Dec 07,2024
Ferrari suffered a severe setback to their hopes of winning the Formula One constructors' title for the first time since 2008 when Charles Leclerc was handed a 10-place grid penalty on Friday.
Leclerc had set the fastest lap in the first practice session at Yas Marina but Ferrari then revealed they had changed his car's battery, triggering an automatic penalty for a breach of the regulations.
The governing FIA confirmed in a technical report that Leclerc was now using his third energy store for the season, one more than allowed.
Ferrari are 21 points behind leaders McLaren, last champions in 1998, with 44 still to be won on Sunday and third-placed Red Bull out of the running.
Leclerc lapped with a best time of one minute 24.321 seconds, with McLaren's Lando Norris 0.221 slower and the Mercedes pair of seven times world champion Lewis Hamilton and George Russell third and fourth.
Hamilton was being investigated by stewards for allegedly impeding Norris, however.
Sunday's race will be Hamilton's last for Mercedes before joining Ferrari as Carlos Sainz's replacement.
Alpine's Pierre Gasly was fifth fastest, with new Australian team mate Jack Doohan only 19th in preparing for his first race as replacement for Esteban Ocon.
Nico Hulkenberg was sixth for Haas with Williams' Franco Colapinto seventh but facing a five place grid drop for gearbox changes. Colapinto's team mate Alex Albon will have a similar penalty.
In a Formula One first, two brothers took to the track for the same team in the same session - Leclerc being joined by younger brother Arthur (18th) in the other Ferrari usually driven by Spaniard Sainz.
Six of the 10 teams had a young driver at the wheel of one of their cars, fulfilling an obligation to give them track time.
Japan's Ryo Hirakawa replaced Oscar Piastri at McLaren, Isack Hadjar drove quadruple champion Max Verstappen's Red Bull, and Felipe Drugovich was in Lance Stroll's Aston Martin.
Ayumu Iwasa stood in for fellow-Japanese Yuki Tsunoda at RB and Luke Browning for Alex Albon at Williams.
Christian Horner described Russell's spat with Verstappen as "pantomime season" before hitting back at Toto Wolff.
Russell escalated his war of words with the Dutchman on Thursday, following their row in Qatar last weekend, by calling Verstappen a bully and saying someone needs to stand up to him.
The British driver also accused the four-time world champion of threatening to put him "on your f*****g head in the wall", a claim Verstappen told Dutch media was not true.
Verstappen stood by his stance that he found Russell’s attempts to get him a penalty in Qatar unacceptable.
Horner is confident that the spat will not spill over onto the track.
"Max is a very straight-shooter. He tells the truth exactly what he feels," Horner said at the team principals’ press conference.
"I believe 100 per cent what he said to be accurate.
"A lot has been made of it yesterday, it is pantomime season, we are getting ready for Christmas so maybe there is an element of end-of-term blues there.
"I don’t think it will have any effect on the grand prix itself."
Russell was supported at his media session on Thursday by Mercedes team principal Wolff, who took aim at Horner by labelling his Red Bull counterpart as "a yapping little terrier".
Horner responded to those comments, saying: "I love terriers! I think they are great dogs, I’ve had four of them.
"The great thing about terriers is that they are tremendously loyal. To be called a terrier, is that such a bad thing?
"They are not afraid of having a go at the bigger dogs. I’d rather be a terrier than a wolf maybe!
"Toto is quite dramatic as we all know. Toto likes to talk a lot but that is the way it is.
"There is sort of a love-hate relationship where Toto loves to hate me."
Meanwhile, the Chinese Grand Prix will stay on the Formula One calendar until at least 2030 after a new five-year deal was announced.
F1 returned to China this season after a five-year absence, 20 years on from the first race in Shanghai.
China will host the second round of the season in 2025, with the race taking place between March 21-23.
