Sawt Falasteen - Norris edges Verstappen in opening practice for season-ending Abu Dhabi GP

The 26-year-old Briton clocked a fastest time of one minute 24.485 seconds to outpace Red Bull's four-time champion with Leclerc adrift by 0.016sec and Mercedes' rookie Kimi Antonelli fourth by a tenth.

Norris’s regular team-mate and fellow championship contender Oscar Piastri sat out the session as his seat was given to McLaren reserve driver Pato O'Ward, who was 14th in the Australian's car, 0.761sec adrift of the pace.

Norris leads the title race by 12 points ahead of Verstappen and will take his maiden championship on Sunday if he finishes on the podium.

Piastri is 16 points behind him and may, if circumstances prevail, be asked to support his team-mate, as McLaren boss Zak Brown confirmed.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1, he made clear, as expected, that his drivers would compete under 'papaya rules' throughout the weekend –- giving them both an equal chance to fight for the title -– until it was clear only team orders would clinch the championship during the race.

"We'll see how the race plays out, but we're not going to not win the championship because we're trying to protect a third and a fourth, or a sixth and a seventh," he confirmed.

On a sunny and very warm day at the Yas Marina Circuit, Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg was fifth ahead of George Russell in the second Mercedes, Gabriel Bortoleto in the second Sauber, Oliver Bearman of Haas, Williams' Carlos Sainz and Alpine's Franco Colapinto.

Nine reserve driver rookies stood in for the regular drivers, including Arthur Leclerc who took over seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari to run alongside his brother Charles, the fraternal pair creating some mirth on teams' radio channels.

Race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase advised Verstappen "you have Leclerc junior at two seconds" to which the driver replied: "I find it quite funny you call him junior."

Eighteen-year-old Arvid Lindblad, named this week as a Racing Bulls driver next year, also stepped in for Yuki Tsunoda at Red Bull, where the Japanese is to be replaced by Isack Hadjar.

X.Habash--SF-PST