Charles Leclerc goes fastest in FP1 at Abu Dhabi, but his grid penalty threatens Ferrari's title hopes

Charles Leclerc set the fastest time in the first free practice session of the weekend that will close the 2024 season. With a lap time of 1m24.321s, the Monegasque beat Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton.

Charles Leclerc
Photo: Motorsport Images

Despite a strong session, Leclerc received news that made Ferrari’s chances of securing the title even harder: the battery pack on car number 16 was changed. The team waited until the last moment to make the change, but eventually had no choice. As a result, Charles Leclerc will take a 10-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race.

In the Constructors’ Championship standings, there are now 21 critical points between McLaren and Ferrari. However, with this penalty, the battle now seems even more firmly in McLaren's hands.

Lando Norris finished the session in 2nd place, breathing a sigh of relief towards the end, as the pressure on McLaren eased with the news of Leclerc’s penalty.
The two Mercedes cars showed solid pace, with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finishing in 3rd and 4th, respectively.

Pierre Gasly, in 5th place, continued his strong form to end the season, ahead of Nico Hulkenberg. The two Haas drivers, who will leave the team at the end of the season, were separated by Franco Colapinto, who finished 7th.

Isack Hadjar
Photo: Motorsport Images

Among the rookies, Felipe Drugovich, replacing Lance Stroll, was the fastest, finishing ahead of veterans Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso. Ryo Hirakawa, filling in for Oscar Piastri, finished in 14th place. F2 title contender Isack Hadjar drove Max Verstappen’s Red Bull, finishing 15th.

Ayumu Iwasa (RB) and Arthur Leclerc – Charles’ brother – were 17th and 18th, respectively, while Alpine’s new driver Jack Doohan, replacing Esteban Ocon, and Luke Browning (Williams) completed the standings.

Free Practice 1 results

1) Charles Leclerc - 1.24.321
2) Lando Norris +0.221
3) Lewis Hamilton +0.485
4) George Russell +0.844
5) Pierre Gasly +1.012
6) Nico Hulkenberg +1.052
7) Franco Colapinto +1.061
8) Kevin Magnussen +1.123
9) Felipe Drugovich +1.150
10) Sergio Perez +1.162
11) Fernando Alonso +1.183
12) Liam Lawson +1.242
13) Valtteri Bottas +1.290
14) Ryo Hirakawa +1.553
15) Isack Hadjar +1.556
16) Zhou Guanyu +1.600
17) Ayumu Iwasa +1.800
18) Arthur Leclerc +1.858
19) Jack Doohan +1.983
20) Luke Browning +2.198