P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Oscar Piastri has no choice but to sit out Free Practice 1 at the title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
McLaren has announced that Pato O’Ward will substitute for Oscar Piastri in Free Practice 1 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Piastri is unable to participate in the initial 60 minutes as only one of the two required slots for a rookie driver takeover has been utilized. O’Ward has previously replaced Piastri at the Mexico City GP and will now have his fifth FP1 session and third in Abu Dhabi. It is common for drivers to save their mandatory sessions for the Abu Dhabi GP finale, as the FP1 is typically run during the day. Other drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Yuki Tsunoda will also hand over their cars for FP1 practices. Piastri is aiming to win the championship, trailing Norris by 16 points and Verstappen by four, requiring a top two finish. If Piastri wins, he needs Norris to be sixth or lower, while Verstappen’s result won’t matter. Alternatively, a second-place finish for Piastri necessitates Norris to be 10th or lower and Verstappen to be fourth or lower for him to claim the title.
