Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Free Practice 1: Charles Leclerc in the lead and Mercedes in good shape

The Free Practice 1 session offered a lively and eventful session, but also some frustrations for certain drivers.

Leclerc in the lead and some pleasant surprises

Charles Leclerc finally prevails with the best time of 1:24.321, ahead of Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton. While Leclerc has shown a good pace, other drivers have also stood out.

Pierre Gasly signed a nice fourth position, confirming Alpine’s progress, while Haas drivers, Hülkenberg and Magnussen, impressed finishing respectively sixth and eighth.

Franco Colapinto secured a promising seventh place, confirming his potential among the fastest.

Two rooms, two atmospheres at Aston Martin

On the Aston Martin side, Felipe Drugovich finished ninth and ahead of his teammate Fernando Alonso, who finished eleventh. While the result for Drugovich is more than convincing, frustration was palpable for Alonso, who didn’t mince his words, describing his car as “the worst car he has ever driven”. Extremely frustrated with his session, the Spaniard didn’t hide his dissatisfaction with the lack of competitiveness and imperfect settings of his car, which hampered his pace.

Hadjar handicapped by his driving position

The session also saw some notable incidents, notably involving Isack Hadjar, who replaced Max Verstappen and had a difficult start to the session. Handicapped by an uncomfortable driving position, he lost control of his car on his out lap. After adjustments, he was able to return to the track, but this mishap marked a complicated entry for the young French driver.

The top three of FP1: Leclerc, Norris, Hamilton.

The result of Free Practice 1 of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2024 of F1.