The 2025 Formula 1 season is now in its final weekend, and the championship will be decided at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. FP1 has just wrapped up, with Lando Norris leading the standings with 408 points, followed closely by Max Verstappen at 396 and Oscar Piastri at 392. Here’s a detailed summary and the results of the first practice session.
First 30 minutes
Nine rookies took to the track, including Arthur Leclerc driving Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari alongside his brother Charles. The Alpine cars of Colapinto and Aron immediately struggled with grip, while Luke Browning had to return his Williams to the pits for urgent attention. Piastri remained in the garage, as McLaren handed his car over to Pato O’Ward. Norris started strong, immediately setting the pace. Verstappen responded quickly, closing the gap to just 0.014 seconds. At McLaren, the work programs remained separate, with Norris on medium tires and O’Ward on soft tires. Antonelli, still recovering from the post-Qatar tensions, delivered a solid session, while Bearman had to manage a power drop on the Haas.
Midway through the session, the two Sauber cars impressed: Gabriel Bortoleto climbed to third, and Hülkenberg to fourth. Red Bull worked extensively on Lindblad’s car. Verstappen then switched to soft tires and pushed to the limit, setting three sector records and a 1:24.493 that brought him to the top. George Russell tried to challenge but stayed over two-tenths behind. The front-running group immediately looked tight and aggressive, while Piastri continued observing his teammate’s work in detail. These first 30 minutes confirmed one thing: the title fight is tighter than ever, and every lap can make a difference.
Final 30 minutes
In the final half-hour, Norris quickly recovered from a mistake and closed in on Max Verstappen, just 0.026 seconds behind. Then came a strong signal from Ferrari: Charles Leclerc delivered an excellent lap to take third, just 0.074 seconds from the top. Lando Norris, however, remained unsatisfied with the front-to-rear balance and requested a rear ride-height adjustment. Back on track, he delivered a perfect lap, edging Verstappen by only 0.008 seconds. Charles Leclerc followed closely, trimming his time to just 0.016 seconds behind the McLaren. Meanwhile, Ollie Bearman continued struggling with his Power Unit, worsening lap by lap, but still set the eighth-fastest time before returning to the pits and ending his session early.
In the final 15 minutes, Mercedes began race-pace simulations on hard tires, while Red Bull addressed Max Verstappen’s alert: “Something’s broken,” he said over the radio. When engineer Lambiase asked about the area of concern, the Dutchman replied, “Everywhere,” yet maintained strong long-run pace. Leclerc experienced a scare with a spin in Turn 5 but avoided contact and resumed his simulation. The closing minutes confirmed a tight session: Norris, Verstappen, and Leclerc all showed similar pace, while the rest of the field continued chasing. FP1 ended with minimal gaps, setting the stage for a thrilling and uncertain Abu Dhabi weekend.
FP1 results
1 Lando Norris (McLaren) 1m24.485s
2 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.008s
3 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.016s
4 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +0.123s
5 Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) +0.144s
6 George Russell (Mercedes) +0.248s
7 Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) +0.257s
8 Ollie Bearman (Haas) +0.274s
9 Carlos Sainz (Williams) +0.286s
10 Franco Colapinto (Alpine) +0.370s
11 Ryo Hirakawa (Haas) +0.449s
12 Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) +0.492s
13 Paul Aron (Alpine) +0.719s
14 Pato O’Ward (McLaren) +0.761s
15 Arvid Lindblad (Red Bull) +0.771s
16 Arthur Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.875s
17 Ayumu Iwasa (Racing Bulls) +0.990s
18 Luke Browning (Williams) +1.005s
19 Jak Crawford (Aston Martin) +1.404s
20 Cian Shields (Aston Martin) +1.947s
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