Max Verstappen was the fastest in this first free practice session of the Abu Dhabi GP. It notably benefits from a fairly efficient Red Bull, unlike Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes.
The two championship rivals are in good shape on the Yas Marina route and are sticking to each other! Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen wereted no time in this first morning of free practice. The pilots mainly tried their hand at the fast lap exercise, in order to understand the modifications and the level of the track. The Dutchman was the fastest, with a better time in his pocket. However, beware of performance which is not representative of what you would expect when night and temperatures have fallen.
What we remember from his first free practice is the incredible stability of Red Bull on the track. Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez had no trouble pulling their cars on every corner. Conversely, the Mercedes were quick but very unstable. The two pilots did not manage to line up several laps without errors. The W12 suffers from understeer and oversteer when cornering and cornering. There is no doubt that the balance issues will be resolved. Especially since the night should attenuate this effect.
We also remember the excellent form of Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard is determined to make a success of his end of the season with Alpine. He was quick in all areas: race relay and quick lap. Conversely, his teammate who suffers a little. In particular because of a gearbox problem which handicapped him during part of the session. We also note the slight regain of form of the Aston Martins and in particular of Sebastian Vettel, after the catastrophic Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia.
For his last Grand Prix weekend, Kimi Raikkonen is staying true to himself. Little preparation and a total discovery on the track, that’s all we remember about him for the moment. Here is the general classification of this first free practice session of the 2021 Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Ranking
- Max Verstappen – Red Bull
- Valtteri Bottas – Mercedes
- Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes
- Sergio Pérez – Red Bull
- Yuki Tsunoda – Alpha Tauri
- Fernando Alonso – Alpine
- Pierre Gasly – Alpha Tauri
- Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
- Carlos Sainz – Ferrari
- Sebastian Vettel – Aston Martin
- Esteban Ocon – Alpine
- Lando Norris – McLaren
- Kimi Raikkonen – Alfa Romeo
- Antonio Giovinazzo – Alfa Romeo
- Lance Stroll – Aston Martin
- Daniel Ricciardo – McLaren
- Jack Aitken – Williams
- Nicholas Latifi – Williams
- Mick Schumacher – Haas
- Nikita Mazepin – Haas
Photo : Icon Sport
To read on Auto-Moto:
24H du Mans: ticket office open, detailed prices (dates, times)
Daniel Ricciardo’s exceptional new tattoo!
F1 – GP Abu Dhabi: the drivers called to order
Julien Fébreau or the art of commenting on an F1 Grand Prix – PODCAST
Max Verstappen was the fastest in this first free practice session of the Abu Dhabi GP. It notably benefits from a fairly efficient Red Bull, unlike Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes.
The two championship rivals are in good shape on the Yas Marina route and are sticking to each other! Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen wereted no time in this first morning of free practice. The pilots mainly tried their hand at the fast lap exercise, in order to understand the modifications and the level of the track. The Dutchman was the fastest, with a better time in his pocket. However, beware of performance which is not representative of what you would expect when night and temperatures have fallen.
What we remember from his first free practice is the incredible stability of Red Bull on the track. Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez had no trouble pulling their cars on every corner. Conversely, the Mercedes were quick but very unstable. The two pilots did not manage to line up several laps without errors. The W12 suffers from understeer and oversteer when cornering and cornering. There is no doubt that the balance issues will be resolved. Especially since the night should attenuate this effect.
We also remember the excellent form of Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard is determined to make a success of his end of the season with Alpine. He was quick in all areas: race relay and quick lap. Conversely, his teammate who suffers a little. In particular because of a gearbox problem which handicapped him during part of the session. We also note the slight regain of form of the Aston Martins and in particular of Sebastian Vettel, after the catastrophic Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia.
For his last Grand Prix weekend, Kimi Raikkonen is staying true to himself. Little preparation and a total discovery on the track, that’s all we remember about him for the moment. Here is the general classification of this first free practice session of the 2021 Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Ranking
- Max Verstappen – Red Bull
- Valtteri Bottas – Mercedes
- Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes
- Sergio Pérez – Red Bull
- Yuki Tsunoda – Alpha Tauri
- Fernando Alonso – Alpine
- Pierre Gasly – Alpha Tauri
- Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
- Carlos Sainz – Ferrari
- Sebastian Vettel – Aston Martin
- Esteban Ocon – Alpine
- Lando Norris – McLaren
- Kimi Raikkonen – Alfa Romeo
- Antonio Giovinazzo – Alfa Romeo
- Lance Stroll – Aston Martin
- Daniel Ricciardo – McLaren
- Jack Aitken – Williams
- Nicholas Latifi – Williams
- Mick Schumacher – Haas
- Nikita Mazepin – Haas
Photo : Icon Sport
To read on Auto-Moto:
24H du Mans: ticket office open, detailed prices (dates, times)
Daniel Ricciardo’s exceptional new tattoo!
F1 – GP Abu Dhabi: the drivers called to order
Julien Fébreau or the art of commenting on an F1 Grand Prix – PODCAST
