How Arthur Leclerc, Arvid Lindblad and the other rookies performed in Abu Dhabi FP1. Every rookie lap time and how close they got to their teammates.

From Arthur Leclerc to Arvid Lindblad, but also Pato O’Ward, Ryo Hirakawa and many others: here is how the rookies performed during FP1 in Abu Dhabi. As always, the opening practice session at Yas Marina offered a testing ground for many young drivers making their first steps in Formula 1. Some delivered impressive speed, supported by long experience in other categories. Others stayed close to the benchmark set by their teammates. And then there were those who simply kept a low profile.

The Yas Marina Circuit is traditionally chosen by many teams to complete the mandatory young-driver running. This year again, nine rookies took part in the first free practice session. An unusual situation emerged at Aston Martin, which decided to bench both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll for the final FP1 outing of the season. Below is the full list of young – and in some cases less young – talents who took to the track.

McLaren: Pato O’Ward replaced Oscar Piastri
Red Bull: Arvid Lindblad replaced Yuki Tsunoda
Ferrari: Arthur Leclerc replaced Lewis Hamilton
Williams: Luke Browning replaced Alexander Albon
Racing Bulls: Ayumu Iwasa replaced Liam Lawson
Aston Martin: Jak Crawford replaced Lance Stroll
Aston Martin: Cian Shields replaced Fernando Alonso
Haas: Ryo Hirakawa replaced Oliver Bearman
Alpine: Paul Aron replaced Pierre Gasly

The most experienced names, both in terms of achievements and overall racing background, were undoubtedly Ryo Hirakawa and Pato O’Ward. Hirakawa won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2022 and secured two World Endurance Championship titles across 2022 and 2023. O’Ward, meanwhile, is a key figure in McLaren’s IndyCar programme, already a nine-time race winner and runner-up in 2025. Another standout presence was Arvid Lindblad, who will become Liam Lawson’s teammate at Racing Bulls next season.

The rookie classification in Abu Dhabi

At the top of the rookie standings was Ryo Hirakawa with Haas. The Japanese driver set a 1:24.934, just slightly slower than Oliver Bearman’s 1:24.759, which placed him eleventh overall. Behind him, in thirteenth place, came Paul Aron for Alpine with a 1:25.204, compared to Franco Colapinto’s 1:24.855. Right behind the Estonian was Pato O’Ward in the McLaren, recording a 1:25.246, while Lando Norris topped the session with a 1:24.485.

Below is the full classification.

11. Ryo Hirakawa (Haas) – 1:24.934
13. Paul Aron (Alpine) – 1:25.204
14. Pato O’Ward (McLaren) – 1:25.246
15. Arvid Lindblad (Red Bull) – 1:25.256
16. Arthur Leclerc (Ferrari) – 1:25.360
17. Ayumu Iwasa (Racing Bulls) – 1:25.475
18. Luke Browning (Williams) – 1:25.490
19. Jak Crawford (Aston Martin) – 1:25.889
20. Cian Shields (Aston Martin) – 1:26.432

Source: f1ingenerale