F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix LIVE REACTION: Mercedes protests REJECTED latest, Verstappen WINS controversial world title

FIRST PRACTICE LIVE

Let's have a look at the back of the race.

Latifi, Schumacher and Mazepin occupy the last few places - Mazepin is last.

Almost 10 more minutes to go

FIRST PRACTICE LIVE

Hamilton continues to close in on Verstappen.

The Mercedes star is back on track and posts a new fastest first sector

FIRST PRACTICE LIVE

Verstappen gets fresh soft tyres as he increases his lead by a few hundredths.

Hamilton continues to follow in second

FIRST PRACTICE LIVE

Hamilton is closing in on Verstappen.

However, the Dutchman is in control by just 0.055s

FIRST PRACTICE LIVE

Verstappen is on the pits getting his wheel fixed.

The Dutchman complained a lot about it and described it as "annoying" to drive with

FIRST PRACTICE LIVE

Gasly has moved up to fifth place.

Perez and Bottas are third and fourth respectively.

And of course Verstappen as well as Hamilton fight for first

FIRST PRACTICE LIVE

Verstappen continues to lead but is not happy with his wheel.

He issues the following message to his Red Bull team: "Just get ready to straighten the wheel because it's really annoying to drive".

The Dutchman is heading for the pits

FIRST PRACTICE LIVE

Verstappen is getting down to a nice 1:25.300.

Perez, Bottas and Alonso complete the top five

FIRST PRACTICE LIVE

Verstappen is back ahead, it is basically the Red Bull star and Hamilton fighting for first place.

Just like we expect it to be at the main event.

The Dutchman is ahead by two tenths

FIRST PRACTICE LIVE

Hamilton's Mercedes team-mate Bottas runs off-course on Turn One for a moment there, but nothing major.

Fellow Finn Raikkonen, who is competing in his final-ever Practice 1 session also briefly ran wide

FIRST PRACTICE LIVE

Alonso is now ahead of Hamilton in second after a spell as leader.

Verstappen is ahead

FIRST PRACTICE LIVE

Verstappen has moved to second place behind Hamilton

Perez, Norris and Bottas complete the top five so far

FIRST PRACTICE LIVE

Lewis Hamilton leads 1:27.148 in the early stages.

Verstappen is 12th and sends the following message to his Red Bull team: "My steering wheel is quite badly right hand down"

FIRST PRACTICE LIVE

Both Hamilton and Verstappen out on track for the first practice session.

Reminding you that it is going to last for a full hour

FIRST PRACTICE LIVE

The green light is off!

First practice is go in Yas Marina!

CHOC HORROR

Formula One drivers risk suffering dangerous tyre blowouts in Abu Dhabi due to new Toblerone-style kerbs.

Track chiefs have reprofiled some sections of the track to create new sweeping bends to increase the top speed and hopefully lead to more overtaking.

However, the new kerbs they have installed have stunned teams, who were not expecting them to be so harsh.

It comes after a spate of blowouts in the Qatar GP - where there were similar raised kerbs around the track.

Tyre supplier Pirelli did a thorough investigation after those failures and concluded they were caused by drivers running over the red and white markings.

Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas, Williams pair George Russell and Nicholas Latifi as well as McLaren's Lando Norris all had punctures on their front left tyres at Losail.

FIRST PRACTICE LIVE

We are less than five minutes away from the first practice session in Abu Dhabi.

Despite the championship drama, the track hasn't been an overwhelming favourite of the drivers

PRACTICE IS ON SOON

We're awaiting the first session at Yas Marina circuit and it should be coming up in the next 10 minutes.

Lewis Hamilton is already at the circuit and looking relaxed.

GOOD MORNING F1 FANS

The big season finale is finally here!

And Lewis Hamilton has snubbed any clear-the-air talks with his fierce title rival Max Verstappen.

Red Bull racer Verstappen, 24, claims Formula One stewards are treating him unfairly after blowing the 32-point lead he had amassed after the Austrian Grand Prix in July.

The Dutchman is seething after being hit with TWO time penalties — along with a two-point penalty on his race licence — following controversial incidents in last Sunday's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, which Hamilton won.

But the British star does not want any driving discussions with the man he is battling against, despite the FIA threatening to deduct points for any "unsporting" behaviour on the track. Hamilton, 36, said: "For me it is quite clear, nothing changes for me. I don't think we need to sit down.

"We have had lots of races, lots of incidents, but I'd like to think we've learnt from these things and move forward."

Verstappen was slapped with a tensecond penalty AND a five-second one at the last race in Saudi Arabia.

The first was for causing the smash between the pair when Hamilton's Mercedes slammed into the back of the Dutchman's car.

Verstappen was also hit with a fiveplace grid drop at the Qatar GP last month for failing to slow for double-waved yellow warning flags.

Ironically, Hamilton was let off for the same offence in Jeddah last week and the Red Bull man insisted it is not fair.

Verstappen said: "Clearly things don't apply for everyone because the things I did in terms of defending, two other guys also did and they didn't get a mention or penalty.

"I don't understand because I thought I was just racing hard.

"What happened for me clearly didn't deserve any penalty.

"It is only me who gets it. Fighting at the front, people are a bit more critical, I guess, but for me I don't understand.

"For me I was not wrong. Clearly, only I was wrong somehow. Like I said, other people do exactly the same thing and get nothing.

"Both of us [he and Hamilton] were off the track in to Turn One and somehow they judged that it was my fault. That I don't agree with.

"Afterwards he pushes me off the track. He even looks at me!

"He doesn't turn in, he just pushes me outside the white line — and he only gets a warning for that.

"It's not how it should be. It is not fair because it seems like other drivers can do different things and it seems like only I get a penalty."