Lando Norris opened the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend in commanding fashion, topping the first practice session at Yas Marina on the cusp of becoming Formula 1 world champion.
The McLaren driver clocked a 1m24.485s on soft tyres, edging championship rival Max Verstappen by just 0.008s while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc completed the top three, just 0.016s adrift.
Norris arrives in Abu Dhabi 12 points clear of Verstappen and 16 ahead of McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri. A podium on Sunday would seal his maiden title regardless of what Verstappen achieves.
Piastri, however, played no part in FP1 due to regulations requiring teams to hand their car to a rookie in at least two Friday sessions. His seat went to IndyCar star Pato O’Ward, one of nine rookies in action on a hot and clear afternoon in the UAE.
With the season finale underway, cars flooded the track early. Verstappen set the first meaningful benchmark – a 1m27.130s on hard tyres – narrowly ahead of George Russell. Not everyone ran the same programme, with O’Ward immediately on softs and Norris on mediums, prompting a mixed early order shaped by rapid track evolution.
Rookies Shine Early Before Order Settles
The opening half-hour produced an eclectic leaderboard: from Norris to Sauber newcomer Gabriel Bortoleto to Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar, announced this week as Verstappen’s future Red Bull team-mate for 2026.
Only once most drivers switched to softs at halfway did the usual frontrunners re-emerge. Verstappen dipped below 1m25s with a 1m24.493s, 0.026s up on Norris and 0.074s clear of Charles Leclerc. Norris then hit back moments later, producing what would stand as the fastest lap of the session.
As teams moved to long-run work in the closing stages — Verstappen even returning to hards — lap times stabilised and the order froze.
Leclerc Frustrated, Antonelli Impresses
Leclerc completed the top three with a 1m24.501s, just 0.016s off Norris, but complained over team radio of lacking grip and being “so slow”. Behind him, Mercedes teenager Andrea Kimi Antonelli continued his strong late-season form in fourth, while Nico Hulkenberg slotted into fifth for Sauber.
Russell ended sixth, 0.248s behind Norris, followed closely by Bortoleto, marking an encouraging start for Sauber in its final race before the team becomes Audi.
Oliver Bearman was the quickest driver not using softs, taking eighth for Haas on mediums with a 1m24.759s. Carlos Sainz and Williams driver Franco Colapinto rounded out the top 10.
All nine rookies finished outside the top 10, with Ryo Hirakawa leading their group in 11th. Paul Aron followed in 13th, ahead of O’Ward, Arvid Lindblad, Arthur Leclerc, Ayumu Iwasa, Luke Browning, Jak Crawford and Cian Shields.
Norris’s early statement sets the stage for a high-stakes weekend — and if FP1 is any indication, the title fight could go all the way to the final laps of Sunday’s showdown.
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