Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Lando Norris edges Max Verstappen in first practice of title-decider

Championship rivals Lando Norris and Max Verstappen opened the first practice session for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with identical times.

Norris’ McLaren outpaced Verstappen’s Red Bull by a mere 0.008 seconds, placing Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in third and Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli in fourth.

Before the season’s concluding race, Norris is 12 points ahead of Verstappen, and he will claim the world championship for the first time if he secures a podium finish, irrespective of other outcomes.

Conversely, Verstappen needs to win the race while Norris finishes lower than third to become champion.

Another contender for the title, Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri, did not participate in the first session as IndyCar racer Pato O’Ward fulfilled one of McLaren’s essential ‘rookie’ runs.

Piastri stands 16 points behind Norris and has a challenging mathematical uphill battle if he aims to become the champion.

The initial practice at Abu Dhabi is often not representative as it occurs in daylight, whereas both the qualifying and race take place during twilight, transitioning from day to night.

Several teams opted to field rookie drivers—only Mercedes and Sauber had both their regular drivers on track.

Leclerc, who was just 0.016 seconds slower in a promising outing for Ferrari following a particularly disappointing race in Qatar last weekend, was joined by his brother Arthur.