McLaren’s Lando Norris got his bid for a maiden World Championship off to a flying start by setting the pace in Friday practice for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Norris topped the session, finishing 0.363 seconds ahead of his main rival, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. Crucially, Norris will clinch the title if he finishes on the podium (top three) in Sunday’s final race.
Verstappen, who trails by 12 points, needs to win with Norris outside the top three, or finish second with Norris lower than seventh.
McLaren has confirmed it is prepared to use team orders to help Norris if needed.
While Norris was clearly fastest over a single lap, race simulations showed the gap narrowing significantly, with the Briton only fractions of a second ahead of Verstappen, setting up a thrilling finale.
The third contender, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri (16 points back), struggled with traffic and was 11th fastest.
George Russell (Mercedes) was third, while Oliver Bearman (Haas) impressed in fourth. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) finished 14th.
