2025 F1 Abu Dhabi GP FP3: As it happened - Russell quickest from Norris in final FP session of season

Not a lot of running going on out there, just a pair of Alpines ringing out across the circuit.

We best make the most of it as this weekend is the last time we'll hear the Renault engine in full song for the foreseeable future.

Alpine - which is, of course, Renault's sporting spin-off brand - is moving away from engine development in favour of a customer deal with Mercedes, which it hopes will have the McLaren effect and push them up the order in 2026.

It certainly needs something because Alpine is destined to be rooted to the bottom of the constructors' standings, while Franco Colapinto has just this one chance to get on the board having failed to score since being drafted in to replace Jack Doohan

Aston Martin break the initial silence to get out there first of all

The start of FP3 - held in sunny, warm conditions in Abu Dhabi - is just a couple of minutes away.

One hour of free running before we get into the business end of the weekend with qualifying and then, of course, tomorrow's all-important finale

In the constructors' reckoning, things are looking more clear cut than they were.

Mercedes is close to securing second overall, ahead of Red Bull, while Ferrari will almost certainly end up fourth as it faces up to a win-less season

Beyond the big three, there are still a few scores to settle elsewhere in the overall standings with Abu Dhabi the last chance now to get some personal scalps.

While Russell and Leclerc are sealed in fourth and fifth overall, Antonelli has moved just two points shy of Hamilton in the fight for sixth overall - the momentum is definitely with the Italian after a run of strong results, including podiums in two of the last three rounds.

Elsewhere, Williams look set to have both drivers inside the overall top ten after Sainz's brilliant run to third in Qatar, but just three points cover Hadjar, Hulkenberg and Alonso in the fight for tenth.

At least it was a good start to proceedings on Friday for Norris, who set the quickest time in both FP1 and FP2, but Verstappen was right on his tail.

It was hard to gauge whether Piastri was also in the leading mix after skipping FP1 to sacrifice his seat for a rookie - in this case, Pato O'Ward - before having his time attack hampered in FP2. 

FP3 will provide a better glimpse of the leading contenders heading into qualifying later today

This is how the the points' standings stack up for the top three:

1- Norris - 408 points

2- Verstappen - 396 points

3- Piastri - 392 points

Perhaps the easiest equation to look out for is Norris needs a podium finish to secure the title, regardless of who wins the race.

Any lower than third and it gets a little more complex with the potential for this year's title to be decided on count back. If it does, it is worth mentioning now that all three drivers have seven wins each, so it really couldn't get tighter between the trio

Little more than a week on from a controversial Qatar GP that saw Verstappen nab a pivotal victory from right under the nose of McLaren, there has been a flurry of mathematics to figure who needs what to walk away with motorsport's biggest crown