F1 Results Today: George Russell delivers McLaren scare after setting pace in Abu Dhabi

George Russell disrupted the F1 title race party in FP3 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, setting the fastest time ahead of Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.

The Mercedes star emerged as surprise contender for pole position on the soft tyres, with Fernando Alonso also outpacing Oscar Piastri for fourth, in what promises to be a thrilling qualifying session under the floodlights.

Lewis Hamilton's pace looked good in FP3, but as he rapidly approached the high-speed Turn 9 he followed in the turbulent air of the car in front and lost his Ferrari at the kerb, sent spinning into the barriers.

The crash caused a red flag, as a desolate Hamilton retrieved the piece of broken front wing and placed it inside his Ferrari.

"Something buckled at the front and snapped the rear," he explained over team radio.

There was also a hairy moment for Norris during the session, as he approached a slow moving Yuki Tsunoda on the racing line and had to make a side quest onto the run-off area to avoid contact with the Red Bull.

Tsunoda waved his hand in apology, but the incident was placed under investigation and the Red Bull star will visit the stewards after FP3.

This wasn't the end of the drama for Tsunoda, who collided with Kimi Antonelli in the pit lane after what appeared to be an unsafe release from Mercedes.

The contact destroyed the Red Bull's right sidepods and Mercedes were placed under investigation by the stewards.

F1 FP3 Results: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

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Max Verstappen is the reigning F1 champion, and won his fourth drivers' championship last year.

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READ MORE: 'Cocky' Lando Norris given dressing down

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Sheona Mountford - F1 Journalist

Sheona Mountford is a motorsport journalist specialising in F1. As a writer and contributor, she covers a wide range of motorsport series from F1 to F1 Academy, responsible for breaking news, live race coverage and in depth analysis of the sport and the culture around it.

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