Lando Norris, driving for McLaren, has set the fastest time in Friday practice at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He narrowly edged out his rival Max Verstappen, who is 12 points behind Norris in the championship standings.
The margin of victory between the two drivers was only 0.363 seconds, less than what Verstappen would have liked given the circumstances. However, on race simulation runs later in the session, where tyre degradation becomes a significant factor, he closed the gap to just 0.075secs on average.
Norris said that "things look good at the minute" but added, "still want a bit more from the car. Not completely happy or confident." Norris expressed optimism and stated, "Hopefully some more stuff we can get out of it, but it's not been a bad day, for sure."
Meanwhile, Verstappen stated that he was "pretty OK," with his team having made good progress. However, he said they need to be faster as they are still 12 points behind Norris.
Oscar Piastri, driving for McLaren, sat out the first session due to an obligation to fulfill a young driver's test with Pato O'Ward. When he did appear on track during the second session, he was only able to achieve a 11th-place finish despite his team having a decent car.
George Russell secured third place in the practice sessions for Mercedes, while Oliver Bearman scored sixth from Haas. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso completed the top ten list.
In the end standings, it's becoming increasingly clear that Norris can win his first F1 title as long as he finishes on the podium at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday.
The margin of victory between the two drivers was only 0.363 seconds, less than what Verstappen would have liked given the circumstances. However, on race simulation runs later in the session, where tyre degradation becomes a significant factor, he closed the gap to just 0.075secs on average.
Norris said that "things look good at the minute" but added, "still want a bit more from the car. Not completely happy or confident." Norris expressed optimism and stated, "Hopefully some more stuff we can get out of it, but it's not been a bad day, for sure."
Meanwhile, Verstappen stated that he was "pretty OK," with his team having made good progress. However, he said they need to be faster as they are still 12 points behind Norris.
Oscar Piastri, driving for McLaren, sat out the first session due to an obligation to fulfill a young driver's test with Pato O'Ward. When he did appear on track during the second session, he was only able to achieve a 11th-place finish despite his team having a decent car.
George Russell secured third place in the practice sessions for Mercedes, while Oliver Bearman scored sixth from Haas. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso completed the top ten list.
In the end standings, it's becoming increasingly clear that Norris can win his first F1 title as long as he finishes on the podium at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday.
He drove super fast today and beat Max Verstappen by like, almost half a second! But then again it's not even half a second, just 0.363 seconds... that's crazy 
. Now I'm thinking if Norris can keep this up he might actually win the championship on Sunday 
. But his teammate Oscar Piastri isn't doing so great right now 
. He had to take a detour to do some test driving thingy and it affected his performance. Anyway, Norris seems pretty optimistic about his chances, but still needs to make some adjustments with his car 
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what's up with that? a young driver's test or just a convenient excuse to avoid any actual competition? anyway, it's gonna be a wild ride on sunday 
I'm loving how intense the championship is getting! The margin of victory between Lando and Max is crazy tight, but it's great to see that Norris was able to come out on top. I mean, 0.363 seconds is basically nothing in F1! 
i mean 0.363 seconds over max verstappen is HUGE!! Norris seems pretty down about his car but omg he's still optimistic lol what a champ 
. Norris might have set the fastest time, but Verstappen's not giving up yet. And what's with Oscar Piastri missing the first session? He needs to get back into his groove ASAP 
! George Russell is doing his thing for Mercedes and Charles Leclerc is bringing the heat for Ferrari 
! Norris's chance at that F1 title is looking REAL real good 
what a thrilling practice session! I'm loving how Lando Norris is racking up those fast laps and putting pressure on Max Verstappen 
... still stoked to see George Russell pulling up the points for Mercedes though 
! The championship is heating up, folks! 
I mean, you gotta love it when drivers are super close in terms of speed. But at the same time, Norris is still saying he wants a bit more from his car, so we'll see how that plays out on Sunday 
.
. Anyway, it's shaping up to be a great finale to the season, and Norris is definitely in contention now. Bring on Sunday! 
" 
watching the action on his phone 
! beating max by 0.363 secs is insane 
maybe he'll get it on sunday 
. Verstappen's progress was good but he needs to catch up those 12 points 
! george russell looking 
Lando Norris was on fire in practice, and I gotta say, 0.363 seconds is crazy close between him and Verstappen! You'd think they'd be like, a second apart or something with how good they're driving now. But yeah, it's clear that Norris has got the edge right now, and if he can keep up that pace on Sunday, he could totally win that title. 
but seriously, 12 points behind in the championship standings? that's huge 
they got some serious speed! Lando Norris is drivin like a total pro 
gotta see what sunday brings tho
️. Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri was sitting out the first session due to a young driver test, which is pretty cool but also kinda annoying 
his confidence is looking solid but i think he'll need a bit more from the car than what's being shown so far. also gotta feel for oscar piastri, getting stuck with that young driver test 
, it's like, you're trying to learn and grow as a driver and then this thing comes up. anyway, gonna be a super tight race on sunday, can't wait to see how it all unfolds 
0.363 seconds is like, what's next, .00001 seconds? Norris is saying he wants more from the car, but let's be real, his teammate Oscar Piastri couldn't even manage a top 5 without sitting out the first session... I guess that's what happens when you're still figuring things out