Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are among 10 drivers who will be absent from first practice at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Friday. Last year, Formula 1 implemented a mandatory programme in which each car has to be driven by a rookie – defined as a driver who has started two or fewer F1 races – in at least one practice session per season. A lot of teams and drivers have left it to the 22nd and final race of the season to sit out, with Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris and Sergio Perez also missing out on FP1 at the Yas Marina Circuit. Formula E champion, 28-year-old British driver Jake Dennis, will fill in at Red Bull alongside F2 driver Isack Hadjar. Two British 18-year-olds will also be in the cockpit: Oliver Bearman will once again drive for Haas after making his F1 practice debut in Mexico last month, while Formula 3 runner-up Zak O’Sullivan will drive Alex Albon’s Williams car. Danish driver Frederik Vesti, currently second in the F2 standings ahead of this weekend’s finale in Abu Dhabi, takes Lewis Hamilton’s place. He also drove in George Russell’s car in Abu Dhabi. American driver Pato O’Ward will drive in Norris’ McLaren, while 2022 F2 champion Felipe Drugovich will fill in for Fernando Alonso on Friday. Israeli-Russian driver Robert Shwartzman replaces Leclerc at Ferrari . Jack Doohan and Theo Pourchaire, Alpine and Alfa Romeo junior drivers respectively, will also have a chance to impress in first practice. AlphaTauri are the only team not running a rookie driver on Friday, with Liam Lawson and Hadjar having driven in practice/race sessions already in 2023. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Williams’ Logan Sargeant are rookies anyway, so is not required to forgo a practice session this season. The purpose of the young driver programme is to give inexperienced drivers time out on track in an F1 car, as well as giving them the opportunity to build up the requisite super-licence points in order to compete in F1 in the future. Read More Hamilton ‘made contact with Red Bull and Ferrari’ before signing new Mercedes deal Guenther Steiner to produce new hit ‘workplace comedy’ show F1 Juniors broadcast an admirable idea – but all kids want to be is grown up

Max Verstappen vowed to kiss and make up with his race engineer following their X-rated row in Belgian Grand Prix qualifying. Verstappen finished fastest in a wet-dry session at Spa-Francorchamps, but he will start Sunday’s 44-lap race from sixth following a gearbox penalty. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc is promoted to pole position, with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez second. Lewis Hamilton, on pole a week ago in Hungary, will line up in third. Verstappen made it into Q3 – the final phase of qualifying – by the skin of his teeth and vented his anger at long-serving race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, known as GP, following the close-call. “I should have just f****** pushed two laps in a row like I said,” said Verstappen, who sneaked through in 10th place. “But you are through, Max,” replied Lambiase. “I don’t give a f*** that we are P10, mate. It is just s*** execution,” came Verstappen’s fiery response. Lambiase snapped back: “OK, and then when the track was two seconds quicker for your final lap and you didn’t have any energy left, how would that have gone down?” A surly Lambiase added: “But you tell me what you want to do in Q3 and we’ll do it. Tyre sets, fuel, run plan.” After returning to finish eighth tenths clear of Leclerc, Verstappen issued an apology. “Sorry to GP for being such on the rant,” he said over the radio. Lambiase replied: “Slowly getting used to it, Max.” Speaking afterwards, Verstappen added: “It happens sometimes. Most of it is blocked off. “We are mates. We can get quite emotional, quite vocal. We sort it out afterwards.” Verstappen’s grid drop for exceeding the allocated number of four gearboxes will provide his rivals with forlorn hope they can end his seven-race winning streak. However, the Dutchman, a winner of nine of the 11 rounds so far this season, started this race from 14th last year owing to engine penalties and still took the victory in his all-conquering Red Bull machine. For Hamilton, the seven-time world champion faced a post-qualifying investigation from the stewards after he ran off the circuit at Eau Rouge before re-joining in front of team-mate George Russell in Q2. Russell was forced to slow down to avoid making contact with the sister Mercedes. Race control noted the incident and confirmed they would investigate. Hamilton finished nine tenths slower than Verstappen, with Russell even further back in eighth, 0.8sec adrift of his team-mate. “It was definitely very hectic because it was consistently drying up,” said Hamilton after the running started on a wet track. “It was difficult to see with the spray. I was head down, just maximining as much as I could. “At the end, I was still a good chunk off Max. But I am really happy with the result I’ve got.” Carlos Sainz qualified fifth for Ferrari, one spot ahead of Oscar Piastri, with Lando Norris seventh in the other McLaren. Daniel Ricciardo finished a commendable 13th on his F1 comeback but the Australian will line up from the penultimate spot on the grid. Ricciardo temporarily hauled his AlphaTauri through to Q2 only to see his lap time deleted for exceeding track limits. “F***, I am sorry,” said Ricciardo when informed of the chalked-off lap. “I just lost it through Turn 3. I am sorry.” Spa-Francorchamps is hosting the sport’s third sprint event of the year with a shortened race on Saturday to come before Sunday’s main event – the concluding round ahead of the sport’s summer shutdown. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Max Verstappen fastest for Belgian GP despite X-rated row with race engineer How Max Verstappen and record-breaking Red Bull compare to Formula One greats I held my breath – Lewis Hamilton enjoys ‘extraordinary’ run to pole in Budapest

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