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We have known about Lewis Hamilton's departure from Mercedes for nearly 10 months, so it must feel slightly surreal for the seven-time world champion to have finally reached the point where he has to say goodbye to the team he has spent 12 successful years with.

Six of his seven titles have been achieved with the Silver Arrows but Hamilton's last few seasons with the team have been hard to take for a driver who has been used to dominating week in, week out.

He starts the weekend seventh in the drivers' championship, 24 points off team-mate George Russell in sixth.

"It's been a very emotional year for me and I don't think I've been the best at handling my emotions this year," said Hamilton on Thursday.

"You've seen the best of me and the worst of me, but I'm not going to apologise as I'm human."

Have a read of the full story here

George Russell has been sitting on top of the timesheets for a good while, banking a time of 1:25.710 on the medium tyres. But here comes Lando Norris, who pulls 0.253 seconds more out of his McLaren to jump above the Mercedes man.

Lewis Hamilton is third followed by the Williams of Franco Colapinto.

We have another British driver to add to the list this weekend - Luke Browning. The 22-year-old Formula 2 driver has taken over from Alex Albon for first practice but like fellow rookie Isack Hadjar, Browning highlights a minor niggle with the car, saying he lost the rear on the entry.

Meanwhile, two of the more experienced drivers have been noted by race control for impeding. We're looming at you, Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton.

Pirelli have opted for the softest tyres in the range for the 2024 finale at the Yas Marina Circuit, with teams being given two sets of the hard tyre (C3, white), three sets of medium (C4, yellow), and eight sets of softs (C5, red), as well as the green intermediate tyre and the blue full wets, should they be needed.

The two-stop strategy was the most popular at last year's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix but a driver can make a one-stop work if those tyres are treated with plenty of love and affection.

Jolyon Palmer
Former Renault driver on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

Alpine are concerned that Ocon is driving for Haas next year and there is an element of doubt that Ocon is all in to try to beat Haas this year.

Red Bull are back on the blower to Isack Hadjar to see hoe the Frenchman is getting on after his earlier woes. He says that everything with the seat is fine - which is good, maybe a bit tight on the old knees - but he flags he is struggling with wheel clearance.

In the event we're all square in the constructors' championship on Sunday, this is what to look out for.

If McLaren and Ferrari were to finish level on points then the team with the most wins would take the title - the pair currently both have five victories each.

The next tie-breaker if that tally remains level is the number of second places - McLaren lead Ferrari 10-4 on that count.

Isack Hadjar is being watched on by his parents this weekend but the Formula 2 driver takes a small spin in the powerful Red Bull car.

"I have zero efficiency, sorry," says the 20-year-old.

McLaren have given Japanese driver Ryo Hirakawa, who is carrying the aero rakes on the front of the car, some advice to target clear air where possible.

Over at Ferrari, we may have to wait to see the Leclerc brothers in action, as Charles' car is currently being worked on by the mechanics.

Isack Hadjar, who is out on track, is also having difficulties in the Red Bull, calling the pit wall to highlight possible issues with his seat?

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Jack Doohan gets an early debut as an Alpine driver and team-mate of Pierre Gasly this weekend.

The Australian has been drafted in early as part of a deal to allow Esteban Ocon to drive for his new team Haas in the post-season test at Abu Dhabi on 10 December.

In a post on his social media, Ocon thanked all the mechanics, engineers and staff at Alpine but added the plan was for him to race this weekend and "personally say goodbye" at Yas Marina. "I was looking forward to both of those things," he said.

Image source, Esteban Ocon X

Ocon, who scored that memorable podium with Gasly in Brazil this year, even had a special race helmet ready to ear. for the occasion.

While it ends on a sad note for the Frenchman, he wished "nothing but great tings" for Doohan "as he takes this next big step in his career".

The drivers who are sitting out of this session are Lance Stroll, Oscar Piastri, Carlos Sainz, Yuki Tsunoda, Alex Albon and Max Verstappen.

Soak up this last first practice session of the season.

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BBC Sounds

A final hello to Jennie Gow, Harry Benjamin, Jolyon Palmer and Andrew Benson.

The team are in position for this first practice session, so if you fancy listening via your smart speaker, just ask BBC Sounds to play Abu Dhabi Grand Prix practice one.

Commentary is also at the top of this page by clicking the 'listen live' tab.

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Plenty of rookies are taking part in first practice as teams fulfil their duty to let a young driver take part in an hour session.

The name that catches the eye today is Arthur Leclerc, brother of Charles, who will be replacing Carlos Sainz at Ferrari. The pair will be making F1 history as the first brothers to compete in a session as team-mates.

The other drivers on show will be Briton Luke Browning at Williams, Ryo Hirakawa at McLaren, Ayumu Iwasa at RB, Felipe Drugovich at Aston Martin and Isack Hadjar, who is half a point behind Gabriel Bortoleto in the Formula 2 standings heading into the final round in Abu Dhabi, taking Max Verstappen's place at Red Bull.

With the drivers' title wrapped up at the start of this triple-header, attention is switched to who will finish as runner-up to four-time world champion Max Verstappen.

Lando Norris is still second despite his penalty woes in Qatar but Charles Leclerc's podium finish means the gap between the pair is only eight points with one race remaining.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

With a maximum of 44 points left on offer, McLaren, who are looking to win their first title since 1998, go into the final race in Abu Dhabi with a 21-point lead over Ferrari, who last lifted the trophy in 2008.

How can they win it? By Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri scoring 24 points or more. If Ferrari fail to win the race then McLaren only need 13 points to be crowned champions.

The perfect scenario for the Italian team would be a result like the United States Grand Prix in October, where Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz secured a one-two and Norris and Piastri finished fourth and fifth.

In the battle for sixth, the advantage, although small, is now with Alpine who sit five points clear of Haas and 13 ahead of RB.

Away from his fallout with George Russell, Max Verstappen shared some lovely personal news on his social media this morning, announcing that he and his partner Kelly Piquet are expecting their first child together.

"We couldn’t be happier with our little miracle," wrote Verstappen.

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There have been strong words from both sides during this surprising showdown, so what do you make of the Verstappen-Russell row?

Do you think Verstappen was right to air his frustrations with Russell's behaviour in the stewards' room in Qatar?

Was Russell's comeback yesterday maybe a step too far? Or was he right to stand his ground?

Are we all a bit gutted there aren't any races left in the season for this to continue?!

Let us know your thoughts using the hashtag #BBCF1.

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Well, not quite. But the 2024 drivers' dinner last night at least saw Max and George in the same room as one another.

Lewis Hamilton organised the meal, Valtteri Bottas paid the full bill, Esteban Ocon provided us with the best picture of the seating plan and Lando Norris wrote this cheeky caption: "And yes, the two you're thinking about were sat as far away from each other as possible."

Image source, Esteban Ocon X

Image source, Getty Images

All celebratory events this weekend may end up being overshadowed by the remarkable dust-up that is unfolding between George Russell and Max Verstappen.

The Dutchman said on Thursday he has "no regrets" about his loss of respect for Russell after the qualifying drama in Qatar, adding: "Maybe I would've said even more, knowing the outcome of the race results."

In response, Russell has gone off - big style. Everything from Abu Dhabi 2021 to Verstappen bullying other drivers for years has been laid out in great detail by the Mercedes man, with team principal Toto Wolff even getting involved by calling Red Bull boss Christian Horner a "yapping little terrier".

When told about Russell's rant, Verstappen spoke to Dutch publication De Telegraf and accused the Mercedes driver of being "a backstabber" and "a loser", adding: "He lies and pastes all kinds of things together that aren't true."

Have a read of Andrew Benson's story to see the full quotes from Russell and Verstappen