Red Bull enjoyed a rare one-two as Max Verstappen led teammate Alex Albon in final practice at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
As teams conducted their final preparations ahead of qualifying, the Dutchman led pretty much throughout, setting a 1m36.251s with his final lap of the session.
Despite complaining of chronic understeer, Albon also improved with his last attempt to jump into P2, albeit still half a second slower than Verstappen.
Mercedes meanwhile had a low-key session, quite possibly running lower engine modes or higher fuel in the unrepresentative conditions, as Lewis Hamilton was only sixth and Valtteri Bottas ninth on a circuit where the team is unbeaten since 2013.
Their lack of pace though did allow Renault to shine with Daniel Ricciardo third and Esteban Ocon fourth, a tenth clear of Lando Norris in the McLaren in fifth.
With their rivals for third in the Constructors’ Championship looking strong, Lance Stroll was seventh for Racing Point, while Sergio Perez, who starts last anyway due to new engine components, was 10th.
Ferrari and AlphaTauri are ready to pounce on any chance for a Q3 in positions 11-14, while George Russell was 15th as he faces his usual 2020 challenge of trying to make Q2 for Williams.
Alfa Romeo followed in 16th and 17th, as Kevin Magnussen led Nicholas Latifi and stand-in Haas teammate Pietro Fittipaldi at the back of the field.
Full results from Practice 3 can be seen below:
