YAS ISLAND, Abu Dhabi – Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas swept both Formula One practice sessions for the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Friday at the Yas Island Circuit.
Bottas, who will start at the back of the grid during Sunday’s finale because his team replaced power unit elements in his car, went fastest overall with his 1:36.256 lap time that came during the cooler temperatures as the sun went down.
Practice wasn’t uneventful for Bottas, who made contact with the Haas of Romain Grosjean while trying to pass him in turn 11. Bottas’ car suffered front wing damage while the floor in Grosjean’s car was damaged as a result.
“It’s been a good day out on track; the car was well-balanced from the get-go,” said Bottas. “I had to take a fresh engine for the weekend which also seems be to working well. My pace looked competitive in both sessions, so from that perspective we’ve definitely started the last race weekend of the season off on the right foot, although I’m sure there’s still room for improvement for tomorrow. The track was a bit dusty on the first few runs in FP1, but it evolved quickly and then felt pretty good all through the session.
“The end of my FP2 session was compromised by a minor incident with Grosjean; I thought he had seen me going for the overtake on the inside, but by the time I realized that he hadn’t seen me, there was no way for me to escape anymore.”
Bottas’ teammate Lewis Hamilton was second fastest on the combined time sheets following the first two practice sessions, .310 seconds slower than Bottas’ best lap.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was third. Sebastian Vettel was fourth best on the day despite spinning and bouncing his car off the wall during the first practice. Max Verstappen was fifth best, more than half a second off Bottas’ time.