F1 News: What to expect ahead of Abu Dhabi qualifying

Red Bull and Mercedes are in good form ahead of qualifying.

The final qualifying session of the year in Abu Dhabi is set to be a battle between Mercedes and Red Bull, both showing strong pace in practice. 

Sergio Perez topped the timing sheets in the final practice session of 2022, closely followed by Verstappen and the Mercedes duo in third and fourth. 

After showing steady progression in the second half of the year, Mercedes looks to contend for Pole Position and keep their encouraging momentum ahead of the winter break. 

Ferrari will be disappointed with their performance in practice, with Leclerc complaining about a lack of grip in his F1-75. 

The Ferrari pairing found themselves several tenths behind Perez at the front, with McLaren's Lando Norris managing a better lap time than either Ferrari in FP3. 

🏁 FP3 CLASSIFICATION 🏁

The @redbullracing duo power to the top 👊#AbuDhabiGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/llBruLjCgD

— Formula 1 (@F1) November 19, 2022

Norris managed an impressive P5 in practice, whilst teammate Daniel Ricciardo secured a solid P8, highlighting McLaren will remain a threat in the midfield. 

McLaren continues to battle against Alpine for fourth in the standings, but the British squad will need to gain a significant 20 points to overturn the current deficit. 

Whilst the challenge ahead is significant, McLaren looks in good form ahead of the final qualifying of the season. 

Sebastian Vettel will likely contend for Q3 in his last F1 qualifying, with the four-time Champion demonstrating solid performance throughout the weekend. 

Alpine will look to avoid the reliability issues that have plagued them in 2022 as Fernando Alonso prepares to switch to Aston Martin.