Lando Norris topped first practice for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with a 1m24.485s, narrowly edging title rival Max Verstappen by 0.008s as Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli completed the top four.
Nico Hulkenberg impressed in fifth for Sauber, ahead of George Russell and Gabriel Bortoleto, with Oliver Bearman, Carlos Sainz and Franco Colapinto rounding out the top ten.
The session was dominated by rookie appearances, with nine full-time drivers sitting out. Ryo Hirakawa led the rookie order in 11th, while Pat O’Ward, Arvid Lindblad, Arthur Leclerc, Luke Browning, Ayumu Iwasa, Jak Crawford, Cian Shields and Paul Aron all logged valuable mileage. Several drivers reported bouncing or balance issues, and Charles Leclerc survived a late spin at Turn 5.
Cars return for FP2 at 5pm local time (12am AEDT).
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time / Gap | Laps |
| 1 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:20.924 | 28 |
| 2 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.058s | 27 |
| 3 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +0.386s | 25 |
| 4 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +0.480s | 20 |
| 5 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | +0.579s | 29 |
| 6 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | +0.580s | 26 |
| 7 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | +0.685s | 28 |
| 8 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.744s | 30 |
| 9 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +0.745s | 25 |
| 10 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +0.774s | 31 |
| 11 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber | +0.859s | 23 |
| 12 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.870s | 27 |
| 13 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull Racing | +0.872s | 27 |
| 14 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | +0.900s | 32 |
| 15 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas F1 Team | +1.002s | 25 |
| 16 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber | +1.002s | 28 |
| 17 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas F1 Team | +1.172s | 29 |
| 18 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +1.500s | 24 |
| 19 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +1.638s | 29 |
| 20 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +2.605s | 25 |
This article first appeared on Speedcafe.com, a sister site to MotorRacing.com.