Ferrari has confirmed that Arthur Leclerc, the younger brother of Charles Leclerc, will replace Lewis Hamilton in first practice ahead of this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The Leclerc brothers also shared an FP1 session last year in Abu Dhabi, marking a special moment for the family. Hamilton will miss the opening practice as part of a mandatory rule that requires all teams to let a rookie driver take at least one FP1 session. He will return to the car for second practice, which is considered the most important session of the weekend.

Meanwhile, McLaren has announced that Pato O’Ward will stand in for Oscar Piastri in FP1 at Yas Marina. Piastri has to miss the first 60 minutes of practice because he has only completed one of the two mandatory rookie slots for his car. O’Ward, McLaren’s IndyCar driver, has driven FP1 cars for the team before, including at the Mexico City Grand Prix, and this will be his fifth FP1 outing and third in Abu Dhabi.

Piastri starts the weekend as an underdog in the title fight. He is 16 points behind team-mate Lando Norris and four behind Max Verstappen. For Piastri to win the championship, he must finish in the top two. If he wins, he will reach 417 points, meaning Norris must finish sixth or lower. If Piastri finishes second, he will have 410 points, so Norris would need to be 10th or lower, with Verstappen finishing fourth or lower.

Ferrari has also confirmed that Dino Beganovic, who is part of the team's development program and is currently racing in Formula 2, will drive the SF-25 during next week’s post-season test, while Hamilton and Charles Leclerc will each take half a day.