Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Charles Leclerc fastest in first practice but has 10-place grid penalty
Leclerc, whose race was delayed by half an hour due to a battery change, was 0.221 seconds faster than Norris, but on softer tires and in better track conditions because of the late start.
Norris is 0.264 seconds faster than Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, who also finished 0.359 seconds behind team-mate George Russell at the weekend, which has so far been dominated by his feud with Red Bull driver Max Verstappen .
Leclerc’s brother Arthur is a Ferrari development driver who drives Carlos Sainz’s car.
Verstappen did not take part in this race and his car is driven by French Formula 2 driver Isack Hadjar, a contender for a seat at Red Bull RB next year.
Red Bull are considering whether to give up on Mexican Sergio Perez after his second consecutive difficult season with Max Verstappen. If they do, Liam Lawson or Yuki Tsunoda – most likely Lawson – will be promoted from RB, while Hajjar will likely be slotted at RB.
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly was fifth ahead of Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg as the two teams battled it out for sixth in the constructors’ championship this weekend, with Alpine leads by 5 points.
Williams driver Franco Colapinto was seventh, ahead of Haas’s Kevin Magnussen and Aston Martin replacement Felipe Dugovi Felipe Drugovich and Perez.
Alpine’s Jack Doohan has singled out Esteban Ocon to get a head start on his debut season in 2025 after promising a solid start to his F1 career. Ranked 19th.
Among the substitute drivers who participated in the race, McLaren’s Ryo Hirakawa ultimately ranked 14th, ahead of Hajar who ranked 16th.
Tsunoda Red Bull Racing’s Ayumu Iwasa finished 17th, ahead of Williams’ Arthur Leclerc, Doohan and Briton Luke Browning.
It’s an exciting day for the entire Leclerc family. Their mother Pascale was in the Ferrari pits and Charles Leclerc spoke on Thursday about what it means to the family, whose father Herve died of cancer in 2017.
Charles said: “It was definitely a very, very special moment, not just for me, not just for Arthur, but for the whole family because I could only see how much my parents had done for me when I was young. Sacrifice.” We continued.
“They had to stop Arthur’s career at one point because they couldn’t afford the fees for both of us. It’s special because my dad worked so hard to help our careers. It’s a dream for both of us. ”
“I know how much it meant to my dad to be able to restart Arthur’s career. He was so happy when he did it. It was also special because of how much my dad had sacrificed for us to pursue our dreams so it was It will be a moment I will remember forever.”
