FP1: Russell fastest in rookie-filled opening Abu Dhabi GP practice
During Friday afternoon’s first free practice session for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, George Russell, a Mercedes driver, led the way consistently. Many regular racers skipped the session to give novices crucial experience behind the wheel.
With the exception of AlphaTauri, all teams waited until this weekend’s action at Yas Marina Circuit to fulfill their obligation to provide two Formula One runs to “rookie” drivers, who are classified as those who have competed in no more than two Grands Prix, in accordance with the regulations.
Furthermore, and rather surprisingly, Red Bull simulator driver Jake Dennis, who holds the Formula E title, will be competing in his first Formula One weekend race alongside Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez in their RB19s, alongside F2 racer Isack Hadjar, who appeared for AlphaTauri in Mexico.
In other news, F2 championship challenger Frederik Vesti was at Mercedes, Alpine-backed Jack Doohan gained more F1 mileage, while IndyCar star Pato O’Ward drove the McLaren ahead of his 2024 reserve duties. Robert Shwartzman, the reserve driver for Ferrari, also returned to the track for the Scuderia.
F2 rookie Oliver Bearman, F2 championship leader Theo Pourchaire at Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin reserve Felipe Drugovich, and Williams-affiliated F3 championship runner-up Zak O’Sullivan all had additional practice opportunities at Haas.
A variety of run plans were used during the 60 minutes of racing because to the disparity in experience levels among the competitors, and as drivers gained confidence, lap times improved steadily but were also accompanied by lock-ups, slides, and off-track mishaps.
Russell ultimately retained the P1 standard, clocking a time of 1m 26.072s on Pirelli’s soft compound tire. This was three tenths faster than Drugovich, who was the quickest rookie in his most recent F1 race, Daniel Ricciardo’s AlphaTauri, and Valtteri Bottas’ Alfa Romeo.
A few tenths behind were the other Aston driven by Lance Stroll and Oscar Piastri of McLaren. Carlos Sainz and Shwartzman came in next, with the latter impressive to finish within a few hundredths of the regular driver of Ferrari despite a late scare when his car bottomed out into Turn 3.
Pierre Gasly placed his Alpine in ninth place, and Yuki Tsunoda, a former teammate of AlphaTauri, finished the top ten along with Logan Sargeant of Williams and a group of rookie drivers, Vesti, Doohan, Pourchaire, and O’Ward.
One of the most dramatic scenes of the practice involved Sargeant and Doohan as the Alpine stand-in came around the last curve quickly, only to have to make an evasive move because the American was moving slowly on the racing line.
Dennis and Hadjar, the rookies for Red Bull, finished the session in 16th and 17th place, respectively. O’Sullivan finished in 18th place for Williams, while Kevin Magnussen and Bearman from Haas finished last.
At 1700 local time on Friday, the Formula One teams will reassemble in the paddock before hitting the circuit for their second practice session.
