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Story highlights
Lewis Hamilton fastest in Friday's practice session
Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg second quickest
Hamilton aiming to win second world championship
Briton leads by 17 points going into final race in Abu Dhabi
F1 championship leader Lewis Hamilton feels like a “kid at Christmas” thanks to the dominance of his Mercedes car which was underlined again Friday as he set the fastest time in both practices for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Hamilton needs to finish no lower than second to teammate Nico Rosberg in Sunday’s final race of the season to clinch his second world title, but after edging the German out in either session could not have wished for a better start to the weekend.
“It’s been a good Friday. The car feels great – the best I’ve ever driven here without doubt,” he told the official F1 website.
“When you know you have a package as competitive as ours it’s like being a kid at Christmas. I don’t feel any particular pressure this weekend. I’ll just drive the way I always drive and what will be, will be,” he added.
Read: Rosberg win sets up title finale
The 29-year-old Briton clocked a best lap at the Yas Marina circuit of one minute 42.113 seconds in the second runs which finished in the twilight and under the lights.
It left him 0.083 seconds clear of Rosberg, continuing the pattern of his Friday dominance this season, topping 15 out of 19 of those sessions.
But Rosberg, who trails by 17 points, but with double points on offer in the final round under new rules, has claimed pole position in qualifying on no less than 10 occasions, so remains confident.
“In general the car felt great out there today. I just need to fine-tune it so that the set-up is exactly to my liking, then go for it and get the job done,” he said.
Rosberg will be hoping, assuming he can win the 55-lap finale, that another driver can come between him and Hamilton.
He may have been heartened by the performance of Kevin Magnussen in the McLaren, who took third fastest in the second session.
Read: Hamilton edges Rosberg in Texas
He finished just ahead of four-time champion Sebastian Vettel, who will be starting his 113th and final race for Red Bull before leaving for Ferrari.
Valtteri Bottas of Williams was fifth best ahead of Daniel Ricciardo in the second Red Bull.
Aussie Ricciardo is the only driver other than the Mercedes pair to win a race this season, claiming three victories in an impressive first year with the team.
Friday’s practice also saw a return to the timesheets for the cash-strapped Caterham team, which only made the final race of the season thanks to a crowdfunding scheme.
Read: Can fan power rescue F1 team?
Japan’s Kamui Kobayashi and British rookie Will Stevens finished 18th and 19th but at least set a time.
Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, in his final race for Ferrari, had an electrical fault on his car and came to a halt by the side of the track at the start of the session and was unable to continue.