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.
