Charles Leclerc was the fastest in the first training session before the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The Ferrari driver set the pace ahead of Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton in a session in which several rookies took part. However, Leclerc faces a grid penalty for Sunday’s race as the driver has to use a new energy storage device due to problems at the start of training.

Six teams opted to field a young driver instead of their usual drivers for the final FP1 of the year, with Ryo Hirakawa, Arthur Leclerc, Isack Hadjar, Felipe Drugovich, Ayumu Iwasa and Luke Browning all in action for McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull , Aston Martin, RB and Williams.

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That meant Oscar Piastri, Carlos Sainz, Max Verstappen, Lance Stroll, Yuki Tsunoda and Alex Albon would sit out for the session. And while the rookies were preparing for action, it was the veteran Fernando Alonso who was first onto the track in the Aston Martin.

There was a bit of a moment early on for F2 title contender Hadjar when he spun in the Red Bull at Turn 6 after reporting wheel clearance issues. The Frenchman also told his engineer that he was “restricted” because his legs were touching the car.