Oscar Piastri faces a setback in his quest for the Formula 1 championship as he is one of nine drivers who will miss the first practice session at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix due to a rule change introduced at the beginning of the 2025 season.
The upcoming race at the Yas Marina Circuit will determine the title, with Piastri, Lando Norris, and Max Verstappen competing for the top honors of the season. While a podium finish for Norris could secure him the championship, any errors on his part could provide opportunities for his rivals.
With the championship on the line in Abu Dhabi, it is crucial for drivers to maximize their practice time. Almost half of the grid will be absent from the initial hour of running due to a regulation mandating teams to give rookie drivers a chance.
Throughout the season, each team must include a rookie driver in two free practice sessions per car, adding up to four sessions per team. Several teams still need to fulfill their rookie session requirements, leading to the presence of multiple new faces in FP1 this weekend.
Piastri is among the drivers being replaced, with Pato O’Ward taking over his McLaren. Additionally, Lewis Hamilton will not participate in the session as Ferrari announced that Arthur Leclerc, the younger brother of Charles Leclerc, will take his place.
Several other driver changes will occur, with Arvid Lindblad filling in for Yuki Tsunoda at Red Bull, Ayumu Iwasa replacing Liam Lawson at sister team RB, and Ryo Hirakawa stepping in for Esteban Ocon at Haas.
Furthermore, Alex Albon will be substituted by Williams academy member Luke Browning, and Aston Martin will give opportunities to two rookies, Cian Shields and Jak Crawford, in place of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, respectively.
Alpine will field Paul Aron for his fifth FP1 outing of the season, replacing Pierre Gasly. Mercedes and Sauber have already met their rookie practice session requirements, allowing George Russell, Kimi Antonelli, Nico Hulkenberg, and Gabriel Bortoleto to participate as usual.
Abu Dhabi is a popular venue for rookie sessions, especially since it is the final weekend of the season. FP1 occurs in daytime conditions, differing from those in qualifying and the race, making rookie sessions crucial for young driver development and potential future opportunities in Formula 1.
Formula 1 enthusiasts can watch all practice, qualifying, and race sessions live with Sky’s new Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle, which includes access to around 100 TV channels, as well as complimentary subscriptions to Netflix and Discovery+.
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