USA News Hub

Lando Norris of McLaren topped the first practice for the season-ending Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ahead of the Red Bull of title contender Max Verstappen.

The championship leader clocked the fastest time of 1 minute 24.485 seconds, but Verstappen was just 0.008s behind. Charles Leclerc of Ferrari completed the top three.

Advertisement

Oscar Piastri, who’s also in the title race, missed first practice as he had to make way for Pato O’Ward as McLaren completed the requirement of running rookies in two practice sessions per driver, as mandated in the sporting regulations.

According to Sky TV expert and former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher, Piastri was aware of the situation since the start of the year.

Nevertheless, it was unfavourable and a disadvantage for Piastri, who missed out on crucial track time.

Several other teams were fulfilling their rookie quotas, including Red Bull, who had Arvid Lindblad replacing departing Yuki Tsunoda.

Advertisement

Tsunoda lost his seat at Red Bull for the 2026 season as Isack Hadjar will partner with Verstappen next year. Lindblad, meanwhile, got the seat at Red Bull’s sister team Racing Bulls.

Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton also sat out the session and made way for Arthur Leclerc, brother of his team-mate Charles Leclerc.

The final race of the season in Abu Dhabi is set to be a dramatic one. Norris tops the drivers’ championships 12 points over Verstappen and 16 over Piastri.

If Norris finishes on the podium at Yas Marina, he will be world champion and it wouldn’t matter where his two rivals cross the line.

Second practice is later on Friday, with qualifying for Sunday’s race on Saturday.