Lando Norris fastest in Abu Dhabi FP1 ahead of Max Verstappen as Oscar Piastri sidelined

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Lando Norris topped the timing sheets during the first practice session just slightly ahead of title rival Max Verstappen.

Nine rookies took part in FP1, including Arvid Lindblad, who is the latest driver to join the Formula 1 ranks. Racing Bulls announced that the 18-year-old has signed with the team for next season to replace Isack Hadjar, who has been promoted up to Red Bull.

FP1 in Abu Dhabi is one of the least representative first practice sessions of the season, which means drivers used the hour to get to grips with the car around the Yas Marina Circuit.

The track was relatively dusty in the early part of the session, with the circuit yet to rubber in, although times were expected to drop as tarmac was cleared.

Off the back of his podium in Qatar last weekend, Carlos Sainz complained that he was not able to push his car with under braking. His Williams race engineer Gaeten Jago asked for further details, but the Spaniard cryptically responded with “you know why”.

Twenty minutes into FP1, Oliver Bearman reported problems with his Haas, which turned out to be a hydraulic leak. The young Brit managed to get his car back to the pit lane, but it seemed unlikely he would be back out in the session.

Bearman made it back out onto the track with 25 minutes remaining but was quickly told to box by Haas again, as the team were concerned the issue was still occurring. Although he pitted, the team didn’t pull the car back into the garage, doing just a quick check before sending Bearman back out.

With 15 minutes remaining, Bearman was told to “retire” the car, as the team reported a sensor issue. Due to the unrepresentative nature of the session, it is not a massive loss for the Brit who only managed 14 laps.

Three contenders. One crown. Who takes it?

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At the halfway mark of the first practice, Max Verstappen led from George Russell with both drivers opting to do some soft tyre runs. Nico Hulkenberg sat in P3 ahead of Pato O’Ward in fourth, with the Mexican driving Oscar Piastri’s McLaren as part of the rookie test.

Lando Norris took an extra lap to warm up his soft tyres, but his first flying lap on the C5 compound saw him place his car behind Verstappen in second by just two hundredths of a second.

In the latter stages of FP1, Verstappen reported that “something might be broken with the car”. His Red Bull race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, asked where the championship contender could feel a problem, with Verstappen reporting “everywhere now”.

Charles Leclerc went for another spin for a second week in a row, losing grip with his Ferrari at Turn 5. His brother Arthur, who was taking part in the rookie session, was following in the second Ferrari, quickly making a joke that Charles was doing burnouts for the fans.

Luke Browning in Alex Albon’s Williams suffered a big lock-up in the closing stages of the practice session after having difficulties with the car throughout FP1. The F2 driver managed to catch the car before it went into the barrier, but went straight back into the pit lane.