Mercedes driver George Russell set the pace in Friday afternoon’s first free practice session for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, steadily leading the way in a session in which many regular racers sat out to give rookies valuable time behind the wheel .
As part of regulations requiring teams to give ‘rookie’ drivers – defined as those who have contested no more than two Grands Prix – two FP1 races during the campaign, all outfits bar AlphaTauri left it up to the action this weekend at Yas Marina Circuit to tick the boxes.
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Additionally, and rather unusually, both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez retired their RB19s this time, with Formula E title holder and Red Bull simulator driver Jake Dennis making his first F1 outing at the weekend , along with F2 racer Isack Hadjar, who appeared for AlphaTauri in Mexico. .
Elsewhere, Ferrari reserve driver Robert Shwartzman returned to the track for the Scuderia, F2 title contender Frederik Vesti was at Mercedes, Alps-backed Jack Doohan got more F1 kilometers and IndyCar star Pato O’Ward drove McLaren ahead of the 2024 reserve. duties.
There was also another practice opportunity for F2 rookie Oliver Bearman in Haas, along with F2 championship leader Theo Pourchaire in Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin reserve Felipe Drugovich and Williams-related F3 championship runner-up Zak O Sullivan.
Given the mix of experience levels across the field, a number of different run plans were in place throughout the 60-minute run, with a steady stream of lap time improvements interspersed with lock-ups, slides and off-track excursions as drivers built self confidence.
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At the end of it all, Russell held the P1 benchmark with a time of 1m 26.072s on the soft Pirelli tyre, leaving him three tenths clear of fastest rookie Drugovich on his last F1 outing, Daniel Ricciardo’s AlphaTauri and Valtteri’s Alfa Bottas. Roman.
The other Aston of Lance Stroll and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri were a few tenths back, followed by Carlos Sainz and Shwartzman, the latter impressively finishing within inches of the regular Ferrari driver despite a late scare when his car bottomed out at turn 3. .
Verstappen occupied an undisclosed position on the Red Bull pit wall for the first practice session
Pierre Gasly placed ninth in his Alpine, with former AlphaTauri teammate Yuki Tsunoda rounding out the top 10 from Williams’ Logan Sargeant and a host of rookie drivers in Vesti, Doohan, Pourchaire and O’Ward.
Sargeant and Doohan were involved in one of the most dramatic moments of the session when the Alpine stand-in turned the final corner at speed, only to be forced to take evasive action due to the American running late on the line.
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Red Bull rookies Dennis and Hadjar finished the session tied for 16th and 17th respectively, with O’Sullivan 18th for Williams and the Haas machines of Kevin Magnussen and Bearman bringing up the rear.
The F1 teams will now regroup in the paddocks before returning to the track for Friday’s second practice session at 5pm local time.
