Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2014: Lewis Hamilton strikes key blow in battle of small margins

Briton is quicker than Rosberg – just – in practice for final showdown

(Getty Images)

Was it just a momentary loss of rear-end grip as Lewis Hamilton took his Mercedes through the final corner of his last lap of practice in the twilight of Yas Marina on Friday evening, and the left rear wheel washed out wide over the kerb before the silver car lunged for the finish line?

Or was it just a little bit of exuberant celebration as he ended the first day of preparation for the most important race of his life lapping faster than his team-mate and title rival Nico Rosberg?

In the first session the gap between them was 0.133s. In the second, a mere 0.083s.

But, as Fernando Alonso discovered to his intense anguish in 2010 when he had to trail journeyman Russian Vitaly Petrov’s Lotus for the whole race, the Abu Dhabi circuit is a place where overtaking is almost as impossible as it is on the crowded streets of Monaco. All things being equal, whoever takes pole position will be at a significant advantage.

Hamilton edged out Rosberg in the first practice session (Getty Images)

And as Rosberg confirmed in Brazil last time out, after cracking under pressure the previous week in America, he does have what it takes to withstand everything Hamilton can throw at him. Whether it’s a tenth of a second, or a few hundredths, the three metres into which time translates as grid position can be a deciding factor.

Hamilton need only follow Rosberg home in a 12th Mercedes one-two of the season to clinch his second title by three points, but he wants to win by winning. And psychologically, beating Rosberg in the first two practice sessions was a subtle but significant blow to strike.

“It’s been a good Friday,” Hamilton said after recording his best flying lap of 1m 42.113s and then showing strong long-run pace. “We’ve run the same programme as we run every race weekend but this time we had the whole of both sessions to work with the tyres, look at long runs, analyse set-up and the countless other things you need to assess in practice, which was great.

“We made good steps forward with the set-up but, as always, there is still more time to be found. We’ll keep chipping away at it and look to improve in every area possible but the car feels great – the best I’ve ever driven here without doubt. The team have done an amazing job.

“Coming into the weekend I was already excited and so far it’s all moving in the right direction, so I just have to keep working away at it.”

The gap between Hamilton and Nico Rosberg (pictured) was just 0.083s (Getty Images)

After his ill-judged attempt at de-stabilising Hamilton on Thursday, by suggesting that he could safeguard himself by making sure his driving was clean – as if to suggest that their clash in Belgium was Hamilton’s fault rather than his own as he admitted subsequently – Rosberg said that he had yet to get his best lap together.

“There’s still a lot of work to do over the rest of the weekend. In general the car felt great out there today. I just need to fine-tune it so that the set-up is exactly to my liking, then go for it and get the job done.”

Wisely, Mercedes managers Toto Wolff and veteran champion Niki Lauda are leaving the pair to their own devices in their final duel of an intense season.

Friday is always a crucial day in the preparations, as the teams and drivers assess the performance of the two tyre compounds brought by Pirelli. This time, it’s their fastest options, the soft and supersofts. But their durability must be measured, not just over a quick lap suitable for qualifying, but over longer runs which will determine the crucial pit-stop strategy employed during the race.

Jenson Button had a difficult day in a McLaren troubled by suspension and hydraulic problems, but the presence of team-mate Kevin Magnussen in third place, seventh tenths off Rosberg, was indication that a new aerodynamics package has proved beneficial.

Jenson Button had a difficult day (Getty Images)

Down the back, Caterham made it back onto the track after administrators Smith & Williamson took a bold, if desperate, step to attract a buyer. Their return opened the door for Will Stevens to graduate to the big league. The 23-year-old from Rochford, Essex was twice a winner this year in the World Series by Renault 3.5 championship that propelled Magnussen into F1, and recovered well after losing time with technical problems early on.

“Things didn’t start as well as I’d hoped,” Stevens said, “but I spent the rest of the day focusing on getting to grips with the car and completing as many laps as possible. In this afternoon’s session I already felt much more comfortable. We now need to work hard tonight and go through all the data gathered so that we drive out tomorrow well prepared. It’s definitely a steep learning curve, but I’m ready for the challenge.”

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If Rosberg finishes then Hamilton must finish

1st	2nd
2nd	5th
3rd	6th
4th	8th
5th	9th
6th	Hamilton is Champion

Top three in drivers’ standings

Hamilton Mercedes 334points

Rosberg Mercedes 317

Ricciardo Red Bull 214