Lewis Hamilton led team-mate George Russell to a Mercedes one-two in first practice at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Hamilton was 0.220 seconds clear of the winner of last weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix as the final weekend of the Formula 1 season got under way.
World champion Max Verstappen was not involved as Red Bull development driver Liam Lawson was in his car.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was third fastest, from Red Bull’s Sergio Perez.
The two men are competing for second in the championship and tied on points coming into the weekend, a contest that laid bare an internal row at Red Bull in Brazil.
Verstappen’s refusal of team orders to cede sixth place to Perez on the final lap at Interlagos, and his subsequent admission that he acted in that way bay because of “something that happened in the past”, has dominated the headlines in Abu Dhabi so far.
Verstappen continues to refuse to say what his problem is, but multiple sources have said that he believes Perez crashed deliberately in the closing stages of Monaco Grand Prix qualifying.
That prevented the Dutchman improving his time and securing a place on the front row, leaving him fourth on the grid behind Perez, who went on to win the race.
The situation has created an internal crisis at Red Bull. Verstappen says he made his feelings clear at the previous race in Mexico, and the team have admitted to mistakes in handling the race in Brazil, in a statement that included factual inaccuracies about the events of the race.
One of those mistakes was not to discuss with Verstappen before the race that they wanted him to help Perez, which he says he will do this weekend if the situation arises.
Sources within Red Bull say that Perez has admitted he crashed deliberately in Monaco to team management. But the Mexican himself says that information is “wrong”.
The first practice session featured a number of young drivers being given opportunities under F1’s testing rules.
Lawson was fastest in fifth place in the Red Bull, ahead of the Aston Martin of Sebastian Vettel, who is racing in his last grand prix before retirement.
Vettel has asked everyone on F1 – teams and media – to join him for a photo on Saturday evening after qualifying, before running or walking a lap of the track.
Robert Schwarzmann was seventh fastest in Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari ahead of McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo, Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas and Williams driver Alex Albon.
Logan Sargeant, who will graduate to F1 with Williams next year if he secures sufficient licence points in the Formula 2 finale this weekend, was 15th in the Williams.
And IndyCar star Patricio O’Ward was 18th in the McLaren, after his session was disrupted with an early problem, followed by Jack Doohan in Fernando Alonso’s Alpine and Felipe Drugovich in Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin.
