McLaren surge ahead as Charles Leclerc grid penalty dents Ferrari hopes in Abu Dhabi F1

Leclerc handed 10-place drop for change of battery unit at Yas Marina Circuit

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc during the second practice session for the Abu Dhabi GP at the Yas Marina Circuit. Chris Whiteoak / The National

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McLaren made significant moves in their bid to secure the constructors' title at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as Friday's practice sessions threw up highly contrasting results.

McLaren's British driver Lando Norris led Australian team-mate Oscar Piastri in second practice at the Yas Marina Circuit after Ferrari's Charles Leclerc had earlier topped the opening practice ahead of Norris and Lewis Hamilton. However, the Monegasque driver was penalised for taking a new battery pack on his car.

Leclerc was handed a 10-place grid penalty, making victory on Sunday a far more remote possibility.

The Scuderia driver was 20 minutes late for the opening session while his crew tried to get his car in working condition.

They duly fixed this, but this required a new energy store. And in doing so, Ferrari exceeded the number of batteries they were allowed to use for the season.

It was a huge blow to the Ferrari team, who will need a win, at least, to make up what is currently a 21-point deficit on their rivals at McLaren.

"We've got to do something special and to overperform," said Leclerc.

It will no doubt also mar Leclerc’s avowed joy at being given the chance to drive alongside his brother in Abu Dhabi.

It was a memorable day to begin with for the Ferrari driver as Charles and younger brother Arthur became the first ever siblings to drive an F1 session together as teammates.

And then, it was time for action. As is often the way, a number of drivers gave up their rides in the first session to give rookies a chance, with those stepping aside including Piastri, Carlos Sainz, Max Verstappen, Lance Stroll, Yuki Tsunoda and Alex Albon.

The second session was supposed to be a rather more accurate indicator of how the teams will perform over the rest of the weekend.

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  Ferrari's Charles Leclerc during the second practice session for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit. All images Chris Whiteoak / The National

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  Red Bull driver Sergio Perez at the Yas Marina Circuit on Friday, December 6, 2024

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  Charles Leclerc had a day to forget at the Yas Marina Circuit

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  Red Bull world champion Max Verstappen during the second practice session

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  Fans at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi

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  Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton during the first practice session at the Yas Marina Circuit

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  Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc was hit with a 10-place grid penalty after the first practice session for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

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  Mercedes driver George Russell with a fan at the Yas Marina Circuit

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  Alpine driver Jack Doohan in Abu Dhabi

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  A DJ plays a set at the Yas Marina Circuit

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  Arabic coffee is handed out at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

That said, there was little worth noting from the Red Bull pairing in FP2, with Sergio Perez and Verstappen ending the session in 14th and 17th respectively.

The Williams pairing of Albon and Franco Colapinto also suffered a grid drop after gearbox changes, theirs being limited to five placings.

Between the sessions, Red Bull's chief Christian Horner had hit back at Mercedes boss Toto Wolff's description of him as a "yapping little terrier" for interfering in the ongoing Verstappen-George Russell feud.

"I love terriers," said Horner. "I think they're great dogs. I've had four. I'd rather be a terrier than a wolf."

Norris' lap time of 1:24.332 kept him on top ahead of Leclerc and Sainz with Perez fourth until Kevin Magnussen took second for Haas as conditions changed in the twilight zone.

With 27 minutes to go, Piastri took top spot briefly before Norris replied as the McLarens pursued the team's first title since 1998.

Norris trimmed his lap to 1:23.517 with Piastri two-tenths behind.

"We still have a tough fight tomorrow. It probably looks better than it is for us," said Norris.

F1 fans look forward to Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

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"We've continued with the good pace we had from Qatar and it feels strong, but the others haven't turned up their engines yet.

"We're still trying to find the balance. It's nothing huge. Small things to get the balance between being quicker and saving the tyres, especially on the longer runs."

The feuding pair of Russell and Verstappen struggled to find the pace and finished 13th and 17th, respectively.

"Not good," said Verstappen. "The balance is off and there is no connection in mid-corner so it is difficult to push and we need to work it overnight.

"I'm sure we can do better, but maybe not to the McLaren level. If we can get into the top six, that would be a great recovery."