McLaren dominates final F1 practice as Piastri leads Norris in Abu Dhabi

McLaren dominates final F1 practice as Piastri leads Norris in Abu Dhabi

By Michael Harrison

December 7, 2024 at 11:59 PM

Oscar Piastri led McLaren's dominant performance in the final practice session of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, setting a fastest lap of 1m23.433s ahead of teammate Lando Norris by 0.193s.

McLaren F1 car on racetrack

McLaren F1 car on racetrack

The session took place in challenging conditions with temperatures reaching 104 degrees F, making it unrepresentative of the upcoming qualifying and race conditions.

Lewis Hamilton claimed third position, 0.39s behind Piastri, while Max Verstappen finished fourth despite reporting front brake issues. Ferrari's Carlos Sainz rounded out the top five, 0.438s off the pace.

Key session highlights:

  • Charles Leclerc, facing a 10-place grid penalty for a battery change, finished ninth
  • George Russell expressed confusion over his sixth-place performance
  • Haas teammates Hulkenberg and Magnussen showed strong pace in seventh and eighth
  • Sergio Perez completed the top 10, 0.85s behind the leader

The midfield remained incredibly competitive, with positions 11 through 18 separated by just 0.2 seconds. Yuki Tsunoda led this group in 11th, followed by Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly.

F1 driver standings chart

F1 driver standings chart

Jack Doohan showed significant improvement from Friday's session, while Valtteri Bottas, Liam Lawson, and Lance Stroll occupied positions 16-18. Zhou Guanyu and Franco Colapinto completed the field in 19th and 20th positions respectively.

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