Charles Leclerc tops Abu Dhabi FP1 but will incur a penalty, while seven rookies take to the track in Friday’s session.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with a holiday atmosphere, begins with FP1 featuring many novelties. Although the vice-champion title and the constructors’ championship are still up for grabs, many changes have taken place ahead of this weekend.
The first change is, of course, the absence of Esteban Ocon, who was suspended by Alpine F1 after a standoff regarding his participation in post-season testing with Haas. The French driver spoke about the ban from driving at Yas Marina, confirming that it was not his decision.
“It’s clear that this is a bit of a sad ending, not the one I wanted after five years with the team,” Ocon told Canal+. “It was the team’s decision to do this. It was important for my future to be able to drive with my next team in Abu Dhabi.”
“The team wouldn’t let me do that if I raced in the last race, so we had to conclude that it was better not to race and start the next chapter in the best possible way. It’s sad because I wanted to thank everyone who worked with me over these five years, all the engineers at Viry and Enstone.”
As for the updates, there are few changes. RB F1 has, however, brought an impressive front wing to its VCARB 01, while Stake F1 has introduced a revised floor and modified rear brake ducts on the Sauber C44.
Race director Rui Marques has prohibited drivers from overtaking at the pit exit, as the Yas Marina circuit is unique in this regard. The exit passes beneath the track through a tunnel, and Marques likely wants to prevent drivers from entering it side by side.
Franco Colapinto will receive a five-place grid penalty on Sunday for an engine component change outside the allocated quota for the second Williams car, which both Logan Sargeant and he have driven this year.
In addition to Jack Doohan, who is making his debut as a full-time driver in place of the Frenchman at Alpine, several young drivers are taking part in these FP1 sessions, with teams adhering to the requirement to field rookies.
At McLaren, Ryo Hirakawa replaces Oscar Piastri, while at Ferrari, Arthur Leclerc steps in for Carlos Sainz, driving alongside his brother Charles – a first in World Championship history. It is worth noting that while Charles retains ‘LEC’ on the FOM timing screens, his brother uses ‘LEL’.
Isack Hadjar is driving in place of Max Verstappen at Red Bull. At Aston Martin F1, Lance Stroll has handed his seat to Felipe Drugovich, while Yuki Tsunoda is sitting out for RB F1 to allow Ayumu Iwasa to take part in the session. Finally, Luke Browning is partnering Colapinto at Williams, replacing Alex Albon.
The teams began the session with aero tests. Red Bull, McLaren, and Ferrari sent cars out with sensor grids, while Alpine used Flo-Vis paint on Doohan’s car.
The session kicked off with a spin from Isack Hadjar, unhappy with his car, while Lewis Hamilton, in his final weekend with Mercedes, impeded Lando Norris early in the session as well.
George Russell set the fastest time in the first 15 minutes with a 1’25″963, ahead of Hamilton and Colapinto, while the Haas drivers snuck into the top 5. However, Norris set the quickest time with a 1’25″710.
Russell then reclaimed the top spot with a 1’25″571. Drivers used medium tires for the first 20 minutes, before switching to soft tires.
Hamilton took the fastest time on mediums with a 1’25″566. Arthur Leclerc and Hadjar were the first to switch to softs but were nearly three seconds off Hamilton’s reference.
Still on soft tires, Hadjar climbed to fifth, just behind Pierre Gasly, who had also made progress. Russell was quick on a soft tire run but was hindered in the final corner, though he still took the lead with a 1’25″410. Norris improved with a 1’24″542 on the same tires, and Nico Hülkenberg moved into second.
Charles Leclerc joined the track after more than half an hour in the garage, allowing the two brothers to be on track simultaneously. He placed in the top 10 on medium tires, while the Mercedes drivers slotted in just behind Norris.
Hadjar grew frustrated after being blocked several times and then dropped out of the top 10 as Liam Lawson and Valtteri Bottas moved up. Browning received a black-and-white flag for impeding Hadjar.
Gasly moved up to fourth with soft tires, and Charles Leclerc set the fastest time with a 1’24″321, while Gasly is under investigation by the stewards for not slowing under yellow flags. Arthur Leclerc improved to 16th, over two seconds behind his brother.
Drugovich set a solid ninth-fastest time, ahead of Alonso. Iwasa took 17th, ahead of Leclerc. No one else improved, so Charles Leclerc finished the session at the top, ahead of Norris and Russell. The constructors’ championship battle between McLaren and Ferrari is on!
Drugovich was the best rookie in ninth, ahead of Hirakawa in 14th. Hadjar finished 15th, Iwasa 17th, Arthur Leclerc 18th, Doohan 19th (but will have the rest of the weekend to improve), and Browning 20th.
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari SF-24 | 1:24.321 | 19 |
| 02 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes MCL38 | 1:24.542 | 25 |
| 03 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes W15 | 1:24.806 | 27 |
| 04 | George Russell | Mercedes W15 | 1:25.165 | 27 |
| 05 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault A524 | 1:25.333 | 24 |
| 06 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas Ferrari VF-24 | 1:25.373 | 23 |
| 07 | Franco Colapinto | Williams Mercedes FW46 | 1:25.382 | 24 |
| 08 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari VF-24 | 1:25.444 | 25 |
| 09 | Felipe Drugovich | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR24 | 1:25.471 | 22 |
| 10 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull Honda RBPT RB20 | 1:25.483 | 26 |
| 11 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR24 | 1:25.504 | 23 |
| 12 | Liam Lawson | RB Honda RBPT VCARB 01 | 1:25.563 | 27 |
| 13 | Valtteri Bottas | Stake F1 Kick Sauber C44 | 1:25.611 | 23 |
| 14 | Ryo Hirakawa | McLaren Mercedes MCL38 | 1:25.874 | 19 |
| 15 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Honda RBPT RB20 | 1:25.877 | 22 |
| 16 | Guanyu Zhou | Stake F1 Kick Sauber C44 | 1:25.921 | 23 |
| 17 | Ayumu Iwasa | RB Honda RBPT VCARB 01 | 1:26.121 | 24 |
| 18 | Arthur Leclerc | Ferrari SF-24 | 1:26.179 | 22 |
| 19 | Jack Doohan | Alpine Renault A524 | 1:26.304 | 24 |
| 20 | Luke Browning | Williams Mercedes FW46 | 1:26.519 | 22 |
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Seven Rookies Make Their Mark in Abu Dhabi FP1 Seven Rookies Make Their Mark in Abu Dhabi FP1 Seven Rookies Make Their Mark in Abu Dhabi FP1 Seven Rookies Make Their Mark in Abu Dhabi FP1
