Lewis Hamilton finished Friday at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi with second fastest in Free Practice One, and quickest of all in Free Practice Two.
Free Practice One is notoriously unrepresentative of race performance of the cars – the race takes place in twilight whereas the first practice session is held during the day. Therefore, Free Practice Two is arguably the most important of the weekend, and this is where Hamilton had the upper hand over Scuderia Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.
The Brit was pleased with his overall performance during the day but did mention that he is happy that it is the last one of the season. Having wrapped up the title in Mexico, it seems as though the pressure is off somewhat, and means that Hamilton can enjoy the last race of 2017, especially after the tense final race of last year, where, despite his best efforts, team-mate Nico Rosberg took the World Championship.
“It’s been a good Friday, but I’m happy that it’s the last one of the season,” commented Hamilton.
“We got lots of laps in today and made good progress with the balance of the car. We have a bit of work to do, but I feel like we’re quite competitive here. It’s relatively close still, but I like that.”
Hamilton has also made an alteration to his helmet – gold to signify his World Champion status.
“Especially for this weekend, I’ve got a helmet with gold leaf for the World Championship, which I’m really grateful for.”
