Verstappen first in Abu Dhabi's opening practice

The first practice session of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was held on Friday and Max Verstappen topped the time sheets, setting a time of 1:25.009. That was quicker than Valtteri Bottas by 0.196 seconds and than title rival Lewis Hamilton by 0.346 seconds.

Sergio Perez was fourth fastest, while the pace of the AlphaTauris was good too as Yuki Tsunoda was fifth quickest and Pierre Gasly seventh.

Ferrari seemed to be focusing on their 2022 plans, with Charles Leclerc going out with aero rakes on the back of his car to gather some useful data.

Overall, the drivers spent time getting a feel for the track, with some adjustments having been made to the Yas Marina Circuit.

When the second practice session takes place, we'll get a clearer sense of who should be quick in qualifying and the race since FP2 will start at 17:00 local time, the same start time as the two main events.