TRENDING UPDATE: During practice in Abu Dhabi, Charles Leclerc narrowly edges Lando Norris, raising two red flags.

Charles Leclerc narrowly beat Lando Norris in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix practice session, which experienced two red flags. The session was interrupted for a total of 30 minutes due to crashes by Carlos Sainz and Nico Hulkenberg. Sainz lost control and crashed into the barrier, causing significant damage to his Ferrari. The resulting repairs led to a 22-minute delay. Shortly after the restart, Hulkenberg crashed, bringing out another red flag.

Leclerc finished just 0.043 seconds ahead of Norris, with Max Verstappen in third place, 0.173 seconds behind. Mercedes’ George Russell and Lewis Hamilton claimed sixth and eighth positions, respectively. Sainz’s crash, following his incident in Las Vegas the previous week, was due to driver error. The crashes affected half the grid, who missed out on the session where 10 rookie drivers were introduced at the Yas Marina Circuit.

Mercedes, striving to retain second place in the constructors’ championship, faces a challenge from Ferrari, trailing by only four points with one race remaining. Leclerc’s impressive performance, topping the order after securing pole position in Las Vegas, adds pressure to Mercedes. Russell finished three tenths behind Leclerc, while Hamilton, making way for Danish junior driver Frederik Vesti in the opening session, was half a second slower.

Mercedes’ struggles have them confronting a winless season, a situation not seen since 2011. In the initial session, British drivers Zak O’Sullivan and Jake Dennis made their Formula One weekend debuts for Williams and Red Bull, respectively. Ollie Bearman, the youngest British debutant at a Grand Prix in Mexico, had his second practice appearance for Haas. Dennis, driving Verstappen’s Red Bull, finished 16th, while O’Sullivan was 18th, and Bearman was 20th.