Hamilton clocked 1 minute, 40.888 seconds on the Yas Marina circuit, making him 0.257 seconds quicker than the German Red Bull driver.

Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber finished the session in third and fourth place respectively as darkness fell.

All four are title contenders, but the Spaniard Alonso is favorite as he leads Webber by eight points, Vettel by 15 and Hamilton by 24.

Vettel was fastest in the first practice, with Hamilton second.

Webber was twice fourth, and Alonso improved from sixth place in his first run.