Bottas tops practice times for Abu Dhabi grand prix

Valtteri Bottas topped times for Mercedes ahe of Red Bull's Max Verstappen and his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton in Friday's opening free practice for Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Finn, who is assured alrey of finishing second behind six-time champion Hamilton in this year's title race, clocked a best time of one minute and 36.957 seconds to outpace Verstappen by half a second and Hamilton by six-tenths. Bottas, who anunced break-up of his marri on Thursday, will start from back of grid on Sunday regardless of how he does in qualifying after being sanctioned for taking a new power-unit.

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Bottas tops practice times

He clocked his best lap on a set of medium tyres midway through a session stopped twice for red flags following a blown engine in Daniel Ricciardo's Renault and a late crash by Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel. four-time champion Vettel h arrived late at circuit on Friday morning following birth of his third child, a son, on Wednesday. Red Bull new boy Alex Albon was fourth, Vettel fifth and Romain Grosjean sixth for Haas ahe of Charles Leclerc in second Ferrari, Kevin Magnussen in second Haas, Alfa Romeo's Antonio Giovinazzi and Renault's Nico Hulkenberg who is set to start his final Grand Prix with team.

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Bottas dominated session from start and was only replaced briefly early on by Hamilton before stopps on a hot day of blue skies at Yas Marina circuit. Ricciardo's engine failure dumped a lot of oil on track, which led to a 10-minute clean-up before action resumed and Vettel spun backward into barriers. Williams's George Russell took part in session and wound up 20th despite doubts about his fitness due to illness. He went through a medical check before taking part.

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Hamilton ran briefly in session with number one on se of his car and, when asked earlier about Bottas' private predicament, said that balancing demands of racing with a full private life was dificult. He congratulated Vettel on new dition to his family while sympathising with Bottas following split with wife Emilia, an Olympic swimmer and a horse show jumping rider, after three years' marri. "It's similar to most sportsmen and women, but it may actually be slightly different in that we are away for crazy amounts of time," he said. "I for one also find that incredibly difficult, with your goal to be as competitive as you can be, but re are those who man it -- like Seb." 

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