Charles Leclerc’s grid penalty puts Ferrari’s chances of beating McLaren to the Formula 1 constructors’ title in jeopardy.
Ferrari announced on Friday that the team had to replace the battery pack on Leclerc’s car during the first practice session in Abu Dhabi. As a result, Ferrari expects Leclerc to receive a 10-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race.
Leclerc was the fastest in the first practice session, with a time .221 seconds quicker than McLaren’s Lando Norris. Lewis Hamilton was third fastest for Mercedes. Leclerc’s brother, Arthur, took over Carlos Sainz Jr.’s car and finished in 18th place.
In the second practice session, Norris was the fastest, .234 seconds ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri. Nico Hulkenberg surprised everyone by finishing third fastest for Haas, .462 seconds behind Norris. Sainz was the fastest Ferrari driver in fourth.
McLaren heads into the race with a 21-point lead over Ferrari in the constructors’ standings.
Leclerc’s teammate, Sainz, said on Thursday that either he or Leclerc would need to win the Abu Dhabi race, with the other finishing on the podium, for Ferrari to have a chance at the title, unless something “very disastrous happened” to McLaren.
Either McLaren or Ferrari will win the F1 constructors’ title on Sunday. McLaren hasn’t won the title since 1998, and Ferrari’s last win was in 2008.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said, “I think even with the penalty, I wouldn’t be surprised if we can see [Ferrari] very rapidly fighting for the front. So nothing changes. We keep remaining calm, focused, and full of energy.”
Tension has also been growing in the paddock. Two of Formula 1’s top drivers, Max Verstappen and George Russell, have been exchanging personal attacks. Verstappen secured his fourth driver title two weeks ago in Las Vegas, but he is still at the center of attention due to a feud with Russell.
Russell called Verstappen a “bully” and accused him of threatening behavior following a dispute during qualifying at the Qatar Grand Prix. Verstappen was pushed off pole position by Russell and claimed that his rival lied to get him penalized.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said on Friday, “Max is a very straight shooter. He just tells you exactly how he sees it. And obviously, he had a large amount of frustration last weekend, the way things played out in a scenario that we haven’t seen before and a subsequent grid penalty.”
Verstappen was only 17th fastest in his only practice session on Friday as he aims for his 10th race win of the season in Abu Dhabi.
The weekend is also a long goodbye for Hamilton, who is leaving Mercedes to join Ferrari in 2025. Hamilton is driving in Abu Dhabi with the names of 150 fans on his car as part of Mercedes’ “Thank you, Lewis” campaign.
Hamilton admitted on Thursday that the prolonged farewell has been harder on his emotions than he expected. He has struggled with form and was pessimistic about finishing his career with Mercedes on a high, after penalties and a puncture ruined his race in Qatar.
Next year, F1 will see the largest influx of young drivers in years due to changes in teams and driver retirements. One of the new faces in Abu Dhabi is Jack Doohan, who is replacing Esteban Ocon for the final race of the season. Doohan, a 21-year-old Australian and the son of motorcycle legend Mick Doohan, was 19th fastest in both practice sessions on Friday.
