Oscar Piastri will contest the crucial title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with one less hour of practice under his belt, compared to Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.
That is because Piastri is required to give up his seat for one further rookie FP1 session, which will see Pato O’Ward take over at the wheel of Piastri’s MCL39 for Abu Dhabi FP1.
Oscar Piastri to sit out Abu Dhabi Grand Prix FP1
The regulations dictate that each team must field a rookie driver in four FP1 sessions across the F1 2025 season. A rookie driver is one who has made no more than two grand prix starts.
Championship leader Lando Norris has sat out his two FP1 sessions for the year, doing so in Austria and Mexico. Piastri, meanwhile, has given up his FP1 seat just the once at Monza.
This means that as the season, and the F1 title battle, reaches its climax this weekend in Abu Dhabi, Piastri will be required to sit out the opening practice session. He will be replaced by IndyCar star and long-time McLaren test/reserve driver Pato O’Ward.
The timing is not exactly ideal for Piastri, as he heads for Abu Dhabi looking to end a rollercoaster season by winning a first world championship.
Piastri had appeared to be motoring towards the title, but a drop in form coincided with the resurgence of Norris turned the title picture on its head.
Verstappen, meanwhile, has been firing on all cylinders since the summer break. Capitalising on a McLaren strategy error in Qatar, Verstappen made it five wins from his last eight grands prix.
A three-way fight will be resolved therefore in Abu Dhabi. Norris arrives atop the standings, 12 points ahead of Verstappen, and 16 up on Piastri. Verstappen is the only member of the trio with title-winning experience, as he chases a fifth consecutive crown.
Piastri will hope that 24 rounds into the season, and heading for a familiar track in the Yas Marina Circuit, that lost hour of practice will have little impact on his preparations.
More on the F1 2025 title race from PlanetF1.com
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👉 In defence of McLaren
As for McLaren, his team can expect some useable data and feedback from O’Ward, who feels that he has now built up a good understanding of F1 machinery.
“I better understand what the car likes now,” O’Ward told the McLaren website.
“Every car prefers a certain style, or a different way of bringing it into the window, the little details, and when you are learning a new car, you are trying to perfect these skills. During this learning process, you don’t know what will work, so you are exploring all of the time. I think I have a very good understanding of what it likes and enjoys.
“Once you know, it’s making sure you can robotically follow this every time, which is tricky when you aren’t in the car for long. The simulator can give you a good idea, but it can’t come close to the feelings you actually get when you are in a car.
“I try not to think about it when I’m in the car, I try to let my body remind itself.”
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