Hamilton heads Russell as Mercedes duo top opening practice / Photo: Ben Stansall - AFP
-
Rail journey offers a slower route to a Berlin city break
-
Energy bill plan could use HMRC income data to target support
-
Arsenal control title race as Manchester United fall into bottom three
-
Business owner earning £6,000 a month tackles £70,000 debt
-
Suspected Krakow gunman dies after attack that killed six
-
Nvidia chief faces inquiry after disclosing affair with suspected Chinese agent
-
Carrick backs Dalot after hostile reception from Manchester United fans
-
Comet returns as online electrical marketplace 14 years after collapse
-
Aston Villa Defy History With Rare Victory at Old Trafford
-
Brussels Education Unions Schedule Major November Protest Over Funding and Reforms
-
Crowds Gather at San Francisco Park for Elizabeth Holmes Lookalike Tournament
-
Hancock Health Expands Robot Specimen Delivery to Parkway Building, Adding Scheduled and On-Demand Runs to the Lab
-
Releaf Unveils UK-first THCV for Weight Management
-
Gabriel Provides Corporate Update
-
AsiaFIN's Insite MY Holdings and MENA Insite MY Sign Distributorship Agreement and Announce Second Bank Customer in Saudi Arabia
-
Ai4 Celebrates Successful Debut of Applied AI Research Conference (AAIRC), Bridging Academic Research and Industry Innovation
-
Medicus Pharma to Highlight Rationale for CD228V Co-Development and License Agreement
-
Nextech3D.ai Closes $720,000 Management-Led Private Placement
-
CoTec Holdings Corp. Notes HyProMag USA Advances North Texas Rare Earth Magnet Facility With First Major Equipment Delivery
-
Silver Storm Reports Concentrate Deliveries from La Parrilla
-
Ispire Technology Inc. Reports First Quarter Fiscal Year 2027 Financial Results
-
HyProMag USA Advances North Texas Rare Earth Magnet Facility With First Major Equipment Delivery
-
Hillcrest and Equipmake Sign Definitive Agreement to Jointly Develop and License ZVS Inverter Technology for Heavy-Duty Electric Vehicles
-
Tintina Mines Intersects 460m at 0.50% CuEq at the Dos Amigos Copper-Gold Project in Chile
-
Pace Launches Three-Business-Day Culture-Based 'L. pneumophila' Testing
-
Opti Digital Launches NEXA, an AI-Powered Intelligence Layer
-
DataMEDS AI Announces Corexa Pharmacy's First Commercial Sale of Compounded Peptides Under FDA Enforcement Discretion Policy
-
InterContinental Hotels Group PLC Announces Transaction in Own Shares - November 09
-
Making Your Home Safer for Aging Parents: Accessibility Renovations That Add Value
-
New 401k Gold IRA Investment Guide Explains the Best Way to Invest in Gold for Retirement (2026 Update)
-
United States Antimony Corporation Announces Webcast Time set for Thursday, November 12, 2026 at 4:15 PM ET to Report on Third Quarter and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2026 Financial and Operating Results
-
Pacific Edge Labs Publishes More Than 120 Independent Lab Reports, Each Listed With the Testing Lab's Own ID
-
Regentis Signs Exclusive Distribution Agreement with AMI Technologies to Commercialize GelrinC(R) in Israel
-
Modular Medical Completes Comprehensive Patient Market Research Study with Thrivable, Reinforcing Strong Interest in Simplified Insulin Delivery
-
Shelfietech Launched New Retail Software Platform
-
A Holiday-Season Moment for Penny-Stock Followers and Microcap Visionaries as Elektros Moves Its EV Patent Forward
-
Dolphin Subsidiary 42West Drives Global Communications Behind Box Office Leaders Godzilla Minus Zero and Ramayana
-
Visterra Landscape Group Expands Into Arkansas With Strategic Investment In Little Rock Landscape
-
Santa Claus Has Come Early: Elektros Brings An Early-Christmas Spark To Its Patented EV Charging Vision
-
SMX Is Building a Verifiable Identity Layer for Fashion, From Cotton Fields to Luxury Resale
-
Gladstone Land Corporation Earnings Call and Webcast Information
-
The Metals Royalty Company to Host Corporate Update Webinar on November 16, 2026
-
Aptevo Presents Preclinical Data at SITC 2026 Showing Potential to Overcome Immune Suppression in Solid Tumors
-
Eylsia Nicolas Launches Global "Wake Me Up" Franchise After Surpassing 100 Million Meta Views in One Week
-
BioLargo Targets Growing Industrial PFAS Market with MasterClass at International Water Conference
-
Jericho Energy Ventures to Participate in Cantor Convergence 4th Annual Crypto and AI Infrastructure Conference
-
IGC Pharma Reports Third Quarter 2026 Financial Results and Provides Business Update
-
Tectonic Metals Adds Mine Development and Alaska Native Partnership Leaders Ahead of 2027 Mineral Resource Estimate and Preliminary Economic Assessment
-
iPS Cell Research Accelerates Drug Discovery for ALS and Spinal Cord Injury
-
Central Tokyo Apartment Rents Forecast to Rise 11% by 2030
Hamilton heads Russell as Mercedes duo top opening practice
Lewis Hamilton topped the times ahead of his Mercedes team-mate George Russell in Friday’s opening practice at this weekend’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the ‘silver arrows’ continuing where they left off after a one-two triumph in Sao Paulo last Sunday.
Returning to the scene of his acrimonious and controversial defeat by Max Verstappen of Red Bull in last year’s title-deciding race, Hamilton produced a best lap in one minute and 26.633 seconds to outpace Russell by 0.220 seconds.
On a hot day with temperatures touching 34 degrees Celsius at the Yas Marina Circuit, Charles Leclerc was third for Ferrari ahead of the Red Bulls of Sergio Perez and Liam Lawson, the young New Zealander standing in for two-time world champion Max Verstappen.
It was a convincing performance by the young Kiwi given his first run in a Red Bull for his third FP1 appearance of the season.
Retirement-bound two-time champion Sebastian Vettel was sixth for Aston Martin ahead of Robert Shwartzman, enjoying a run in the second Ferrari, and Daniel Ricciardo of McLaren, approaching his last race with the team.
Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas was ninth ahead of Alex Albon of Williams and two Frenchmen -- Alpine-bound Pierre Gasly of Alpha Tauri just ahead of his future team-mate Esteban Ocon.
Eight regular drivers gave up their seats to ambitious reserves for the session, a move that delivered some fresh ‘rookie’ names to the timing monitors as Russell set the early pace, buoyed by his maiden victory in Brazil.
The Briton’s lap on ‘hards’ was soon surpassed by a run of rivals using ‘softs’, Ocon and Perez leading the way before Liam Lawson, running in Max Verstappen’s Red Bull, briefly went top to be usurped by Leclerc.
As the trap ‘rubbered in’ in the warm afternoon sunshine, Perez again went top as Logan Sargeant survived a big spin in his Williams, avoiding hitting the wall at Turn One.
Albon and then Bottas soon took their turns at the top before Perez, in determined mood, clocked 1:26.967 to regain the initiative as the leading candidates all went on softs.
Despite a snap of oversteer, Leclerc returned to the top before Hamilton registered 1:26.633, fast enough to beat the rest including a fast lap from team-mate Russell who went second behind him.
D.Cunningha--AMWN
