Norris Fastest in Abu Dhabi Practice; Leclerc Handed Grid Penalty

McLaren initiated the season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with a strong performance, aiming for their first constructors’ title since 1998. The team currently holds a 21-point advantage over Ferrari in the constructors’ championship, with 44 points still available. Friday practice concluded with a McLaren one-two, as Lando Norris secured the fastest time ahead of Oscar Piastri. Meanwhile, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc is set to start Sunday’s race no higher than 11th position due to a penalty. Leclerc incurred a 10-place grid drop because Ferrari was required to install a new battery in his car, exceeding his seasonal allocation of two batteries. Norris outpaced Piastri by 0.234 seconds, with Nico Hulkenberg of Haas surprisingly taking third place. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz registered the fourth-fastest time, 0.582 seconds behind the leader, followed by Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, Leclerc, and Valtteri Bottas from Sauber. However, race-simulation runs conducted later in the session with a full fuel load presented a different scenario. In these longer stints, Hamilton demonstrated comparable pace to the McLarens, with his average stint time being only 0.02 seconds slower than Piastri, who recorded the fastest simulation time. Norris commented: “It was a good day. Car’s been feeling good the whole day. Continued our pace out of Qatar. Feels strong.” He added: “We have some things to improve on in both low and high fuel. It looks better than it is. I don’t think the others have turned up their engines yet. We’ll still have a tough fight tomorrow.” McLaren team principal Andrea Stella stated that he found no reassurance from Leclerc’s penalty. Stella remarked: “”We talk about Charles Leclerc. We talk about Ferrari. It’s a very strong combination,” Stella said. “Even with the penalty, I wouldn’t be surprised if we can see them very rapidly fighting for the front, for the top positions. So nothing changes. We keep remaining calm, focused and full of energy.”” Hamilton is participating in his final race with Mercedes, concluding a 12-year tenure with the team before his transfer to Ferrari for the upcoming season. He described the experience as: “Very surreal. And I’ve just tried to be as present as I can be so I can enjoy every moment.” Hamilton continued: “”I’ve really enjoyed the day. Really enjoyed driving the car. We have some work to do. The McLaren is so fast, as is Ferrari. We are in the mix, kind of, but got to find some time.”” He also noted: “”I am trying to keep my emotions under control as much as I can. I am really trying to channel it into the car, the team.”” Expressing his sentiments, Hamilton said: “”I have so much love for the team. I have been wanting to do well for them for ages. One last go at it and I hope we won’t change too much in the car tonight and tomorrow we will be there or thereabouts hopefully.”” Regarding performance, he stated: “”Our long run didn’t look too bad. I was a lot closer to the McLarens, on a single lap we have some work to do.”” At one point during the session, while Leclerc’s battery was being replaced, the Monegasque driver expressed concern about potentially missing out on any running in first practice. Such an absence would have meant forfeiting the chance to drive alongside his brother Arthur, who was given an opportunity in Carlos Sainz’s car as a Ferrari development driver. However, Leclerc successfully joined the session for its latter half. He reflected: “It was going through my head first am I going to drive this P1 with my brother, which is a unique opportunity, but also the championship. It makes our weekend much more difficult.” Leclerc added: “”But I am feeling better already, and I will come back with the battery fully recharged, not trying to play a game with words, and then hopefully we can have a great day tomorrow and have an amazing recovery on Sunday.”” He concluded: “”The McLaren seem to be quicker but we know it can swing one way or the other very quickly.”” Kevin Magnussen, driving the second Haas, finished eighth, ahead of Williams’ Alex Albon and RB’s Yuki Tsunoda. Red Bull encountered difficulties with one-lap pace, and world champion Max Verstappen, who reported a lack of front grip, concluded the session in 17th place, three positions behind his team-mate Sergio Perez. Verstappen commented: “Just not a very good balance. No connected balance from entry to mid-corner and that makes it difficult to push and it’s something we have to work on overnight.” He further stated: “”I am sure we can do better. I am not saying we will be at McLaren level, because they seem very quick so far this weekend. If we can fight in the top six that will be a good recovery because so far this weekend has been very difficult.”” Williams experienced a challenging day, with both their cars facing five-place grid penalties for exceeding their gearbox allowance. Albon encountered an engine problem but managed to complete his fast lap at the session’s end, while Franco Colapinto damaged his car’s floor after going over the kerbs at Turn One early in the session. Arthur and Charles Leclerc were photographed in Abu Dhabi during media day on Thursday, marking an emotional day for the entire Leclerc family. Their mother, Pascale, was present in the Ferrari pit. On Thursday, Charles Leclerc discussed the significance of the moment for his family, who lost their father Herve to cancer in 2017. Charles stated: “”It is definitely a very, very special moment for not only me, not only for Arthur, but I think for the whole family,” Charles said, “because I can only see how much sacrifices my parents have done when I was younger for us to continue.”” He elaborated: “”They had to stop Arthur’s career at one point because they could not afford to pay for both of us. It is special for how much my father has given to help our careers. It is a dream, for both of us.”” Leclerc concluded: “”I know how much it meant for my father to be able to restart Arthur’s career. When he did that, he was so happy. It’s very special also for that, for how much my father has given to us in order to pursue our dream. So it will be a moment I will forever remember for sure.””