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Hamilton goes fastest and beats Verstappen by almost seven-tenths in FP2
Lewis Hamilton has topped the second free practice session in Abu Dhabi and finishes over six-tenths faster than his World Championship rival Max Verstappen. Hamilton was joined by his teammate Valtteri Bottas in the top three, but Esteban Ocon managed to work his way into the battle by finishing second fastest. Red Bull were faster on the long-runs than Mercedes.
Engine modes and fuel loads remain unknown. Mercedes will install Hamilton's 'spicy' engine overnight ahead of qualifying and will gain from that, but Honda are likely to also have room to step up the power. Perhaps crucially for Red Bull Racing, Sergio Perez almost matched Verstappen's fastest time on the circuit.
Ocon wasn't the only Alpine driver in the top six. His teammate Fernando Alonso rounded out the top six confirming that the French team are likely to be in the mix for another strong points haul. In the battle for third in the constructors' championship, Ferrari seem to have the best chances with both Italian cars in the top ten.
How it happened
The track temperature dropped 10c from the first free practice session earlier in the afternoon. With conditions replicating those coming in qualifying and the Grand Prix, all teams and drivers were quick onto the track to record as much data as possible. Almost immediately, Hamilton flew to the top of the timesheets with a 1:24.943. The only driver close was Lando Norris who used a tyre a step softer.
Verstappen moved closer to Hamilton, but the Dutchman's lap was deleted. Williams driver Nicholas Latifi caused the first yellow flag of the session by sliding off and touching the barrier at turn 13. The Canadian managed to get moving again but had a damaged rear wing.
After 20 minutes, Mercedes led one-two and really started to stamp some authority on the weekend. Despite a little touch with the barrier, Bottas went faster still on the soft tyre. Hamilton almost matched the Finnish driver on the same soft set of tyres before going even faster on a subsequent lap. Mercedes sent Bottas on another flying lap, but he carried too much speed into the hotel section and locked up his tyres.
In the qualifying simulations, Mercedes' car looked better balanced compared to the Red Bull. But both Perez and Verstappen were close to each other in terms of lap time.
On the long runs, both Mercedes cars opted to run with medium tyres. Red Bull Racing opted for a split strategy with the Dutchman going for the red striped soft tyres before moving to the mediums later on in the session. Red Bull were faster on the long runs than Mercedes.