F1
Abu Dhabi GP – FP1: Norris beats Verstappen by eight thousandths of a second
© DPPI
The head-to-head battle for the world title has begun between Lando Norris et Max Verstappenand it was the Briton who won the first battle. With a time of 1:24.485, Norris set the fastest time on a set of soft tires, 0.008 seconds quicker than his rival. Red BullOverall, the session was particularly close, with the top ten within 0.370s, from Norris to Colapinto.
Behind the Argentinian, Ryo Hirakawa places his Haas in eleventh position – ahead of Isack Hadjar – and ranked as the best rookie of the session. Overall, the rookies made a good impression, finishing a respectable distance behind Norris's time: Luke Browning, 18th in the Williams from Alex AlbonHe conceded only 1.005 seconds. The Briton, who suffered the same radio problems as Albon in Qatar, had a major scare at the end of the session with a long wheel lock-up at the first corner, but he finished ahead of both drivers. Aston Martin of the day, Jak Crawford and Cian Shields.
On the other hand, despite the reduced gaps, several drivers complained of significant bounces around the Yas Marina circuit and some made a few mistakes. Charles Leclerc went into a spin – just like in qualifying in Qatar – which prompted mockery from his brother Arthur, who was driving the second car. Classic Ferrari for sale for the second time. The younger brother was nicknamed "Leclerc Junior" by Gianpiero Lambiase, Max Verstappen's engineer, provoking hilarity from the four-time world champion.
Charles Leclerc, for his part, wasn't exactly in a laughing mood at the end of the session. "We're so slow! It's unbelievable," he grumbled over the radio, despite having set the third fastest time, just 0.016 seconds behind Lando Norris. Max Verstappen also lost his smile when he encountered a problem with his Red Bull that forced him to return to the pits. Adding to the bad news, Oliver Bearman wasn't able to fully enjoy his Haas due to a leak that forced the American team to bring him back to the garage.
He will have the opportunity to test the potential of his car alongsideEsteban Ocon during Free Practice 2, scheduled for 13:30 p.m.
ALSO READ > Norris, Verstappen, Piastri: all the possible scenarios for the F1 World Championship in Abu Dhabi
F1 – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
The ranking of Free Practice 1
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Yves-Henri RANDIER
05/12/2025 at 02:07 a.m.
Question for Zak BROWN: within the framework of the famous Papaya Rules and total and absolute fairness between the drivers, does Pato O'WARD indeed replace NORRIS in FP2?
Little Pimousse
05/12/2025 at 11:49 a.m.
McLaren says it has no preference between its two drivers, but frankly, it's not helping Piastri by replacing him with O'Ward for the final race of a championship where the Australian still has a chance of winning the title! Very poor management of FP1 in favor of Norris, whom the team clearly wants to win. Even though they say they're free to compete on equal terms, the way the young drivers were handled in FP1 shows a certain favoritism towards Norris!
Yves-Henri RANDIER
05/12/2025 at 02:06 a.m.
Perfectly summarized, I totally share this point of view... ever since NORRIS' victories in Monaco and then Silverstone where Zak BROWN displayed an exuberance he never showed so much during PIASTRI's triumphs!