday evening ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, topping his Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg by eight-hundredths of a second.
McLaren's Kevin Magnussen had a good session as he went third-fastest, seven-tenths back form Hamilton with Sebastian Vettel taking fourth.
The Williams team had a better time under the floodlights in Abu Dhabi than it had earlier in the day when both Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa had bodywork issues and had to sit out much of the first session.
The Finnish driver went fifth-fastest while his Brazilian teammate finished the session in 10th spot.
Jenson Button's practice travails continued in his McLaren after he only completed eight laps in the morning before suspension issues flared up.
For the evening's action, the Briton was delayed in going out onto the track after a hydraulic problem was found, per Lawrence Barretto on BBC Sport.
He did manage to put in some lap times eventually and went eighth-fastest, but he had more problems with his brakes late in the session, and lack of track-time could cost him come qualifying.
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso—in his last race weekend with the Italian team—did not complete a timed lap in the second practice session after his car came to a halt on track due to an electrical issue.
The Spaniard will no doubt be eager to finish off the season well on Sunday but will need Saturday morning's third practice session to get a proper feel for the Yas Marina circuit.
Torro Rosso could not improve on its impressive morning work with Jean-Eric Vergne outside the top 10 and Daniil Kvyat ninth.
With Hamilton 17 points clear in the drivers' championship and needing second place to guarantee the title on Sunday, he has done everything possible so far, outpacing his teammate and rival in both practice sessions.
Just one practice session remains on Saturday before the final, and crucial, season-ending qualification which could be so important in the outcome of the championship.
Here are the full results for the second practice session, per Formula1.com:
| 1 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:42.113 | 35 | |
| 2 | 6 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:42.196 | 0.083 | 37 |
| 3 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:42.895 | 0.782 | 37 |
| 4 | 1 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull Racing-Renault | 1:42.959 | 0.846 | 33 |
| 5 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams-Mercedes | 1:43.070 | 0.957 | 34 |
| 6 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull Racing-Renault | 1:43.183 | 1.070 | 32 |
| 7 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 1:43.489 | 1.376 | 33 |
| 8 | 22 | Jenson Button | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:43.503 | 1.390 | 23 |
| 9 | 26 | Daniil Kvyat | STR-Renault | 1:43.546 | 1.433 | 38 |
| 10 | 19 | Felipe Massa | Williams-Mercedes | 1:43.558 | 1.445 | 34 |
| 11 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Force India-Mercedes | 1:43.746 | 1.633 | 37 |
| 12 | 13 | Pastor Maldonado | Lotus-Renault | 1:44.005 | 1.892 | 38 |
| 13 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India-Mercedes | 1:44.068 | 1.955 | 32 |
| 14 | 25 | Jean-Eric Vergne | STR-Renault | 1:44.157 | 2.044 | 39 |
| 15 | 21 | Esteban Gutierrez | Sauber-Ferrari | 1:44.316 | 2.203 | 38 |
| 16 | 99 | Adrian Sutil | Sauber-Ferrari | 1:44.763 | 2.650 | 37 |
| 17 | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Lotus-Renault | 1:44.986 | 2.873 | 35 |
| 18 | 10 | Kamui Kobayashi | Caterham-Renault | 1:45.505 | 3.392 | 38 |
| 19 | 46 | Will Stevens | Caterham-Renault | 1:47.057 | 4.944 | 34 |
| 20 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | No time | 2 |
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P1: Hamilton Pips Rosberg as Mercedes Dominates Again
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Lewis Hamilton pipped title rival and Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg for the fastest lap time in Friday's first practice session at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ahead of Sunday's season-ending race.
The Mercedes cars were streaks ahead of every other team at the Yas Marina circuit—as they have been for much of the season—with Hamilton one-tenth of a second ahead of Rosberg, and Fernando Alonso over a second-and-a-half further back from the German.
Alonso's planned replacement at Ferrari, Sebastian Vettel, went fourth-fastest ahead of Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo.
Toro Rosso had a decent first session with Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniil Kvyat filling the sixth and seventh spots respectively.
Williams had a poor morning on Friday with both Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas pulling out of the session due to bizarrely similar bodywork issues, although the Finn was able to go eighth-fastest.
They will hope to get back out on Friday afternoon on the Yas Marina circuit, but it was clearly not a happy camp after the morning's events.
McLaren's Jenson Button also had issues ahead of what could be his final race in F1, per Paul Weaver in The Guardian, the Brit only able to record eight laps before he had to return to the pits with reliability issues.
Caterham's Will Stevens finally made it out onto the circuit for his first timed lap with 15 minutes to go in the first practice session, the Englishman needing as much time on the track as possible ahead of his debut race on Sunday.
Many of the drivers will look for longer stints in Friday's afternoon session as they attempt to familiarise themselves with all of the twists and turns in the desert ahead of Saturday's qualifying.
Hamilton will hope he can keep his advantage from the first practice session throughout the weekend, but Rosberg will no doubt be hot on his heels throughout proceedings.
Here are the full results after the first practice session, per Formula1.com:
| 1 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:43.476 | 32 | |
| 2 | 6 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:43.609 | 0.133 | 31 |
| 3 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 1:45.184 | 1.708 | 22 |
| 4 | 1 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull Racing-Renault | 1:45.334 | 1.858 | 30 |
| 5 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull Racing-Renault | 1:45.361 | 1.885 | 23 |
| 6 | 25 | Jean-Eric Vergne | STR-Renault | 1:45.718 | 2.242 | 17 |
| 7 | 26 | Daniil Kvyat | STR-Renault | 1:45.835 | 2.359 | 32 |
| 8 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams-Mercedes | 1:45.913 | 2.437 | 8 |
| 9 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Force India-Mercedes | 1:45.983 | 2.507 | 23 |
| 10 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India-Mercedes | 1:46.030 | 2.554 | 24 |
| 11 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:46.049 | 2.573 | 23 |
| 12 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 1:46.131 | 2.655 | 23 |
| 13 | 19 | Felipe Massa | Williams-Mercedes | 1:46.549 | 3.073 | 7 |
| 14 | 21 | Esteban Gutierrez | Sauber-Ferrari | 1:46.556 | 3.080 | 28 |
| 15 | 13 | Pastor Maldonado | Lotus-Renault | 1:46.711 | 3.235 | 31 |
| 16 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Lotus-Renault | 1:47.066 | 3.590 | 29 |
| 17 | 22 | Jenson Button | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:47.235 | 3.759 | 8 |
| 18 | 10 | Kamui Kobayashi | Caterham-Renault | 1:47.971 | 4.495 | 24 |
| 19 | 37 | Sergey Sirotkin | Sauber-Ferrari | 1:48.269 | 4.793 | 25 |
| 20 | 46 | Will Stevens | Caterham-Renault | 1:50.684 | 7.208 | 14 |
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