Will missing Abu Dhabi FP1 hurt Piastri’s title chances?

Oscar Piastri’s championship push will begin with an enforced pause on Friday, as the McLaren star sits out the opening practice session in Abu Dhabi to satisfy the team’s rookie-driver requirements.

Pato O’Ward, the squad’s reserve and an IndyCar frontrunner, will once again take the wheel – exactly as scheduled.

This marks the second straight year Piastri has watched FP1 from the garage at Yas Marina, having stepped aside for Ryo Hirakawa in 2024. This time it’s O’Ward’s turn, and the Mexican arrives determined to make his contribution count.

“We have a very important week ahead as a team,” he said in McLaren’s season-fnale preview.

“I will be doing my best to help us put our best foot forward to kick off the weekend. I’m excited to see what the outcome will be come race day, and will be supporting Lando and Oscar along the way as they push to make history.”

McLaren completes its rookie-session obligations

With Lando Norris having skipped FP1 in Austria and Mexico earlier this season, Piastri’s absence ensures McLaren meets the mandated rookie-running quota.

But for the Australian, it means sacrificing valuable track time at the most high-pressure moment of his season and young career.

McLaren enters the 2025 finale with both its drivers in the title fight — a scenario that would have seemed fanciful at the start of the year. Norris leads the standings by 12 points over Max Verstappen, while Piastri sits 16 points behind his teammate and very much still alive in the hunt.

Piastri arrives in Abu Dhabi buoyed by one of his strongest performances yet.

“Qatar was one of my strongest weekends in F1. The aim for Abu Dhabi is to replicate that and do everything I can for the race win,” he said. “I will give it my all and make sure I leave no points on the table in this final race.”

Will skipping FP1 put Piastri on the back foot?

The question lingering over the paddock is whether missing FP1 hands an advantage to Piastri’s rivals.

With Norris and Verstappen both logging the full three practice sessions, the Australian loses 60 minutes of real-world data gathering on a circuit where setup sensitivity – particularly in the cooling night conditions – is notoriously critical.

While McLaren will funnel O’Ward’s feedback to both drivers, it raises the possibility that Piastri may start FP2 a step behind in confidence, track evolution knowledge and fine-tuning time.

In a championship decided on razor-thin margins, even small disadvantages could matter.

Stella confident McLaren can deliver title glory

Team principal Andrea Stella believes the team has the strength and resilience to finish in Abu Dhabi what it started in Melbourne last March.

“If someone had told us 10 months ago that we would be in this position, we would have signed up immediately,” he said.

“We should be proud of what we have achieved so far and of being protagonists in what will be an important page in the history of Formula 1.”

Stella admits recent weekends have been complicated but sees no reason to doubt McLaren’s ability to strike back.

“The last two races certainly did not go as we wanted, for very different reasons,” he added.

“After each setback, we have always shown that we know how to react, learning from our mistakes and working as a united and cohesive team.”

• Read also: McLaren team orders in Abu Dhabi? Here’s the plan

And he insists the same mentality will carry them through the finale.

“It will be the same in Abu Dhabi, on the track where 12 months ago we put the team back to the top,” he explained.

“We will do everything possible to put our drivers in the best position to win the title, continuing to pursue our way of approaching racing, with the aim of bringing back to McLaren a double world championship that has been missing for 27 years.”

Piastri may start the weekend watching from the sidelines – but by Sunday, he’ll hope to be standing on top of the world.

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