Russell’s Rebellion: FP3 Chaos, Crashes, and the Last Stand Before the 2025 Abu Dhabi Showdown

If you thought the final Free Practice session of the 2025 Formula 1 season would be a polite parade under the Yas Marina sun, you must be new here—or perhaps you’ve been lulled into a false sense of security by years of processional Abu Dhabi weekends. Today, FP3 delivered a cocktail of drama, surprise, and the sort of tension that makes even a grizzled old hack like me spill his espresso. George Russell, the perennial nearly-man, upstaged the title protagonists, while the championship’s heavyweights found themselves in the wars—sometimes quite literally.

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The Calm Before the Storm? Not This Time

Abu Dhabi’s FP3 sessions are usually the calm before the qualifying storm, a time for teams to fine-tune setups and drivers to practice their lines. But as the sun rose over Yas Marina on December 6th, 2025, the paddock was already buzzing with nervous energy. The championship was on a knife-edge: Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, and Oscar Piastri all within mathematical reach of the crown. The Constructors’ had already gone McLaren’s way, but the Drivers’ was still up for grabs.

And then, as if the racing gods decided we’d all had it too easy, chaos descended.

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Russell’s Late-Session Coup

For most of the session, it looked like business as usual. Norris and Verstappen traded fastest laps, the McLaren and Red Bull camps eyeing each other like chess grandmasters. But with just minutes to go, George Russell—who had spent the early part of FP3 languishing outside the top ten—bolted on a set of softs and delivered a lap that stunned the field: 1:23.334. Four-thousandths of a second ahead of Norris, and a tenth clear of Verstappen.

Russell, who has never won or even stood on the podium at Abu Dhabi, suddenly looked like a pole contender. The Mercedes garage erupted, while the McLaren and Red Bull pit walls exchanged nervous glances. As The Race put it, “Russell beat championship leader Lando Norris to the fastest time in final practice for the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as Oscar Piastri finally got himself into the running near the front of the pack.” source

“George Russell caused a major surprise by finishing quickest in final practice for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.”

Ian Parkes, RacingNews365

Norris, Verstappen, and the Weight of Expectation

Norris, the championship leader, had topped both Friday sessions and looked serene—until Russell’s late flyer. His final lap was just 0.004s off the Mercedes, but it was enough to knock the wind out of McLaren’s sails. Verstappen, meanwhile, was his usual volcanic self on the radio: “The problem is the car still jumps. I can’t keep my feet on the pedals.” source

The Dutchman finished third, 0.124s adrift, and spent much of the session wrestling with a Red Bull that looked more like a bucking bronco than a championship-winning machine. If you’re looking for omens, Verstappen’s grumbling about setup and Norris’s near-miss with Yuki Tsunoda (who was later summoned to the stewards for impeding) suggest that neither title contender is sleeping easy tonight.

Hamilton’s Crash: The End of a Miserable Season

But the biggest shock came from Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time champion, now in Ferrari red, found the limit—and then some—at Turn 9. A high-speed spin sent him careening into the barriers, bringing out the red flag and ending his session early. Hamilton was unhurt, but his Ferrari was not so lucky.

“Something buckled at the front and snapped the rear.”

Lewis Hamilton, team radio

Hamilton’s crash was a cruel metaphor for his 2025 campaign: flashes of speed, but ultimately undone by misfortune and mechanical gremlins. He ended FP3 18th, over a second off the pace, and with a long night ahead for the Scuderia’s mechanics.

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Pit Lane Pandemonium: Antonelli vs. Tsunoda

As if one major incident wasn’t enough, the pit lane delivered its own slice of drama. Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli was released into the path of Yuki Tsunoda’s Red Bull, resulting in a collision that destroyed Tsunoda’s right sidepods and left both teams facing stewards’ investigations. Tsunoda, who had earlier impeded Norris on track, ended the session slowest—his car too damaged to continue.

“Toto Wolff issues Yuki Tsunoda apology after Kimi Antonelli crash.”

RacingNews365

If you’re keeping score, that’s two red flags, one destroyed Ferrari, one mangled Red Bull, and a Mercedes team principal doing his best to stay out of the title fight—at least publicly.

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The Standings: A Table of Tension

Let’s take a breath and look at the numbers. Here are the top 20 from FP3:

(source)

Haas on the Rise, Bearman and Ocon Surprise

If you’re looking for a feel-good story, look no further than Haas. Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman finished sixth and seventh, respectively, ahead of Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari. Bearman, in particular, has been a revelation this weekend, proving that his FP2 pace was no fluke. For a team that’s spent much of the hybrid era as Formula 1’s punchline, this was a rare moment in the sun.

Historical Parallels: When FP3 Bites Back

Now, before you dismiss today’s chaos as an outlier, let’s take a stroll down memory lane. Abu Dhabi’s FP3 sessions are rarely this dramatic, but when the stakes are high, the pressure cooker can—and does—explode. In 2016, Nico Rosberg nearly threw away his title hopes with a wild moment in FP3. In 2012, Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull suffered a technical failure that derailed his qualifying. And in 2010, with four drivers in contention, FP3 was a festival of off-track excursions and frayed nerves.

But rarely have we seen so many incidents, so much tension, and so many storylines converge in a single hour. As the old saying goes, “When the stakes are highest, the cracks begin to show.”

The Psychological Games Begin

With qualifying looming, the mind games are already in full swing. Toto Wolff, ever the diplomat, insisted that Mercedes would “stay out of the Drivers’ Championship fight,” despite Russell’s heroics and Antonelli’s pit lane shenanigans. McLaren, meanwhile, are desperate to keep their cool, knowing that a single mistake could hand the title to Verstappen or Piastri.

And then there’s Russell himself—a man with nothing to lose and everything to prove. He’s never won at Abu Dhabi, never even stood on the podium here. But today, he reminded everyone that in Formula 1, the script is never set in stone.

Waste a Bit More Time

If you’re as addicted to the drama as I am, here are a few ways to keep the adrenaline flowing:

• Read the full FP3 report and highlights at Formula1.com
• Dive into the live reaction and analysis at RacingNews365
• Check out the detailed results and session breakdown at F1i.com
• For a taste of the paddock atmosphere and more, see the latest on The Race
• For social media flavor, follow the conversation on X.com and Facebook via the links in the external research above.