Winter Testing Day 4 - Re-Cap & Times / Barcelona

Day 4 of testing saw Ferrari on top at the end of the session with Raikkonen behind the wheel of the SF16-H. Kvyat followed close behind in the Red Bull and Alfono Celis in third, driving the Force India.

    Mercedes debuted a new nose that morning and opted to run both drivers again with Hamilton running in the AM session and Rosberg in the PM session. Both finished in the top 10 but not in the top 3, which despite it only being early in the pre-season, might spell trouble.

    McLaren suffered a troublesome day due to a coolant leak. Alonso went out for a few installation laps but never set a time as the team was unable to send him back out for the rest of the day.

    Rio Haryanto caused a Red Flag when he crashed near turn 5, as he did the previous day. He was OK but did not come back out for the rest of the session. The other Red Flag was caused when Kevin Magnussen stopped on track in the last hour.

    Here are the times from the session.

TIMES/LAPS

1. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:23.477 / Ferrari-Ferrari / 78 Laps
2. Daniil Kvyat - 1:24.293 / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER / 95 Laps
3. Alfonso Celis - 1:24.840 / Force India-Mercedes / 75 Laps
4. Kevin Magnussen - 1:25.263 / Renault-Renault / 153 Laps
5. Max Verstappen - 1:25.393 / Toro Rosso-Ferrari / 110 Laps
6. Felipe Nasr* - 1:26.053 / Sauber-Ferrari / 121 Laps
7. Nico Rosberg (AM) - 1:26.187 - Mercedes-Mercedes / 86 Laps
8. Lewis Hamilton (PM) - 1:26.295 / Mercedes-Mercedes / 99 Laps
9. Felipe Massa - 1:26.463 / Williams-Mercedes / 54 Laps
10. Esteban Gutierrez - 1:27.802 / Haas-Ferrari / 89 Laps
11. Rio Haryanto - 1:28.266 / Manor-Mercedes / 51 Laps
12. Fernando Alonso - NO TIME SET / McLaren-Honda / 3 Laps

* - Notes running 2015 car
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Winter Testing Day 4 - Line-Up / Barcelona

WINTER TESTING - DAY 4 - LINE-UP:

Mercedes: Lewis Hamilton (AM) / Nico Rosberg (PM)
Red Bull: Daniil Kvyat
Ferrari: Kimi Raikkonen
Williams: Felipe Massa
Force India: Alfonso Celis
McLaren: Fernando Alonso
Sauber: Felipe Nasr
Manor: Rio Haryanto
Renault: Kevin Magnussen
Toro Rosso: Max Verstappen
Haas: Esteban Gutierrez

(Subject to change)

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Winter Testing Day 3 - Re-Cap & Times / Barcelona

Day 3 of testing was a good day for Force India, with Nico Hulkenberg being the leading man for the whole session. The German driver completed 99 laps and was more than 2 seconds ahead of Grosjean, who finished the session in 2nd. Rounding up the top 3 was Kimi Raikkonen, who, despite being delayed by a fuel system problem, still managed to rack up 78 laps.

    Mercedes ran both drivers, with Rosberg in the AM session and Hamilton in the PM session. They finished 5th and 8th respectively.

    There were a few red flag's during the day. The first being when Carlos Sainz had to stop at the exit of pit-lane due to a loose wheel nut and the second being when Rio Haryanto had a spin into the gravel trap near turn 5. Haryanto was OK and the car was recovered on a flat-bed truck before the session resumed.

McLaren suffered a Hydraulics failure during the afternoon session and their running was cut short. However, Button still did 51 laps during the running he had.

Here are the times from Day 3.

TIMES/LAPS:

1. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:23.110 / Force India-Mercedes / 99 Laps
2. Romain Grosjean - 1:25.874 / Haas-Ferrari / 82 Laps
3. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:25.977 / Ferrari-Ferrari / 78 Laps
4. Kevin Magnussen - 1:26.014 / Renault-Renault / 111 Laps
5. Nico Rosberg (AM) - 1:26.084 / Mercedes-Mercedes / 74 Laps
6. Carlos Sainz - 1:26.239 / Toro Rosso-Ferrari / 161 Laps
7. Felipe Nasr* - 1:26.392 / Sauber-Ferrari / 115 Laps
8. Lewis Hamilton (PM) - 1:26.421 / Mercedes-Mercedes / 88 Laps
9. Daniil Kvyat - 1:26.497 / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER / 74 Laps
10. Felipe Massa - 1:26.712 / Williams-Mercedes / 109 Laps
11. Jenson Button - 1:26.919 / McLaren-Honda / 51 Laps
12. Rio Haryanto - 1:28.249 / Manor-Mercedes / 78 Laps 

* - Notes running 2015 car

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Manor Launch 2016 Car

Manor Racing’s new MRT05 is a dream racer, according to technical director John McQuilliam.

Whilst, from the outside, the car may look similar to that of 2015, it is definitely an all new car. And one which might prove to be more competitive than many people may expect, especially with the Mercedes built power unit beneath the chassis.

“The overall package is a very significant step forward,” said McQuilliam. “Not just from last year, but from any of the cars from our stable. So yes, we have a long way to go from here in terms of developing the MRT05, but it’s already a dream package for the 154 Manor Racing people who’ve worked so hard to design and build it. In a small team like ours, every individual has played their part.”

Manor believe the new car will be a contender this year, compared to last year’s car, where the team was making do with what they could get. The team has been working on the new car since the middle of last season.

As well as featuring the Mercedes power unit, the MRT05 will feature a transmission package and gear box from Williams Advanced Engineering.

The car isn’t the only thing that’s new though, with Manor also bringing two new drivers to the grid: Pascal Wehrlein and Rio Haryanto.

“Pascal and Rio are a great addition to our team,” said racing director, Dave Ryan. “They are young and hungry but, crucially, experienced racers with a lot of talent and a great deal of potential. We’re very proud that they’re making their F1 debut with Manor Racing.”

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring

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Haas Launch 2016 Car

The first American team to run in Formula One in 30 years has broken cover with the big reveal of it’s first racecar on social media.

Haas F1’s VF-16 car shares it’s livery colours with those of Haas’ cars in other series, but there’s no doubt where the machine will be racing.

Following in the style of Formula One, the VF-16 will, according to Haas, showcase the company’s “commitment to technology and innovation”.

“Just as Haas Automation’s products continually evolve, becoming better and more efficient, our methodology behind the VF-16 was to make it the best evolution of a good F1 car,” said Guenther Steiner, Team Principal. “We’re a new team so we looked at what the successful teams were doing to give us a baseline of the direction we needed to go with our design.”

The rear end of the car was dictated by the power unit, which will be provided to Haas by their technical partner, Ferrari.

The goal in Haas’ maiden year will be to finish races and score points.

“We need to go out there and show that we can do the job,” said Steiner. “That we can finish races, that we are respected by the fans and other teams in the paddock. Then we want to score points. That is the ultimate goal.”

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring

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Winter Testing Day 3 - Line-Up / Barcelona

WINTER TEST - DAY 3 - LINE-UP:

Mercedes: Nico Rosberg (AM) / Lewis Hamilton (PM)
Ferrari: Sebastian Vettel
Red Bull: Daniil Kvyat
McLaren: Jenson Button
Force India: Nico Hulkenberg
Sauber: Felipe Nasr
Williams: Felipe Massa
Toro Rosso: Carlos Sainz
Manor: Rio Haryanto
Haas: Romain Grosjean
Renault: Kevin Magnussen

(Subject to change)

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Winter Testing Day 2 - Re-Cap & Times / Barcelona

Day 2 of testing saw Vettel at the top of the time sheets again, with Ricciardo and Perez rounding up the top 3.

    There was a slight delay from Haas due to the team having to wait for their new front wing to be shipped in after Grosjean had a mishap and lost the wing during the first day of testing. However, later on, they were able to get to running with a new front wing secured. Esteban Gutierrez completed 79 laps total and finished in 6th.

    During the AM part of the session, Max Verstappen abruptly stopped on track. Many thought it was a car issue and some type of failure. However, Max was later interviewed and explained it was just a "Precaution" to stop the car and have it be brought back to the garage.

    Renault had another troublesome day with Palmer's running ending in the mid-afternoon due to an engine failure.

    Toro Rosso will be bringing new car parts to the second round of testing next week. The drivers are already looking forward to this & know there's much more to see from the now-Ferrari-powered team.

Here are the results from Day 2

TIMES/LAPS:

1. Sebastian Vettel - 1:22.820 / Ferrari-Ferrari / 126 Laps
2. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:23.525 / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER / 112 Laps
3. Sergio Perez - 1:23.650 / Force India-Mercedes / 101 Laps
4. Nico Rosberg - 1:24.867 / Mercedes-Mercedes / 172 Laps
5. Marcus Ericsson - 1:25.237 / Sauber-Ferrari* / 108 Laps
6. Esteban Gutierrez - 1:25.524 / Haas-Ferrari / 79 Laps
7. Valtteri Bottas - 1:25.648 / Williams-Mercedes / 134 Laps
8. Pascal Wehrlein - 1:25.925 / Manor-Mercedes / 71 Laps
9. Fernando Alonso - 1:26.082 / McLaren-Honda / 119 Laps
10. Jolyon Palmer - 1:26.189 / Renault-Renault / 42 Laps
11. Max Verstappen - 1:26.539 / Toro Rosso-Ferrari / 121 Laps

* - Notes using 2015 car

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Williams Reveal 2016 Car & Livery

Williams will be sporting the iconic martini stripes for a third season. The Williams Mercedes FW38 was unveiled ahead of pre-season testing, launched on Twitter only a few hours before rivals Ferrari.

The past two seasons have seen Williams as a front running team, finishing third in the constructors’ championship in 2014 and 2015. The team hopes to continue that momentum in the upcoming season.

“Staying where we are will be a challenge in itself, but we are determined to keep improving because only winning will ever be good enough,” said Sir Frank Williams, Founder and Team Principal.

“We have a very stable team going into 2016, with Felipe and Valtteri teaming up for a third successive season,” Williams continued. “They work well together and both have the ideal blend of speed and consistency. Our technical team has also remained very consistent which will be to our advantage and we have some of the best engineering minds on the grid at our disposal.”

Now, the attention turns to testing and the season ahead.

“I have a lot of confidence in the team at Williams,” said driver Felipe Massa, who will be racing with Williams for a third season this year. “I’m looking forward to getting behind the wheel of the FW38 to see how it performs.”

Valtteri Bottas will be racing with Williams for his fourth season. Bottas has been impressing over the past three years, and has earned the admiration of many in the Formula One world.

“This is always a really interesting and exciting time of the year because we have a new car and we can’t wait to get it out on track to see how it feels and how fast it is,” he said. “It’s been a good winter and from what I’ve seen we seem to be headed in a good direction with this car.”

Williams are yet to put a driver on the top step of the podium under the new engine regulations, but were the first team besides Mercedes to put a car on pole.

“As a team we need to be able to win races,” Bottas said. “I’m sure we have made improvements everywhere as a team, so we’re definitely looking to fight for better results this year.”

Williams stated that the car launched would not be the final product, and that more updates were planned for the first race in Melbourne.

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring

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McLaren Launch 2016 Car

McLaren will be hoping their 2016 season won’t be as dark as their new livery. The new car, complete with black and red livery, was revealed last week ahead of pre-season testing.

The new car features a steeper, “stubby” nose and, beneath the carbon fibre chassis, a Honda engine. Honda’s return to Formula 1 last year wasn’t quite what everyone expected, but McLaren hope the new power unit will be something to impress this season.

“The aero package shows fantastic attention to detail,” said driver Fernando Alonso. “The whole car is beautiful in fact – it’s particularly nicely packaged from an aerodynamic point of view as I say – and I’m 100 per cent ready for the challenge ahead.” 

Team mate Jenson Button commented on the positive energy at the team going into McLaren Honda’s second season under the current regulations. After a tough year last season, everyone is expecting improvements.

“There are a lot of positives we can build on, and a strong platform to take forward,” he said. “I’m not about to make any over-optimistic predictions – Formula 1 is far too unpredictable for me to do that – but, from what I’ve seen so far, the aero detailing on the car looks fantastic, and I’m really looking forward to beginning the process of testing those new innovations when I get behind the wheel tomorrow.”  

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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Mercedes Launch 2016 Car

The first glimpse of Mercedes’ new challenger was at a shake down at Silverstone last week, where both drivers got their first chances to drive the new car.

Two days later, pictures were released of the championship contender.

The silver and blue chrome look which has been a familiar sight at the front of the grid will be back again. Sponsor Petronas returns and will once again feature on the side pod.

But underneath that livery, Mercedes have been working to once again step ahead of the competition, as technical officer Paddy Lowe explained:

“While the car may look very similar to its predecessor from the outside – as is inherent within stable regulations – underneath there are quite a lot of mini revolutions that make up an overall evolution for the new season.”

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Ferrari's 2016 Car Launch

Around 130,000 people turned to the Ferrari website to watch the unveiling of their 2016 challenger. The 62^nd Ferrari built single seater has a shorter nose and a tapered rear end.

Of course, the thing that immediately caught most fans’ eyes is the new livery. The traditional Ferrari red is, as always, the dominate colour, but striking white features have been getting fans excited. It’s a throwback to the seventies.

The move away from pull-rod front suspension might be what gets the fans excited once the car gets onto the track. The team has moved to a more conventional push-rod suspension, which should lead to a sharper front end, complementing the driving styles of both Vettel and Räikkönen. Changes to the power unit, making it more compact, may also make a difference on track.

But will it be enough to pass Mercedes?

“Our competitors are strong,” said technical director James Allison. “We have to go forward and improve. We are very confident that we can achieve good results this season.”

“We would like to fight until the end of the championship,” said Team Principal Maurizio Arrivabene. “I know it’s not going to be easy because our competitors are not sleeping, but we are all committed to do our best.”

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring

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Winter Testing Day 2 - Line-Up / Barcelona

BARCELONA TEST - DAY 2 - LINE-UP:

Mercedes: Nico Rosberg

Ferrari: Sebastian Vettel

Red Bull: Daniel Ricciardo

Williams: Valtteri Bottas

Toro Rosso: Max Verstappen

Sauber: Marcus Ericsson

Force India: Sergio Perez

Haas: Esteban Gutierrez

Manor: Pascal Wehrlein

Renault: Jolyon Palmer

McLaren: Fernando Alonso

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Winter Testing Day 1 - Re-Cap & Times / Barcelona

Day 1 of testing got off to a fantastic start with multiple teams lauching their cars in the pit-lane. Mercedes, Force India and others revealed their cars, showing off new livery, colors and specs of their 2016 rides. Sauber is the only team to be using their 2015 model for this round of testing.

    Toro Rosso looked to be having a pretty good run until gearbox problems hampered Sainz' run on the track. However, it was still a productive day and the young Spaniard racked up 55 laps altogether.

    The only who was driving who is not one of the main drivers of the 2016 line-up was, Alfonso Celis, for Force India. He was recently brought in and is part of the team as a development driver.

    Haas F1 team made their debut with Romain Grosjean behind the wheel. Grosjean was dropped from Lotus (Now Renault), in favor of Jolyon Palmer, who took over most of Grosjean's 2015 FP1 sessions. Grosjean had a productive day behind the wheel apart from a slight mishap that left the car without a front wing.

Here are the times from the session.

TIMES/LAPS

1. Sebastian Vettel - 1:24.939 / Ferrari-Ferrari / 69 Laps
2. Lewis Hamilton - 1:25.409 / Mercedes-Mercedes / 156 Laps
3. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:26.044 / Red Bull-TAG-HEUER / 87 Laps
4. Valtteri Bottas - 1:26.091 / Williams-Mercedes / 80 Laps
5. Alfonso Celis - 1:26.298 / Force India-Mercedes / 58 Laps
6. Jenson Button - 1:26.735 / McLaren-Honda / 84 Laps
7. Carlos Sainz - 1:27.180 / Toro Rosso-Ferrari / 55 Laps
8. Marcus Ericsson - 1:27.555 / Sauber-Ferrari* / 88 Laps
9. Pascal Wehrlein - 1:28.282 / Manor-Mercedes / 54 Laps
10. Romain Grosjean - 1:28.399 / Haas-Ferrari / 31 Laps
11. Jolyon Palmer - 1:29.365 / Renault-Renault / 37 Laps


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Red Bull Launches 2016 Car

Red Bull have revealed their 2016 challenger.

The traditional purple-blue is gone, replaced with a striking matt black. Of course, title sponsor Infiniti is also gone, replaced by Tag Heuer.

“We decided that with a clean sheet of paper to go with something a bit more innovative, aggressive, that will stand out in the crowd and stand out in a few more driver’s mirrors,” said Horner.

Red Bull’s chassis will be launched at the pre-season testing in Barcelona.

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Winter Testing Day 1 - Line-Up / Barcelona

Winter Break is officially over and it's time for everyone to get back to work. The first test of the pre-season is upon us and as always, we'll be reporting everything! So, let's kick off day one with who will be driving! 

BARCELONA TEST - DAY 1 - LINE-UP:

Mercedes: Lewis Hamilton

Ferrari: Sebastian Vettel

Red Bull: Daniel Ricciardo

Williams: Valtteri Bottas

Force India: Alfonso Celis

Toro Rosso: Carlos Sainz

Renault: Jolyon Palmer

Sauber: Marcus Ericsson

McLaren: Jenson Button

Manor: Pascal Wehrlein

Haas: Romain Grosjean

(Subject to change)

Article Written By: Amy Hawk

Renault Launch 2016 Livery - Magnussen & Palmer Confirmed

Renault’s return to Formula One has caused quite a stir in the motorsports world and, when the company called the world’s motorsports media to a launch in France, they went rushing.

It appeared, afterwards, that there wasn’t really much to see. The car they put on display wasn’t the one they will be racing in next year, and the livery might change before too long too. The news that ex-McLaren driver Kevin Magnussen would be replacing Pastor Maldonado was already common knowledge, so did we really learn anything from the launch?

Formula One isn’t the only motorsports venture the car manufacturer is a part of. Renault’s name reaches far and wide and we really caught a glimpse of that at the launch.

“Motorsports still spark the imagination of both enthusiasts and everyday drivers,” said CEO Carlos Ghosn. “We are putting a comprehensive programme in place today.”

Renault has two aims going into the future. First, it wants to promote the Renault Sport brand to wider audiences, which is where the Formula One team comes in. The plan is that Renault’s involvement in the world wide sport will boost awareness of the brand, especially in markets where it is a newcomer.

The second is to showcase other aspects of the Renault range through their ventures in the Clio Cup series and Formula E. Renault committed itself to Formula E until at least season four with Renault e.dams, the current team champions. Renault will develop and supply the full powertrain to the team in the coming seasons.

So we didn’t see the car and we might not even have seen the livery, but the launch did show us the key personnel for Renault’s return to Formula One.

First, there are the drivers. Jolyon Palmer was confirmed at the end of last season to be racing for the outfit Renault took over from, alongside Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado. Recently, it became clear that Magnussen would be taking over from Maldonado, which was confirmed at the launch in France.

Mercedes development programme driver, Esteban Ocon, was also confirmed as the Third and Reserve driver.

Behind the scenes will be Bob Bell, who was appointed F1 Chief Technical Officer, Nick Chester, the Chassis Technical Director, and Rémi Taffin, the Engine Technical Director.

We also learned where things would be taking place. The Renault R.S.16 Chassis will be developed at Enstone, UK, whilst the power until will continue to be developed in Viry-Châtillon in France.

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Wet Weather Tyre Test - Re-Cap & Times

Pirelli are to get set analysing the results of the two days of wet tyre testing held this week.

Ferrari, McLaren, and Red Bull all took to the Paul Ricard circuit in the south of France to test the prototype tyres.

The test wasn’t perfect, with temperatures consistently low throughout both days, but the circuit’s sophisticated sprinkler system allowed Pirelli to mimic a wide range of wet conditions.

A number of different wet tyre prototypes were tested as Pirelli work on a combination of different compounds, tread depths, and configurations.

It was a “blind test”, meaning the walls of the tyres didn’t carry any colour markings and the teams didn’t know which specifications they were testing.

Pirelli will continue to work on the development of the tyres off track, but say they are sure they have a good compound for extreme wet conditions.

Further conclusions will be released once proper analysis has been conducted.

Criticism from Kimi Raikkonen, one of the five drivers that took part in the test, did not worry Pirelli, as the Finn was testing different prototypes in full wet conditions.

Speed was not an important factor in the test, but Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel was fastest over the two day test. The German completed 134 laps overall.

Stoffel Vandoorne, who was driving for McLaren on both days, had his testing cut short on the first day, due to an engine failure, unsurprising given the test was completed using the unaltered 2015 specifications for the car.

The next outing for Pirelli will be the first pre-season test in Barcelona on February 22-25.

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Abu Dhabi: Race - Re-Cap & Results

The last race of the season was indeed spectacular and while Lewis Hamilton won the 2015 F1 world championship, he was unable to win the race.

    Nico Rosberg stunned at Yas Marina, taking home the last win of the season. Hamilton came in Second and Raikkonen finished off the Podium in Third. 

    Pastor Maldonado was the only retirement of the race after suffering car damage after the start of the race when Alonso tagged the Lotus. Alonso was given a Drive-Through-Penalty later on in the race. 

    McLaren was able to secure a double finish with Button in 12th and Alonso in 17th. Not exactly what the team was hoping for in the last race, but a decent result after the troubled season they'd had. Button was also involved in some Pit-Lane drama with Bottas. Bottas had an unsafe release as Button was going through the Pit-Lane and Bottas hit the back of the McLaren. Bottas ended up with wing damage and also received a 5-Second-Time-Penalty.

The rest of the race results are below.

RACE RESULTS: 

1. Nico Rosberg / Mercedes-Mercedes / Germany

2. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain

3. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland

4. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany

5. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico

6. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-Renault / Australia

7. Nico Hulkenberg / Force India-Mercedes / Germany

8. Felipe Massa / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil

9. Romain Grosjean / Lotus-Renault / France

10. Daniil Kvyat / Red Bull-Renault / Russia

11. Carlos Sainz / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain

12. Jenson Button / McLaren-Honda / Great Britain

13. Valtteri Bottas / Williams-Mercedes / Finland

14. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

15. Felipe Nasr / Sauber-Ferrari / Brazil

16. Max Verstappen / Toro Rosso-Renault / Netherlands

17. Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain

18. Will Stevens / Manor-Ferrari / Great Britain

19. Roberto Merhi / Manor-Ferrari / Spain 

RETIRED - Pastor Maldonado / Lotus-Renault / Venezuela / Accident Damage

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Abu Dhabi GP: Qualifying - Results

RESULTS:

1. Nico Rosberg / Mercedes-Mercedes / Germany

2. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain

3. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland

4. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico

5. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull-Renault / Australia

6. Valtteri Bottas / Wiliams-Williams / Finland

7. Nico Hulkenberg / Force India-Mercedes / Germany

8. Felipe Massa / Williams-Williams / Brazil

9. Daniil Kvyat / Red Bull-Renault / Russia

10. Carlos Sainz / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain

11. Max Verstappen / Toro Rosso-Renault / Netherlands

12. Jenson Button / McLaren-Honda / Great Britain

13. Pastor Maldonado / Lotus-Renault / Venezuela

14. Felipe Nasr / Sauber-Ferrari / Brazil

15. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany

16. Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Honda / Spain

17. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

18. Romain Grosjean / Lotus-Renault / France*

19. Will Stevens / Manor-Ferrari / Great Britain**

20. Roberto Merhi / Manor-Ferrari / Spain

* = 5-Place-Grid-Penalty

** = 5-Place-Grid-Penalty

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Abu Dhabi GP: Free Practice 3 - Re-Cap & Results

A missed session for Daniil Kvyat due to electrical issues. The young Red Bull driver was unable to take part in final practice, but it wasn't all bad for the team as Kvyat's team-mate, Ricciardo, finished the session in 6th.

    It was another Mercedes 1-2 session, despite a huge spin from Lewis Hamilton. It was also a productive session for both Force India drivers with Perez in 4th and Hulkenberg in 7th.

TIMES:

1. Nico Rosberg - 1:41.856 / Mercedes-Mercedes
2. Lewis Hamilton - 1:42.137 / Mercedes-Mercedes
3. Sebastian Vettel - 1:42.185 / Ferrari-Ferrari
4. Sergio Perez - 1:42.448 / Force India-Mercedes
5. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:42.627 / Ferrari-Ferrari
6. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:42.726 / Red Bull-Renault
7. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:42.859 / Force India-Mercedes
8. Felipe Massa - 1:43.173 / Williams-Mercedes
9. Valtteri Bottas - 1:43.239 / Williams-Mercedes
10. Carlos Sainz - 1:43.429 / Toro Rosso-Renault
11. Jenson Button - 1:43.508 / McLaren-Honda
12. Pastor Maldonado - 1:43.680 / Lotus-Mercedes
13. Felipe Nasr - 1:43.718 / Sauber-Ferrari
14. Max Verstappen - 1:43.826 / Toro Rosso-Renault
15. Romain Grosjean - 1:43.928 / Lotus-Mercedes
16. Fernando Alonso - 1:44.014 / McLaren-Honda
17. Marcus Ericsson - 1:44.325 / Sauber-Ferrari
18. Will Stevens - 1:47.283 / Manor-Ferrari
19. Roberto Merhi - 1:47.520 / Manor-Ferrari 
20. Daniil Kvyat - No Time Set / Toro Rosso-Renault

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Abu Dhabi GP: Free Practice 2 - Re-Cap & Results

It was another good day for Mercedes with both drivers finishing in the top two with Rosberg up in front. The third spot in the session belonged to Sergio Perez, who had previously finished third on the podium in the Russian GP.

 For Carlos Sainz, it wasn't the best session. He ended in 14th and had to park his car with only 30 minutes left in the session due to technical issues with his Toro Rosso. Team-Mate, Max Verstappen finished just ahead of him in 13th.

TIMES:

1. Nico Rosberg - 1:41.983 / Mercedes-Mercedes
2. Lewis Hamilton - 1:42.121 / Mercedes-Mercdes
3. Sergio Perez - 1:42.610 / Force India-Mercedes
4. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:42.647 / Red Bull-Renault
5. Sebastian Vettel - 1:42.717 / Ferrari-Ferrari
6. Daniil Kvyat - 1:42:798 / Toro Rosso-Renault
7. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:42.849 / Ferrari-Ferrari
8. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:42.928 / Force India-Mercedes
9. Fernando Alonso - 1:42.955 / McLaren-Honda
10. Pastor Maldonado - 1:43.431 / Lotus-Mercedes
11. Valtteri Bottas - 1:43.441 / Williams-Mercedes
12. Felipe Masssa - 1:43.506 / Williams-Mercedes
13. Max Verstappen - 1:43.662 / Toro Rosso-Renault
14. Carlos Sainz - 1:43.854 / Toro Rosso-Renault
15. Romain Grosjean - 1:43.929 / Lotus-Mercedes
16. Jenson Button - 1:44.050 / McLaren-Honda
17. Felipe Nasr - 1:44.116 / Sauber-Ferrari
18. Marcus Ericsson - 1:45.245 / Sauber-Ferrari
19. Will Stevens - 1:46.450 / Manor-Ferrari
20. Roberto Merhi - 1:47.022 / Manor-Ferrari

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk
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Abu Dhabi GP: Free Practice 1 - Re-Cap & Results

In the first practice session of the last race of the year, Kimi Raikkonen got off to an unlucky start when he encountered problems with his MGU-K. However, things did get turned around and he finished the session in third behind the two Mercedes drivers.

Roberto Merhi got back to Manor for the last race after Alexander Rossi had previously raced in Brazil.

TIMES:

1. Lewis Hamilton - 1:43.754 / Mercedes-Mercedes

2. Nico Rosberg - 1:43.895 / Mercedes-Mercedes

3. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:44.500 / Ferrari-Ferrari

4. Daniil Kvyat - 1:44.702 / Red Bull-Renault

5. Sebastian Vettel - 1:44.742 / Ferrari-Ferrari

6. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:44.751 / Force India-Mercedes

7. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:44.893 / Red Bull-Renault

8. Sergio Perez - 1:44.934 / Force India-Mercedes

9. Pastor Maldonado - 1:45.314 / Lotus-Mercedes

10. Felipe Massa - 1:45.433 / Williams-Mercedes

11. Valtteri Bottas - 1:45.603 / Williams-Mercedes

12. Max Verstappen - 1:45.718 / Toro Rosso-Renault

13. Jenson Button - 1:45.773 / McLaren-Honda

14. Fernando Alonso - 1:45.865 / McLaren-Honda

15. Felipe Nasr - 1:46.115 / Sauber-Ferrari

16. Carlos Sainz - 1:46.220 / Toro Rosso-Renault

17. Marcus Ericsson - 1:46.407 / Sauber-Ferrari

18. Jolyon Palmer* - 1:46.501 / Lotus-Mercedes

19. Will Stevens - 1:48.836 / Manor-Ferrari

20. Roberto Merhi - 1:49.888 / Manor-Ferrari

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

No copyright infringement intended

Follow us on Twitter @F1Insider78