McLaren driver Lando Norris started his F1 Abu Dhabi GP weekend strongly, topping both Free Practice sessions. Teammate Oscar Piastri struggled during his sole practice session of the day, finishing six tenths behind Norris. Max Verstappen remains in fight, finishing P2 across both sessions.
The past two races have been difficult for McLaren and Norris. In Las Vegas, Norris was disqualified from P2 for excessive plank ware. In Qatar, McLaren chose to stay out instead of pitting during a Safety Car, costing Norris a podium. With Verstappen winning the past two races, he overtook Piastri in the championship for P2.
Going into the F1 Abu Dhabi GP, Norris leads the championship by 16 points. If he finishes on the podium, he will secure his first World Drivers’ Championship.
Norris “not completely confident” with car ahead of F1 Abu Dhabi GP
Speaking to print media following Free Practice 2, Norris remained coy as he spoke about the car’s pace. Norris finished eight thousandths quicker than Verstappen during FP1, but three tenths quicker in FP2.
“I mean, obviously, from the times and everything, things are good at the minute. But still want a bit more from the car. Not completely happy, not completely confident — We’re a bit in the middle of trying some different things and trying to understand some things with the car.
“So hopefully some more stuff we can get out of it overnight, but it’s not been a bad day for sure. It’s been a positive day, but we always know it gets a lot closer going into [qualifying]. So nothing to smile about just yet.”
Stella on Norris’ performance ahead of F1 Abu Dhabi GP
McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella spoke about Norris, highlighting the team’s need for perfection at the F1 Abu Dhabi GP. After a large strategy error saw Norris miss a podium in Qatar, McLaren will be hoping to correct their form for the championship finale.
“A reasonable start to the final weekend of the season, completing the plan across both Free Practice sessions as we intended.
“Lando [Norris] was a bit more comfortable in the second session. But as always, Abu Dhabi, the last race of the year, shows that the field is extremely tight. Therefore, we appreciate the competition and need to make sure that we continue to work hard to execute a perfect weekend.”
