Mercedes’ George Russell set the pace in an Abu Dhabi Grand Prix first practice session during which half the regular drivers did not participate.
Nine of the 10 teams chose the final race of the season to fulfil one of their mandatory young driver test days.
Aston Martin reserve driver Felipe Drugovich and Ferrari’s Robert Shwartzman were the only rookies to make the top 10.
Drugovich was second, 0.271 seconds ahead of regular driver Lance Stroll.
Shwartzman was eighth, one place and 0.027secs slower than regular driver Carlos Sainz.
Among the regular drivers, Alpha Tauri’s Daniel Ricciardo was third fastest ahead of Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas, Stroll and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Ricciardo’s team-mate Yuki Tsunoda completed the top 10, with Williams driver Logan Sargeant, the only current driver not to have a confirmed seat for 2024, in 11th.
Sargeant faces a trip to the stewards after a scary moment with Alpine reserve Jack Doohan, when the American was wandering slowly on the racing line between the final two corners as Doohan approached on a flying lap.
Sargeant moved off line to get out of the way, but did so far too late as Doohan was already heading in that direction. After their near-miss, Doohan said on the radio: “I just nearly had the biggest crash of my life.”
Dane Frederik Vesti was 12th for Mercedes, ahead of Doohan in the Alpine, and Alfa’s back-up driver Theo Pourchaire.
Indycar driver Pato O’Ward was 15th for McLaren, while British Formula E champion Jake Dennis was the fastest of two Red Bull young drivers, one place and 0.036secs ahead of Frenchman Isack Hadjar, who drove the Alpha Tauri in a similar session in Mexico three races ago.
British Formula 3 driver Zak O’Sullivan was 18th in the Williams, while his countryman Oliver Bearman impressed in the Haas, just 0.107secs slower than race driver Kevin Magnussen.
The session gave no read whatsoever as to potential performance for this race, where a number of key championship positions are still contested.
Among them, Ferrari are just four points off Mercedes in their battle for second place in the constructors’ championship behind Red Bull.
Both teams are keen to secure the position, not least for the extra $10m or so of prize money, but also to secure a morale boost after difficult seasons.
Ferrari have the momentum after a stronger second part of the season following a series of upgrades which have improved their difficult car.
There is also some uncertainty over fourth place, with McLaren 11 points ahead of Aston Martin.
Meanwhile, in the drivers’ championship, Sainz and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso are tied on 200 points in fourth and fifth places, just five points ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris, who is himself only seven ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
