Norris Leads Abu Dhabi Practice After Verstappen Skirmish

Lando Norris established an early, eye-opening pace in Abu Dhabi, leading the practice sessions for the F1 title-deciding showdown. He currently holds a 12-point advantage over Max Verstappen, despite a minor on-track skirmish between the two during FP1.

Why it matters:

This weekend marks the climax of the F1 season, with Norris, Verstappen, and Oscar Piastri all in contention for the title. Norris's dominant performance in practice sends a strong signal, indicating McLaren's potential to challenge Red Bull in this critical final race.

The details:

• Norris's Dominance: Lando Norris set the fastest lap in FP1 and continued his strong form in FP2, clocking a 1:23.083s. This time was half a second quicker than his leading FP2 time from last year, showcasing a significant improvement in McLaren's pace.
• Verstappen's Position: Max Verstappen finished second, 0.363s behind Norris. While not leading, his proximity suggests he remains a formidable challenger.
• Piastri's Struggles: Oscar Piastri, Norris's teammate and another title contender, made an error on his second soft-tyre run, leaving him 11th on the timesheet, 0.680s adrift of Norris.
• On-Track Incident: Early in FP2, a minor incident occurred between Verstappen and Norris. Stewards noted potential impeding by Verstappen out of Turn 1, forcing Norris wide. Despite Norris's radio complaint of "almost crashing," stewards deemed it not worth investigating, indicating a minor, non-impactful event.
• Evening Conditions: As track temperatures dropped in the evening, mirroring race conditions, times continued to tumble. Isack Hadjar and Oliver Bearman initially set the pace on soft tyres before Verstappen and then Norris took over the top spots.
• Other Notables: George Russell was third quickest, just 0.016s behind Verstappen. Bearman surprisingly climbed to fourth after another soft-tyre run. Lewis Hamilton, however, had a tough session, finishing 14th, 0.856s down.

What's next:

The strong practice performance from Lando Norris sets the stage for an intense qualifying session and a thrilling race. The key will be whether McLaren can translate this practice pace into race-day performance, especially against a determined Max Verstappen and Red Bull, as the title fight heads into its decisive moments.