Formula 1: Liam Lawson off pace in Friday practice for Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, sits out first session

Fresh from sealing his place on the 2026 Formula One grid, Liam Lawson was off the pace in his only practice session on the first day of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Lawson, who was confirmed to remain at Racing Bulls next year earlier this week, could only manage the 18th-fastest time in the day’s second free practice session (FP2), 1.391s off the pace, with a best lap of 1m 24.474s.

The Kiwi was restricted to FP2 alone, as Racing Bulls opted to run junior driver Ayumu Iwasa in FP1, in compliance with Formula One regulations that mean teams have to give four sessions a year to youngsters.

As a result, while it is unknown exactly what Racing Bulls chose to practice over the course of the session, Lawson will have used FP2 to get to grips with the track, and look to finalise the preferred balance for his car.

The Kiwi got through 32 laps in his only time on track at the Yas Marina Circuit on Friday, the most of the 20 drivers. Lawson will get one final session (FP3) before qualifying on Sunday morning.

On a weekend where he only needs to finish on the podium to secure the world championship, McLaren’s Lando Norris topped both sessions, and set the fastest time of the day - 1m 23.083s - in FP2.

His closest rival, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, was second with a lap of 1m 23.446s, 0.363s back, while Norris’ McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri was 11th, 0.680s back after also sitting out of FP1.

Lawson’s Racing Bulls teammate Isack Hadjar was seventh, 0.574s off Norris’ time, after being confirmed to step up to partner Verstappen at Red Bull next year.

Yuki Tsunoda, the odd man out at Red Bull for 2026, was 17th, 0.171s ahead of Lawson.

Lawson qualified 12th for last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but did not finish after his brakes failed in the closing laps, having had his race ruined by a mistake in the pits by his Racing Bulls crew.

In Formula Two, Lawson won the sprint race and came third in the feature race, to secure third in the 2022 championship.

Earlier, FP1 saw Norris pip Verstappen by just 0.008s for top spot in the drivers’ first time on track this weekend, setting a time of 1m 24.485s.

Nine of the 10 teams ran a junior driver in their car, with only Sauber - in its final weekend before becoming Audi in 2026 - using their frontline pair in the first session.

While Lawson sat out to allow Racing Bulls reserve driver Iwasa the chance to take part in the first session, Hadjar was only able to set the 12th best time, 0.492s off the pace set by Norris.

Lawson’s 2026 teammate Arvid Lindblad also took part in FP1, driving for Red Bull, and finished 15th - 0.771s off the pace.

Qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix begins at 3am Sunday (NZT)

Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.