George Russell causes F1 title surprise as Lewis Hamilton crashes in final practice

George Russell topped the final practice session ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, beating all three F1 title contenders. 

The Mercedes driver pumped in a 1:23.334 effort on the soft tyres to pip Lando Norris by just 0.004s to top the final practice session of the season. 

Max Verstappen was third for Red Bull, a tenth behind the pace with Oscar Piastri only fifth as Fernando Alonso wedged his Aston Martin into the top four.

The session was suspended for nearly 15 minutes after Lewis Hamilton suffered a severe high-speed crash at Turn 9, but was able to climb from the Ferrari, which now must be rebuilt in time for qualifying at 14:00 GMT, 17:00 local time.

The report continues below. 

Norris initially set the first proper flying lap of the session on a 1:24.728, before lowering this to a 1:24.533 as he suffered a near-miss with Yuki Tsunoda's Red Bull.

For dawdling on the racing line, Tsunoda has been summoned to the stewards for the Turn 11 incident, with Hamilton sitting in fourth as he started another flying lap, having previously gone P1. 

Half-way through the session, Hamilton lost control of the SF-25 at Turn 9, spinning into the barriers, as he reported something "buckled" at the front of the car as he turned in. 

The session resumed with 17 minutes remaining, with Alex Albon set to be investigated for an unsafe release, as Verstappen improved his time to post a 1:24.116 and stay P1. 

Piastri then lowered this to a 1:23.593, with Norris going 0.255s quicker on a 1:23.338. 

This stood as the fastest time until the closing minutes, when Russell posted a 1:23.334 to go P1 and end the session fastest by 0.004s.

Team-mate Kimi Antonelli is also at risk of a big penalty for crashing into Tsunoda in the pit-lane as both were leaving their garages.