Formula 1 Abu Dhabi GP: Charles Leclerc dominates FP1 at Yas Marina circuit, Lewis aims for grand finish

Abu Dhabi circuit hosted the final race of this year starting with the Free Practice session. The Leclerc brothers Charles and Arthur made history by becoming the first-ever siblings in F1 to race as teammates. Arthur Leclerc was made to drive Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari car while the Spaniard watched from the pits.

The session started with McLaren’s Lando Norris leading and the two Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell behind him in the top three places. Leclerc is on 'Mission Ferrari 2024', and set the fastest lap time of 1.24.321s ahead of Lando and Lewis Hamilton. McLaren and Ferrari are in for the constructors championship fight so both are trying to dominate each other. The most surprising thing was the two Mercedes drivers setting some fast laps. They seem to have found their lost touch by the end of the season.

Also Read: ‘You are more than a driver for Mercedes, Lewis’: The Last Dance of the F1 Icon

If they keep up the form, then from next year we could see a four-way fight for the championship among the top four teams. Alpines Pierre Gasly was impressive and finished fifth ahead of Nico Hulkenberg and Franco Colapinto. Kevin Magnussen was eighth fastest ahead of Aston Martin’s test driver Felipe Drugovich who finished surprisingly ahead of Fernando Alonso in 11th. Sergio Perez was the 10th fastest man ahead of Alonso and Liam Lawson.

Sauber driver Valtteri Bottas was the 13th fastest driver and finished ahead of McLaren’s test driver Ryo Hirakawa and Red Bull Junior driver and F2 championship contender Isack Hadjar. The F2 driver came in place of 2024 Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen. The French driver could be the next RB Bulls driver next year.

ALSO WATCH: Ferrari's Leclerc and Sainz Enjoy a Joyful Adventure before their Final race as teammates in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix FP1 Results

FP1 CLASSIFICATION

All the details from the opening session on track 👇#F1#AbuDhabiGPpic.twitter.com/bC2VAyjAnV

— Formula 1 (@F1) December 6, 2024

Zhou Guanyu was the 16th fastest man and finished ahead of Ayumu Iwasa Williams rookie driver. The most expected driver of the day Arthur Leclerc could only manage to finish in 18th position and was more than 1 second slower behind his brother. The last two drivers were Alpine’s new entry Jack Doohan in the 19th and Williams test driver Luke Browning in the 20th. Abu Dhabi Grand prix is a do-or-die battle for Ferrari and McLaren as their constructor's championship is on the line. Next will be the Practice Session 2.

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