
Caricamento

Lando Norris has drawn first blood in Abu Dhabi, topping the opening practice session of the season finale at Yas Marina with a 1:24.485 â just 0.008s ahead of title rival Max Verstappen and 0.016s clear of Charles Leclerc. Under warm, dry daytime conditions (27.8°C air, 33.6°C track), the McLaren driver looked sharp on both medium and soft tyres, setting himself up strongly in a weekend where a podium would secure him the championship.
The hour-long session was far from representative of qualifying or race conditions, with FP2 set to run at dusk in cooler temperatures. Nine rookie drivers took part as teams fulfilled their mandatory young driver outings, meaning several regulars â including Oscar Piastri â sat out.
Norrisâ pace was the headline, but Verstappen was right there despite reporting something âbrokenâ on his Red Bull. The Dutchmanâs onboard looked fine, but he complained of issues âeverywhereâ as the RB bottomed out over bumps. Leclerc, third fastest, was less upbeat, lamenting âzero gripâ and poor race simulation runs despite Ferrariâs strong history here.
Kimi Antonelli impressed again, going fourth ahead of Nico Hulkenberg, George Russell, and Gabriel Bortoleto. The top seven were covered by less than three tenths, hinting at a close fight once all championship contenders are on track together in FP2.

Teams had the C3, C4, and C5 compounds available, with no mandatory lap counts. Norrisâ best came on softs after a strong medium run, while Verstappenâs fastest lap was also on the C5. Leclercâs pace on softs was competitive over one lap but faded on longer runs.
Sector data showed:
Straight-line speed charts placed Verstappen and Hadjar at the top, with Norris mid-pack â suggesting McLarenâs setup is leaning towards cornering performance.
Norris leads Verstappen by 12 points, with Piastri 16 back. The Britonâs FP1 form is encouraging, but with Piastri missing the session and Verstappen still quick despite issues, the fight is far from settled. Ferrariâs struggles could remove them from the title equation, but Antonelliâs Mercedes pace hints at a possible spoiler role.
FP2 will be the most telling session of the weekend, run in race-like conditions. All regular drivers will return, including Piastri, and the first true comparison between the three title contenders will emerge. With the top three separated by hundredths in FP1, expect a tense and finely balanced battle under the lights.
The stage is set â FP2 will tell us if Norrisâ early advantage is real or just a product of the unrepresentative conditions.

Ă un ingegnere informatico con una grande passione per la Formula 1 e gli sport motoristici. Ha co-fondato Formula Live Pulse per rendere accessibili, visibili e facili da seguire i dati telemetrici in tempo reale e le informazioni sulle gare.
Vuoi aggiungere un commento? Scarica la nostra app per partecipare alla conversazione!
Commenti
Nessun commento ancora
Sii il primo a condividere i tuoi pensieri!