Valtteri Bottas says he needs to work on his performance through the final sector at the Yas Marina Circuit after trailing Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton during both Friday sessions.
Bottas finished fifth in FP1, six-tenths behind second-placed Hamilton, and again placed fifth in the second session, almost seven-tenths adrift of Hamilton, who clocked the best ever lap of the circuit.
Bottas described his Friday running as “pretty good”, but believes he has to unearth gains through the final technical sector of the lap.
“We dedicated the first practice session to testing for next year,” Bottas said.
“We ran different kinds of mechanical and especially aero tests. So we didn't learn that much for this weekend in FP1, but definitely a lot for next year.
“The second session was more straightforward. I was missing a bit of time in the last sector, so as a team we need to work on that.
“Overall, it's been a pretty good day, we just need to find some more pace from my side for tomorrow.”
Hamilton, meanwhile, was encouraged by his start to the final round of the campaign.
“It's been a good Friday, but I'm happy that it's the last one of the season,” he said.
“We got lots of laps in today and made good progress with the balance of the car.
“We have a bit of work to do, but I feel like we're quite competitive here.
“It's relatively close still, but I like that. Especially for this weekend, I've got a helmet with gold leaf for the World Championship, which I'm really grateful for.”
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