Lando Norris took a crucial step towards securing the Formula One world drivers' championship by edging out his rival Max Verstappen in Practice One at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Friday.
The McLaren driver posted a blistering lap of 1:24.485, leaving him just eight-thousandths of a second ahead of his Dutch counterpart, who was using the soft tyre compound for his first outing. Norris' time is not only the quickest so far but also sets him up nicely for the qualifying session on Sunday.
Verstappen's lacklustre performance has raised questions about his focus heading into the final race of the season. With a 12-point lead over Norris, the Red Bull driver can afford to take risks and try different strategies in qualifying without fearing a significant points deduction.
Meanwhile, McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri did not participate in Practice One due to his obligation to miss another practice session so that rookie Pato O'Ward could make his debut. The Australian youngster will be hoping to make an impact over the course of the weekend as he competes for Alfa Romeo.
Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli rounded out the top four spots in the fastest times, with Ferrari's Charles finishing just 0.016 seconds behind Norris, while Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli was a further tenth of a second adrift in fourth place.
The McLaren driver posted a blistering lap of 1:24.485, leaving him just eight-thousandths of a second ahead of his Dutch counterpart, who was using the soft tyre compound for his first outing. Norris' time is not only the quickest so far but also sets him up nicely for the qualifying session on Sunday.
Verstappen's lacklustre performance has raised questions about his focus heading into the final race of the season. With a 12-point lead over Norris, the Red Bull driver can afford to take risks and try different strategies in qualifying without fearing a significant points deduction.
Meanwhile, McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri did not participate in Practice One due to his obligation to miss another practice session so that rookie Pato O'Ward could make his debut. The Australian youngster will be hoping to make an impact over the course of the weekend as he competes for Alfa Romeo.
Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli rounded out the top four spots in the fastest times, with Ferrari's Charles finishing just 0.016 seconds behind Norris, while Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli was a further tenth of a second adrift in fourth place.
. I think he got robbed of that Practice One win and it's an easy excuse to say he wasn't focused. 12 points is nothing, it just shows how complacent Norris has been all season. And who knows, maybe this lacklustre performance from Verstappen will give him a much-needed confidence boost for qualifying on Sunday 
. And can we please stop hating on Oscar Piastri for missing that session? It's not like he had anything to prove by participating anyway 
. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say Norris isn't going to hold onto that win, Verstappen is going to come back strong 
.
So Norris is basically cruising to the championship now? I mean, it's still early days and all but that practice session does look promising for him... eight-thousandths of a second ahead of Verstappen is pretty crazy! 
What's up with Oscar Piastri not doing Practice One though? You'd think he'd wanna make an impression on his debut weekend? 
! Back in my day, we didn't have all these fancy tyre compounds and whatnot. Just give me a good ol' fashioned rubber set and I'd be golden 
! And poor Oscar Piastri, stuck watching from the sidelines while Pato O'Ward gets to shine in his debut 
– it's like the new kid on the block, you know?
He's got some serious game, edging out Max Verstappen by such a tiny margin. I'm not sure what to make of Verstappen's performance tho... was he just having an off day or is something going on? 
And omg Oscar Piastri missing practice again lol, can't he just chill for one session? 
. i'm loving the McLaren guy's confidence, btw 
now let's see what max has up his sleeve for qualifying on sunday 
. Norris just seems to be on a roll, and I think he's got this championship in his sights.
! The kid's got skills, and I'd love to see him shake things up at Alfa Romeo. And can we talk about Charles Leclerc's speed? 
He's been on fire all season, but I think this might be the one where he really takes it to Verstappen.
can't wait to see what the rest of the weekend brings! 