Ferrari dominates and debuts for rookies in Abu Dhabi FP1. Charles' 10-place penalty makes the weekend start on an uphill note.
The final weekend of the 2024 World Cup Formula 1 opens under the sign of Ferrari. Charles Leclerc imposes himself as the fastest in FP1 of the Abu Dhabi GP, followed by Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton, both two tenths away. Despite the excellent start, a 10-place grid penalty compromises his weekend due to a battery problem. The session also saw six young rookie drivers, including Arthur Leclerc, Charles' brother, at the wheel of Carlos Sainz's single-seater.
A promising start with complex implications
Leclerc showed a great performance despite a complicated start. A battery problem forced him to stay in the pits for the first part of the session. In the meantime, his brother Arthur had the opportunity to take to the track with Ferrari, marking a historic moment: for the first time two brothers competed together in the same team.
Halfway through the session, Charles finally managed to complete his first laps, quickly climbing up the order. After an uncompetitive first time, he took the lead by making the most of the medium tyres and then the soft ones, finishing with a time of 1:24.321, two tenths faster than Norris. This performance gives Ferrari confidence ahead of the decisive weekend, despite the penalty that the Monegasque will have to serve on Sunday.
Rookies put themselves to the test
The session saw the debut of six young drivers:
- Arthur Leclerc (Ferrari, instead of Sainz)
- Ryo hirakawa (McLaren, in place of Piastri)
- Isaac Hadjar (Red Bull, instead of Verstappen)
- Philip Drugovich (Aston Martin, instead of Stroll)
- Ayumu Iwasa (VCARB, instead of Tsunoda)
- Luke browning (Williams, in place of Albon)
Among them, Isack Hadjar struggled to find the right feeling with the Red Bull. After spinning at Turn 6 in the opening minutes, the Frenchman reported “zero efficiency” on the radio, complaining about problems with the steering wheel. Despite the setbacks, Hadjar completed the session collecting useful data for the team.
Arthur Leclerc, on the other hand, demonstrated solidity in his debut with Ferrari, while Felipe Drugovich and Ayumu Iwasa managed their first experience in Formula 1 very well. Luke Browning, despite some impediments against Hadjar, gave a convincing performance with Williams.
Evolving times and strategies on the track
The Yas Marina track proved to be very quick from the start, with lap times already quicker than last year. George Russell was among the first to set a competitive time, followed by Kevin Magnussen and Lando Norris. As the minutes ticked by, the drivers continued to improve, taking advantage of the changing track. Norris, on the soft tyre, took the lead with a 1:24.542, before Leclerc took the fastest time with a qualifying simulation.
In the final fifteen minutes, the work on the track diversified. Many drivers focused on race pace simulations on the medium tyres, while Leclerc opted for a final qualifying simulation on the soft tyres, demonstrating once again the competitiveness of the SF-24.
Order FP1 GP Abu Dhabi
Appointment on the track with FP2 at 14pm. For all the times of the Yas Marina weekend, click that.
