Abu Dhabi GP: Max Verstappen tops FP1, Lewis Hamilton third

Verstappen clocked a 1m 25.009s on soft tyres, two tenths faster than Bottas, with Hamilton slower by 0.346s and back in P3.

Max Verstappen's Red Bull. (Image: Twitter/Red Bull Racing Honda)
By Nilavro Ghosh | Dec 10, 2021 | 2 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

Max Verstappen topped first practise for the season-ending title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the heavily revised Yas Marina Circuit, giving him an early advantage over Lewis Hamilton on Formula One’s most dramatic race weekend in living memory. Verstappen clocked a 1m 25.009s on soft tyres, two tenths faster than Valtteri Bottas, with Hamilton – with whom he is level on points in the title race – 0.346s back in third, a fraction ahead of Sergio Perez, as the top two teams in the constructors’ championship locked out the top four.

Teams didn’t waste any time in sending their cars out, with drivers eager to test the new-look Abu Dhabi track, which is expected to be 10-15 seconds faster according to simulations due to the removal of several slower turns. Verstappen’s time in FP1, which will be beaten as the weekend progresses, was about 12 seconds faster than when he won the same session last year.

TSUNODA, ALONSO BRILLIANT

Yuki Tsunoda finished fifth, with AlphaTauri teammate Pierre Gasly seventh, separated by Fernando Alonso’s Alpine. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finished eighth and ninth, respectively, with Sebastian Vettel rounding out the top ten. Esteban Ocon, one of several drivers who got very close to the barriers, was a second off the pace in 11th, with Lando Norris leading the McLaren in 12th.

Kimi Raikkonen was 13th, a few tenths of a second ahead of Alfa Romeo teammate Antonio Giovinazzi, with Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll 15th. Daniel Ricciardo’s McLaren was down in 16th, with Jack Aitken – who was borrowing George Russell’s car for FP1 – faster than Williams teammate Nicholas Latifi. Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin of Haas completed the field.

CHAOTIC SAUDI ARABIAN GP

The inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will be one of those Formula One races that those who witnessed it, whether in person or on TV, will remember for a long time. The race was so chaotic that it still feels surreal to look back on everything that happened. For a 50-lap race, it felt like there was enough action to last at least twice as long. 

In the end, it was Lewis Hamilton who triumphed, with title rival Max Verstappen finishing second. Given that Hamilton took the fastest lap point, both drivers are now tied for first place in the points standings. Verstappen leads the standings on countback after winning one more race. However, the championship will be decided this weekend in Abu Dhabi in what will essentially be a straight shootout.





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