Oscar Piastri led McLaren's dominant performance in the final practice session of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, securing a one-two finish ahead of teammate Lando Norris. The Australian set the pace with a time of 1m23.433s, outpacing Norris by 0.193s in challenging conditions with ambient temperatures reaching 104 degrees F.

Lewis Hamilton claimed third position, 0.39s behind Piastri, while championship winner Max Verstappen settled for fourth, citing front brake issues. Ferrari's championship hopes faced a setback with Carlos Sainz managing only fifth place, 0.438s off the pace, and Charles Leclerc struggling in ninth with a 10-place grid penalty looming.

Key session highlights:

• George Russell placed sixth despite reporting unusually slow pace
• Haas teammates Hulkenberg and Magnussen showed strong performance in seventh and eighth
• Sergio Perez rounded out the top 10, trailing teammate Verstappen by 0.439s
• A tight midfield battle saw eight cars within 0.2s of each other from 11th to 18th position
• Franco Colapinto finished at the back, with Zhou Guanyu just ahead in 19th

This practice session's results suggest an intense qualifying battle ahead, with McLaren showing strong potential for pole position in the season's final race.

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