Going into the final qualifying session of the season, Mercedes driver George Russell conceded Red Bull “had the legs” on the Silver Arrows in the first two practice sessions ahead of the Abu Dhabi GP which begins at 1am (AEDT).
Hamilton and Russell enjoyed a 1-2 finish for Mercedes in the first practice before Verstappen wrapped up the second practice session three tenths of a second ahead of Russell.
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Although the younger of the British duo believes the Mercedes car “looked reasonable,” there’s still lots to be done before qualifying kicks off.
“It felt fast out there,” Russell said.
“Single lap, probably two tenths ahead, long run maybe even further.
“We’ve got a little bit of work to do overnight, but compared to Ferrari, (we) looked reasonable.”
Hamilton knew ahead of the practice sessions that Red Bull were going to bring plenty of pace, but took solace that he could work some magic for Mercedes in the qualifying session tonight.
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“The Red Bull’s look a bit quicker here, which was expected,” Hamilton said.
“We didn’t expect this to be our strongest race. But we’ll work hard overnight.
“We’re generally right there, so hopefully we can put up a good fight.”
Although Hamilton and Russell are unlikely to shift much in the driver’s standings, they can help Mercedes secure a silver medal in the constructor’s championship.
Red Bull have already got the award locked up, but the Silver Arrows are only 19 points behind Ferrari who have 524 points.
Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will be doing their utmost to ensure Mercedes don’t leapfrog the team in the constructor’s standings, but with a solid qualifying session under their belts, Hamilton and Russell are not to be discounted just yet.
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