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Charles Leclerc On Top But Hit With Grid Penalty At Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Practice

Charles Leclerc topped the times for Ferrari ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton, in his final race weekend with Mercedes, in Friday's opening practice at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Leclerc's speed was a fillip for Ferrari as they seek to overturn a 21-point deficit behind championship leaders McLaren in Sunday's race, but they suffered a heavy setback as Leclerc required a new battery pack on his car which brought with it a 10-place grid penalty. The Monegasque clocked a best lap in one minute and 24.321 seconds to outpace Norris by 0.221 at the Yas Marina Circuit with Hamilton adrift by four-tenths ahead of Mercedes team-mate George Russell and Alpine's Pierre Gasly.

Max Verstappen Wins, Teams Title Race Goes On After Lando Norris Penalty At Qatar Grand Prix

Max Verstappen avenged his overnight demotion from pole position by clinching his ninth win of the season and 63rd of his career with a dominant triumph for Red Bull in Sunday's crash-hit and controversial Qatar Grand Prix. In a race shaped by a litany of stewards' decisions and penalties, including a harsh late 10-second ‘stop-go' for Lando Norris of McLaren, the newly-crowned four-time world champion was flawless as he came home six seconds ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. That result meant McLaren, even with Oscar Piastri finishing third, were unable to clinch a first constructors title since 1998 and have to try again in the final race in Abu Dhabi next weekend.