Oscar Piastri to overlook Abu Dhabi GP session in defining F1 weekend – all you’ll want to know
Oscar Piastri will not be behind the wheel of his McLaren car in FP1 at the Championship-defining Abu Dhabi Grand Prix due to an F1 rule
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Everything you need to know as McLaren’s Oscar Piastri to miss Free Practice 1 (FP1) of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix despite still being in the World Championship title race.
- Oscar Piastri will not be participating in the Free Practice 1 (FP1) session of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. However, he will take part in FP2, FP3, qualifying, and the race.
- The absence is compulsory due to a Formula 1 rule that mandates every team to field a ‘rookie driver’ in two Free Practice 1 sessions per car throughout the season.
- This FP1 outing marks the second and final required rookie session for Piastri’s car in the 2025 season. His team-mate, Lando Norris, has already fulfilled his two mandatory sessions.
- Pato O’Ward, an IndyCar star and McLaren’s test and reserve driver, has been confirmed to replace Piastri for the FP1 session.
- The timing is seen as inconvenient as the Abu Dhabi GP is the season finale and a three-way championship decider, meaning any lost track time could potentially disadvantage Piastri. While missing an hour is not ideal, FP1 at the Yas Marina Circuit is often deemed unrepresentative of the crucial qualifying and race conditions, which occur later in the day/evening.
- Despite skipping FP1, Piastri remains mathematically in the running for the Drivers’ Championship title, although he is the least favoured among the three contenders (Norris, Verstappen, and Piastri).
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