Perez fastest in final F1 practice of 2022

Sergio Perez has gone fastest in the final Formula 1 practice session of the season, heading team-mate Max Verstappen at the end of Free Practice 3 in Abu Dhabi.

The Mexican was 0.152s quicker than Verstappen while his rival for second in the championship, Charles Leclerc, was only sixth best.

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell reaffirmed the potential they showed on Friday by locking down third and fourth respectively, with Lando Norris a strong fifth for McLaren.

It was a slow start to the session will less than half the field having set a time in the first 15 minutes of the final hour of practice.

The fastest of those was Hamilton, who managed a 1:26.040s.

However, with the session beginning at 14:30 local time, conditions are not representative of those teams will see in either Qualifying or the race.

Both commence much later in the day, as the sun begins to set, meaning cooler track and ambient temperatures.

Having been fastest in Free Practice 2, and absent in Free Practice 1 as Liam Lawson took his seat, Verstappen remained in the garage until the final half hour of the session.

His Red Bull team-mate, Sergio Perez, was out on track and sat eighth fastest before he clocked a 1:25.861s on a set of the medium tyres.

At Scuderia AlphaTauri, Pierre Gasly reported a problem with the front axle, returning to the pits where he was pushed into the garage.

The Frenchman had run over the kerbing exiting Turn 9, with the bodywork over his right-front wheel braking off, puncturing the tyre and breaking the wheel as it did so.

That triggered the red flag, allowing officials to safely enter the track and retrieve the piece of bodywork.

A four-minute stoppage followed, after which officials noted Hamilton for failing to slow under the red flags for which he was subsequently summoned to the stewards for.

The Mercedes driver had returned to the top of the timesheets with a 1:25.824s.

Having emerged late, Verstappen logged a comparatively steady 1:26.044s to sit third, shooting to the top with a 1:25.618s with 17 minutes remaining.

That time did not stand for long as Russell managed a 1:25.395s, both his and Verstappen’s laps set on the soft compound rubber.

On his own Qualifying simulation, Perez proved fastest in the first two splits, and recorded a personal best in the third, to set a 1:24.982s.

That elevated him to the top of the timesheets, with Verstappen only able to improve to second best, 0.152s off his team-mate’s best, with Mercedes slotting in third and fourth best.

A late lap from Charles Leclerc saw him sixth fastest and the leading Ferrari runner, 0.589s off the pace laid down by Perez.

Attention now turns to the final Qualifying session of the season, commencing at 18:00 local time (15:00 BST/09:00 ET/01:00 AEDT).

Results: Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Free Practice 3