It’s time for the beginning of the last round of the 2024 season.
Six new drivers in
During this Abu Dhabi FP1 session Ferrari Development driver Arthur Leclerc will replace Carlos Sainz as Charles’s teammate. It’s the first time in the history of Formula 1 that two brothers are driving for the same team. Aston Martin Reserve driver Felipe Drugovich will stand in for Lance Stroll
2022 Le Mans winner and Endurance driver Ryo Hirakawa is whereas Formula 3 driver and Williams Academy talent Luke Browning is in for Williams. Finally Super Formula driver Ayumu Iwasa is in for Racing Bulls and Formula 2 title contender Isack Hadjar is driving for Red Bull, replacing four times World -champion and dad-to-be Max Verstappen.
Hadjar mentions steering issues with his challenger, with Charles Leclerc unable to take part in the session due to a car issue. He is the only driver not on track five minutes into the session.
This Abu Dhabi round will also mark the beginning of Jack Doohan’s F1 career, as he is now officially an Alpine driver and will partner with Pierre Gasly for the rest of the weekend, as well as in the upcoming 2025 season.
Early lap times in
Hadjar spins out of track, but is able to resume his session in spite of the lack of feeling. Ten minutes into the session, the first fastest lap times have been set, and George Russell leads this Abu Dhabi FP1 in 1:26.894s, followed by the Haas duo of Magnussen and Hulkenberg at their last dance.
Norris and Hamilton are involved in the first incident of the weekend, with the McLaren driver noted for impeding.
Luke Browning runs wide off track suffering from lockup, as Russell shaves a second off his best previous effort, with Perez 0.422s off him and Bottas a distanced third.
Norris gets the top spot, but the Mercedes driver is swift to return in the lead, lowering the benchmark to 1:25.571.
Hamilton is the next driver to cycle in P1, signing a 1:25.566s 0.005s ahead of his teammate. Arthur Leclerc mentions excessive tyre degradation after only two laps, with his older brother joining the session with a little over half an hour left.
Both Williams driver Albon and Colapinto have taken up new gearboxes for the weekend, with the duo set to receive a five places grid penalty. Half an hour into the session, Hirakawa and Iwasa are the only two drivers yet to sign a lap, with Hadjar th best performing rookie in P7.
Russell has retaken the lead from his Hamilton in his last round alongside the seven times world champion. Norris is the first to sign a lap in the 1:24s switching to soft runs. It has been a rather positive session for Hulkenberg ahead of joining Sauber, with the German sliding in P2 0.831s off the Brit’s lap.
Mercedes continue with their good form in the session as Hamilton and Russell return on the podium.
An important weekend for Hadjar
Colapinto runs wide off track, whereas his teammate Browning is shown a black and white flag for impeding Hadjar twice in the session. The French is still the best performing rookie on track in P11, with Doohan in P14, Browning in P16 then Drugovich, Iwasa, Hirakawa and A.Leclerc with 15 minutes to go.
Honourable mention for Racing Bulls’s Liam Lawson, who has gone eight fastest. With ten minutes to go Charles Leclerc goes fastest in 1:24.321s, 0.221s ahead of Norris, just as his brother improves to P16. Alpine’s Gasly joins the top 5 as well.
Drugovich moves up to P9, 1.150s off the Ferrari driver’s effort, while Zhou mentions severe understeering issues and Doohan gets on the radio to bring up front issues at Turn 12 and 13.
Iwasa runs wide on the kerbs, and the session comes to an end! In spite of early issues for Leclerc, the Monegasque ends the morning on top ahead of Norris and Hamilton, with Russell and Gasly rounding off the top 5. Hulkenberg, Colapinto, Magnussen, Drugovich and Perez complete the top ten, with Hirakawa in P14 followed by Hadjar.
In the final seconds of the Abu Dhabi FP1 session a very significant news came out. Leclerc has taken up a new battery pack and will thus have to serve a ten places grid penalty, with the battle for the constructor’s title becoming even tougher for Ferrari.
