Summary

  • Hamilton fastest in both practice sessions

  • Rosberg leads Hamilton by 12 points

  • Top three finish secures title for Rosberg

  • Get involved #buttonsbestmoments

Live Reporting

Gary Rose

  2. Haas, Renaults and Manors out on the circuit at the moment. It's Esteban Gutierrez who leads the way early doors with a 1:45.104.

    Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari is getting a bit of a polish. We are yet to see any of the big hitters head out.

  3. Vandoorne relishing 'massive challenge' at McLaren

    Belgian driver Stoffel Vandoorne says he is looking forward to the "massive challenge" of replacing Jenson Button at McLaren for 2017, after the Brit announced his retirement from Formula 1 after Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

    Read more: Button to retire from F1 after 17 years

    Stoffel Vandoorne relishing 'massive challenge' at McLaren in 2017

  4. Go! Go! Go!

    Second practice is up and running.

    Daniel Ricciardo is wandering about the Red Bull garage. He, like many other drivers, is in no rush to get out there just yet.

    We'll see qualifying simulation runs during the first half of this session, followed by long runs.

  5. Sun setting

    f1F1.com

  7. BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

    Five minutes until 90 minutes of second practice gets under way.

    Once again, you can listen to commentary from Jack Nicholls and the gang on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra and online.

    Here's a reminder of the permutations that can see either Nico Rosberg or Lewis Hamilton crowned champion.

    Rosberg.
    Hamilton.

  8. A lot of good guys

    McLarenMcLaren

  9. All down to Dennis

    Andrew Benson
    Chief F1 writer in Abu Dhabi

    Zak BrownGetty Images

    New McLaren boss Zak Brown says he owes his position to Ron Dennis.

    Brown, who is taking a up a new role of executive director, said Dennis, now forced out of the company, initiated his joining.

    “Ron at the end of the day is the one who recruited me,” said Brown at his first official engagement for McLaren at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

    “The last couple of years he left the door open. He turned up the volume in pursuit of me. I wouldn't be talking to you right now if it wasn’t for him.”

  10. I may have spent the time between practice sessions scouring the internet for embarrassing pictures of a young Jenson Button and eating sandwiches, but our chief F1 reporter Andrew Benson has been hard at work.

    He popped along to a press conference with new McLaren boss Zak Brown. Here's what he had to say...

  11. Get involved #buttonsbestmoments

    Formula 1Rex Features

    After 17 seasons in Formula 1, Jenson Button is hanging up the helmet after this race.

    We've been asking for your favourite Button memories, both on and off the track. Keep them coming to #Buttonsbestmoments

    The below polo neck jumper is not one of Button's best moments...

    ButtonRex Features

  12. HamiltonRex Features

    Lewis Hamilton certainly has plenty of support in Abu Dhabi this weekend, including this inventive pair who have mocked up their own instagram 'selfie'. Nice work.

  13. Hamilton's only hope?

    Andrew Benson
    Chief F1 writer in Abu Dhabi

    HamiltonGetty Images

    Lewis Hamilton's best time in first practice was set on the soft tyre while Nico Rosberg's was on the theoretically quicker ultra-soft.

    The pair were separated by 0.192secs on the ultra-soft tyre, but unlike Rosberg, Hamilton improved when he ran the soft.

    The Red Bulls were very close to Rosberg - Max Verstappen was only 0.054secs behind the German and Daniel Ricciardo a further 0.065secs adrift.

    Hamilton will be hoping Red Bull or Ferrari can get between him and Rosberg this weekend - that is realistically his best chance of an unlikely fourth title.

  14. Strike one

    HamiltonGetty Images

    Hello!

    Lewis Hamilton got his bid to pinch the world championship from Nico Rosberg's grasp off to a solid start by beating his team-mate by three tenths of a second in first practice for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

    As ever what happens in Friday's first session is rarely representative of how the weekend is likely to unfold.

    Second practice, though, might paint a better picture...

  15. F1Rex Features

    Game on indeed. 

    It's time for us to rest our fingers for a couple of hours but we'll be back at 12:30 GMT for build up to second practice, which starts at 13:00.

    In the meantime, I'll leave you with Andrew Benson's report on FP1 and this picture of a baby-faced Button posing next to the car he learnt to drive in.

    Cheerio.

  16. Jennie Gow
    BBC Radio 5 live pit-lane reporter

    Hamilton set his fastest time on the soft tyre, Rosberg set his on the ultrasoft, but this is an unrepresentative session so game on for FP2.

  18. So far so good for Hamilton?

    Tom Clarkson
    BBC Radio 5 live commentator

    That gap between Hamilton and Rosberg, three tenths of a second, is quite big around here. And also Hamilton will be loving the fact that the Red Bulls are close to Rosberg.

  19. First blood to Lewis Hamilton as he finishes three tenths quicker than Nico Rosberg. Just a tenth of a second down on Rosberg is Max Verstappen, with Daniel Ricciardo in close attention as well.

    How much of part will the Red Bulls play in the title battle this weekend, I wonder?

  20. FP1 - the rest

    11) Celis 12) Grosjean 13) Nasr 14) Gutierrez 15) Bottas 16) Palmer 17) Magnussen 18) Alonso 19) Wehrlein 20) Button 21) King 22) Kvyat