Norris makes early title statement with dominant FP1 outing

The session, which featured several rookies – with as many as nine drivers being replaced for the opening run at the Yas Marina Circuit – saw the McLaren driver clock a staggering lap time of 1:24.483 to top the first competitive session of the weekend.

The session kicked off with rookie Arvid Lindblad briefly going fastest, although his early benchmark was quickly beaten by Max Verstappen, who moved straight to the top of the pylon.

Norris soon set the fastest lap of the session, posting a brilliant 1:25.454 on the medium tyres – just one hundredth of a second ahead of Verstappen, who was running the hard compound.

The lap times continued to tumble as more rubber was laid down on the Yas Marina surface. Nico Hulkenberg went quickest with another hundredth over Norris in the Sauber. Isack Hadjar also briefly topped the timing tower, going over a tenth quicker on the hard tyres ahead of Carlos Sainz.

However, with around 30 minutes left on the clock and qualifying simulations taking the spotlight, it was Verstappen who returned to the top. The four-time world champion went over seven-tenths quicker than his future teammate Hadjar, setting a lap time of 1:24.483.

Championship leader Norris also showed his intent, clocking a time eight thousandths of a second quicker than the Dutch driver.

Amid the tumbling times, Haas driver Oliver Bearman was forced to retire from the session due to issues related to his car’s sensors. Verstappen also reported a few problems with his car in the final stretch of the session.

Nonetheless, it was Norris who reigned in the first practice session, with Verstappen and Scuderia Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc rounding out the top three.

Rookie Kimi Antonelli was fourth quickest, with Hulkenberg in sixth ahead of George Russell. Gabriel Bortoleto, Bearman, Sainz and Franco Colapinto completed the top ten. Hadjar was the only full-time driver who failed to finish in the top half of the pylon, with the nine rookies locking out the places down to 20th.

With the Formula 1 season finale upon us, GPblog’s paddock update is the best place to be. Catch up with all the action as the drivers’ championship gets decided in Abu Dhabi.

Follow and subscribe to our channels on YouTube and Spotify to never miss a moment as the action heats up.