Max Verstappen replaced at Abu Dhabi GP as Red Bull hand car to second choice option | F1 | Sport
Max Verstappen will be replaced by young driver Isack Hadjar for practice at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in the final race weekend of the Formula One season. All drivers must step aside for a rookie for at least one FP1 session, with Abu Dhabi the final opportunity for Red Bull to fulfill the requirement.
Sergio Perez stepped aside for Hadjar at the Great British Grand Prix earlier this season. However, Verstappen, keen to extend his dominance in F1 to a remarkable four consecutive titles, has not yet done so.
The Dutchman finally fought off competition from Lando Norris to win the 2024 World Drivers’ Championship with his fifth-place finish at the Las Vegas Grand Prix last weekend. McLaren‘s Norris had made a late dash to beat Verstappen to the title in mid-season, but his form has tailed off over the last few race meetings.
That has allowed Verstappen to regain control of the Championship race, with his 63-point lead now unassailable. There are only two more races before the end of the season, with drivers heading to Qatar this weekend before competing at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 8.
Qatar is a sprint event, which means Abu Dhabi is the final occasion for Red Bull to allow Hadjar to step in for Verstappen. RacingNews365 report that the 27-year-old will indeed step aside in FP1.
In 2023, Red Bull opted to hand simulator driver Jake Dennis a go in Verstappen’s car. However, the Brit is unavailable as he will compete in the Formula E season-opener in Brazil the same weekend.
Hadjar is a highly-rated 20-year-old driver of dual French-Algerian nationality. He has won five Formula Two races in 44 starts.
Meanwhile, Verstappen regrouped following a mid-season wobble to reclaim the 2024 World Drivers’ Championship. He has made frequent complaints about Red Bull’s car this season but highlighted his dominance by pointing out that he has extended his lead over his rivals.
Responding to criticism from McLaren chief Zak Brown earlier in the season that suggested he only wins in the best car, Verstappen insists he would have won the Drivers’ title in a McLaren car – and probably earlier than he did in Red Bull’s vehicle.
He told Dutch publication De Telegraaf: “Things like that only motivate me. If people are critical and think that I can only win in the best car, then I prove the opposite.
“If I don’t get credit for this now, then I don’t know what else I can do. Would I have become champion in the McLaren? Yes! And much earlier too.”
