Mercedes and Ferrari expecting final race of 2017 to be decided by small margins; Abu Dhabi Qualifying live on Sky F1 on Saturday, 1pm
Monday 27 November 2017 13:37, UK
Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel believe the F1 season finale is set to be a "close" battle between 2017's leading three teams.
Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull have each won one of the last three races and the early signs from Abu Dhabi are that the fight for honours in the season finale will be just as competitive.
World champion Hamilton set the Friday pace for Mercedes from Ferrari's Vettel and Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo, but only three tenths covered the teams on a day all three focused some of their running on 2018 work.
"We got all the running done we needed to get done," said Hamilton. "It was a nice, clean Friday.
"But there's only a tenth between us. It's close - and it's good that it's close. I think Red Bull have a bit more to come - as do we. Between us and Ferrari, it's closer than you think.
"The set-up changes overnight will be crucial."
Hamilton's Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff agreed: "On a Saturday, Ferrari generally go up. If you look at today's long runs, it's a tenth or two [in it]."
Vettel had edged out Hamilton and Red Bull's Max Verstappen in the morning session and, although he then trailed his fellow four-time world champion by 0.149s in the afternoon, the German set a superior long run pace on the ultrasoft tyres.
He was also impressed by the pace of his former team.
"I think it will be close - and the Red Bull was very close," Vettel told reporters.
"Usually a Saturday, it looks a bit different and the Red Bull drops back. We will see. This is a tricky and long lap, so it's difficult to get everything right."
While Valtteri Bottas still has an outside chance of overhauling Vettel for second place in the standings, the outcome of Sunday's race is unlikely to change perceptions of Mercedes, Ferrari or Red Bull's respective seasons.
However, with one more 2017 race win at stake, neither Hamilton nor Vettel are willing to let their guard slip yet.
"It's been a long, long year but it's not over yet so there's no need to let off," insisted Hamilton. "There's a lot to gain and a lot to achieve from winning this race."
And Vettel, who ended Ferrari's seven-race victory drought last time out in Brazil, added: "We want to finish the season on a high."
What about Red Bull?
Red Bull's drivers effectively took it in turns to challenge Mercedes and Ferrari on Friday as they enjoyed one strong session apiece - Verstappen running Vettel and Hamilton close in P1, before Ricciardo then posed the closest challenge in P2.
That may largely be explained by the session in which the two drivers ran 2018-specific parts.
"We were testing some things on the cars," said Ricciardo. "We have a two-day test next week after the race but we don't think we can test all of it in two days so did a little bit this morning - that's why the times weren't representative.
"But this afternoon we had the right set-up. The low fuel was pretty good but on the high fuel we have a few tenths to find."
Verstappen, who trailed one second off the pace in the more representative afternoon session, added: "First practice was good, second practice not so good. We are testing a few bits.
"We are not too far away. It was quite an old engine and I won't change it for the race - we will change it tomorrow. The new engine should be better."
Ferrari test 'Red Bull-style diffuser'
With only two days of tyre testing to come next week in Abu Dhabi before F1 enters a three-month hibernation prior to 2018 pre-season beginning in February, the final Friday of the racing season gave teams a chance to work on 2018 developments as they work to finalise their designs.
Ferrari introduced the most eye-catching addition on Kimi Raikkonen's car in P1 with a diffuser design similar to the one Red Bull have pioneered on their RB13.
The rear of the SF70-H was equipped an array of sensors and Sky F1's Ted Kravitz said: "The talk of the pit lane is that it's a departure from Ferrari and going towards more the Red Bull style of diffuser in terms of the strakes they've got and the concept and the little bit in the middle.
"It is so new that they've covered up with the probes."
Vettel ran with the 2017-spec diffuser throughout Friday's running.
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