Motorsports
Abu Dhabi GP: Russell was fastest in the first test ahead of 10 rookies
In the first free practice session of the Abu Dhabi GP, Mercedes driver George Russell was three tenths ahead of Aston Martin’s Felipe Drugovic for the first time, in a time when 10 of the 20 drivers were the team’s young testers.
According to Formula 1 regulations, teams must offer young drivers in smaller categories two free test phases with each car. And almost all teams waited until the Abu Dhabi GP, the 22nd and final race of this year’s championship.
During this period, Red Bull had two rookies in the cockpits of the two RB19s, Jake Dennis and Isak Hajar. All other teams split their two cars between a rookie and one of their two established drivers, with the sole exception of Alpha Tauri, which required data from Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda for its new AT04 upgrade.
Champion RBR’s cars featured Formula E world champion Jake Dennis and team academy member Issac Hajjar, but on the soft rubber they were more than a second behind first-year driver George Russell (1:26/072) in the final 15 minutes. . in places 16 and 17.
The English Mercedes driver was responsible for almost the entire process, starting with the medium tire and then switching to the soft tire in the second 15 minutes. Additionally, at the start, both Felipe Drugovic (in the cockpit of Fernando Alonso’s Aston) and Robert Schwartzman (in Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari) took to the track with the metal aerodynamic data capture devices in their cars so that their teams could evaluate the aerodynamic components of the 2024 car.
Russell set a time of around 40 minutes for the first time in the session, improving in the third section of the track, while Drugovic moved up to second place at the end – almost three tenths of a second ahead of Stroll – and ahead of five established drivers.
Much of the teams’ work in these tests focused on determining the correct ground clearance, as new asphalt was laid at Turns 6, 7, 10 and 11 on the Yas Marina track. Therefore, during these tests it often happened that single-seaters scraped their undersides against the ground.
Despite the inexperience of the new drivers, there were no special incidents. Jack Doohan (in Esteban Ocon’s Alpine) narrowly avoided a collision with Logan Sargeant’s Williams in the final corner as the American drove slowly and tried to get off the racing line. In addition, Hajjar had to go into the escape area at the end to avoid the braking Stroll in Turn 6.
Additionally, the slippery nature of the track due to the desert sand forced many drivers – including Ferrari’s Saint and Schwartzman – to make spectacular spins, particularly at the exit of the final corner, as they struggled to keep the soft rubber within the thermal operating window.
Source: sport 24
Hi, my name is Jayden James. I am a writer at Sportish, and I mostly cover sports news. I have been writing since high school and have been published in various magazines and newspapers. I also write book reviews for a website. In my free time, I enjoy playing soccer and basketball.
2025 Formula 1 champion Lando Norris admitted that private messages and personal meetings with legends such as Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and four-time MotoGP champion Casey Stoner played an important role in the championship fight.
Norris has spoken about the support he has received ahead of the decisive stages of the season.
“I have received so many powerful words of encouragement, messages and speeches from incredible people who are world champions in a variety of sports, from Lewis, Seb and many more.
Many people don’t know that I communicate with Seb. Some, especially Casey Stoner, wrote me a quick message just when I needed it most: “Think about this, believe in yourself, do this, do that.” That really helped me get back on track.”
Norris’ title chances were in serious jeopardy following the recent rise of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. However, McLaren’s successful strategy in Abu Dhabi on the final stage of the season allowed the Briton to finish third at the Yas Marina Circuit and formalize the championship title.
An important component of success was the pilot’s psychological resilience. Norris made mistakes throughout the 2025 season that could have cost him the title, but he managed to withstand the pressure while his teammate Oscar Piastri succumbed to the pressure at key moments of the season.
Norris concluded: “When you win the championship by just two points, I’m sure that the faith and support of the people around me brought me these two points. That’s why I’m grateful to everyone, because sometimes you only need two points to win the championship.”
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
McLaren pilot Oscar Piastri said that he was approaching the 2026 season with double motivation after winning his first Formula 1 championship and losing to his teammate Lando Norris.
While the Australian pilot completed the unsuccessful second half of the season in third place in the general classification, 13 points behind Norris, he gained a 34-point advantage after the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort.
After the Dutch stage, it appeared that the situation was completely under Piastri’s control. But a crash in Azerbaijan, as well as a series of poor performances in Austin, Mexico City and Brazil, slowly destroyed his title ambitions.
As a result, although the Australian player regained the pace he showed at the beginning of the championship at the end of the season, he did not have enough distance to close the gap in the final stages in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
While McLaren attributes Piastri’s difficulties primarily to tracks with low grip, at other tracks the driver has traditionally looked much stronger.
Despite the disappointment of missing out on the title, Piastri gained valuable experience against Norris and Max Verstappen, giving him confidence ahead of attacking the title again in 2026.
“I’m just hungry and ready for it. Of course, I’m waiting for a few weeks to get some rest and not think about racing.”
However, many new things await us when we return to work; significant changes to cars and engines.
You never know how you’re going to start the season with such a big update to the rules, but I trust the people around me.
“Personally, he has a lot of confidence in me this season; I’m ready to use this experience in 2026, regardless of the car.”
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
Motorsports
MotoGP Ducati coach Gigi Dall’Igna: “Marc Marquez’s limitation was that he took risks that were unnecessary”
Gigi Dall’Igna He was one of the men who put his hand in the fire when he made the decision. Marc Marquez instead of Jorge Martin as a friend Pecco Bagnaia inside the box ducati official. But just one year later he was proven right. The Cervera native returned to the top of the motorcycling world with a landslide victory in the Desmosedici GP25.
Indeed, in recognition of this return to the top, DAZN released the documentary Volver, in which Ducati’s sports director reflects on the fact that Marc always pushes himself to the limit. Even when you don’t need to. And Dariña sees this as one of Marc Márquez’s few weaknesses thus far.
”His limitation is that he may take risks even when it is not necessary. If there had been a little more clarity, for example, some mistakes could have been avoided at some point,” Dall’Iña argued.
In this sense he also said: Marco RigamontiHe made his debut as a truck engineer for Marquez in 2025. For Italians, this exploration of boundaries is a trait that has brought them great success in the past.
“He always said this.I want to be remembered as someone who gave everything.. It shows on the track as he always pushes the bike to the maximum and always tries. He is not afraid to make decisions that go against the flow.. Moreover, he knows that if he makes a choice at the last moment that surprises the other drivers, it could give him an advantage,” Rigamonti said.
After becoming champion, Marquez was involved in an accident at the Indonesian Grand Prix and was forced to undergo surgery to recover from a shoulder blade injury. Just a few days ago, he was able to get back on a flat track motorcycle and is currently continuing to heal his right shoulder.
The goal, as Marc himself has reiterated both actively and passively, is to take part in the February test at Sepang. He doesn’t want to miss the start of the 2026 preseason.
Source: Mundo Deportivo
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