Lando Norris kicked off the title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend by going fastest during first practice, the McLaren driver heading championship rival Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
There were a host of new names on the timesheets for the opening practice hour at the Yas Marina Circuit as no less than nine rookies joined the action, with Mercedes and Kick Sauber the only outfits to stick with their usual line-up.
Amongst those sitting out FP1 as a result was championship contender Oscar Piastri, whose seat would be filled by McLaren reserve driver Pato O’Ward. Over at Red Bull, meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda had handed his car over to Arvid Lindblad, the F2 racer who is set to join Racing Bulls on the grid in 2026.
Isack Hadjar – the man Lindblad will replace, with the Frenchman making the step up to Red Bull next season – led the pack out when first practice got underway at 1330 local time. It quickly proved to be a busy start, as all 20 cars hit the track within the opening minutes.
That traffic soon appeared to cause some frustration for Hadjar, the Racing Bulls driver waving his hand after approaching the Williams of Luke Browning ahead. As for Browning – who was making his fourth FP1 appearance – the British driver reported issues with his radio.
The other FW47 of Carlos Sainz had gone quickest a quarter of the way into the session, the Spaniard setting a lap of 1m 25.712s off the back of his second podium for the Grove-based outfit last time out in Qatar. Championship leader Norris, meanwhile, was just 0.052s behind.
That P1 did not last long for Sainz, with the times rapidly tumbling and the name at the top of the timesheets changing as FP1 progressed. Elsewhere there was a problem for Ollie Bearman, the Haas man reporting a loss of power before being informed by his race engineer of a “leak” in the car.
The Briton managed to limp back to the pits – just as Browning was able to return to action, having spent time in the garage while the team addressed his radio issues. As the hour reached its halfway point, Hadjar looked to have set the fastest time before it was bettered by his future team mate Verstappen, the Dutchman pumping in a 1m 24.493s after bolting on the soft tyres.
George Russell had also swapped to the C5 rubber and slotted into P2 behind Verstappen, the Mercedes driver’s effort putting him 0.240s behind the Red Bull. Kimi Antonelli then followed by going third quickest on a weekend where the Silver Arrows are hoping to seal second place in the Teams’ Championship.
There was a bit of a moment for Norris through Turn 2, the Briton experiencing a snap during his first flying run on the soft tyres – though the lap still proved to be enough to put him into second place behind Verstappen.
Elsewhere there was a close call for Aston Martin between their two rookie drivers, with Jak Crawford approaching Cian Shields whilst the former was on a hot lap. Over at Haas, Bearman’s earlier issue initially looked to have been fixed as he returned to action – but the youngster then reported that the problem seemed to be getting worse, resulting in the decision to retire for the car for the remainder of the session amid what the team later said was a sensor-related issue.
Ahead of the final 15 minutes, Norris sat at the top of the timesheets on a 1m 24.485s – a mere 0.008s clear of Verstappen – before the last laps started to go on the board. Charles Leclerc had slotted into third, while his younger brother Arthur – in the other Ferrari – was in 18th place.
Verstappen reported that there “might be something broken” on his RB21, an issue that he suggested was “everywhere” on the car, though the World Champion was still running on track. Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, suffered a spin at Turn 5, prompting his sibling to joke that the elder Leclerc was “doing some burnouts” for the watching fans.
As the clock ticked down, Norris held onto the P1 slot thanks to his earlier effort, with Verstappen and Charles Leclerc remaining in second and third respectively. Antonelli and Russell were fourth and sixth, while Kick Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg separated the Mercedes pair in fifth.
Hulkenberg’s team mate Gabriel Bortoleto followed in P7, with Bearman, Sainz and the Alpine of Franco Colapinto rounding out the top 10. Ryo Hirakawa in the Haas claimed P11, leading Hadjar, Alpine’s Paul Aron, O’Ward and Lindblad. Completing the classification were Arthur Leclerc, Ayumu Iwasa for Racing Bulls, Browning, Crawford and Shields.
With the first hour of running now complete, the drivers and teams will examine their data and prepare for Friday’s more representative second practice session, which is set to get underway at 1700 local time.
