RULE CHANGE: ARTHUR LECLERC REPLACES LEWIS HAMILTON IN ABU DHABI FP1
Lewis Hamilton misses FP1 for rookie Arthur Leclerc to fulfil the new F1 rule. Hamilton aims to avoid his first F1 season without a feature race podium.
Lewis Hamilton will sit out FP1 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc's younger brother will take his place.
Ferrari will now meet the new rule requiring them to field a rookie in four FP1 sessions each year. The rule changed at the start of this year.
Before, teams only needed to use a rookie driver—someone with two or fewer F1 races under their belt—in two FP1 sessions.
Now, it's two per car.
So, Arthur Leclerc will be back on track with his brother at the Yas Marina circuit, just like last year.
In 2024, they shared the track with Arthur, finishing FP1 in P18, about 1.8 seconds behind Charles.
Arthur, 25, is a reserve driver for Ferrari, along with Antonio Giovinazzi. He also races for AF Corse in GT3.
This year, he was in the 24 Hours of Daytona and raced in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup and the sprint version.
Before this, Arthur raced in Formula 3 for Prema in 2021 and 2022, finishing 10th and then sixth.
In 2023, he ended up 15th in Formula 2.
Charles mentioned before their session together last year, “We talked, but he’s my brother.
I don’t need to say much to know what he’s thinking or feeling. I know he’ll do great.
“He’s been great on the simulator this year and helped us a lot.
It'll be good to compare the virtual laps he often does on the sim with real data, and it's a special moment for him.
I hope it all goes well, and I’m really happy.”
Hamilton's got lots of experience at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, so missing FP1 shouldn't make a big difference for the F1 star.
Plus, the seven-time title winner knows this is his last shot to get a podium finish in a feature race this season.
His first season with Ferrari hasn't gone as planned, with just a sprint race win in China to show for it. This season marked the fulfilment of a lifelong goal.
This could be his first F1 season without a podium in his 20-year career.
Right now, he’s on track to finish sixth in the driver standings, which is better than his seventh-place finish last season with Mercedes.
KIM KARDASHIAN AND LEWIS HAMILTON SPOTTED ON ROMANTIC EUROPEAN TOUR TOGETHER
Kim Kardashian and F1 star Lewis Hamilton are turning heads across Europe as insiders reveal Kim's "Russell Wilson" nickname.
Kim Kardashian and Lewis Hamilton are the latest celebrity duo making waves, and apparently, Kim’s already got a cheeky nickname for him. The two have been spotted out together in the Cotswolds, London, and Paris, just enjoying themselves and turning a few heads in the process.
Word is, Kim’s close friends are spilling a few details about this new romance. One insider claims Lewis isn’t looking to settle down right now, but Kim still has a special name for him—she calls him “her Russell Wilson”. If you know the reference, it’s a nod to NFL star Russell Wilson, who married singer Ciara after her high-profile breakup with rapper Future. Friends say Kim thinks of Lewis as a “sophisticated upgrade” from her ex, Kanye West.
Kim and Kanye—now legally known as Ye—were married from 2014 to 2021 and share four kids. Their co-parenting relationship is famously complicated.
Kim’s reportedly a bit anxious about how Kanye will react to her new thing with Lewis, considering Kanye and Lewis were friends back in the day. One source told the Mail, “They’re both cautious about Kanye’s feelings since he and Lewis go way back. Kim’s living for herself these days, but she doesn’t want to poke the bear. They know this could set Kanye off, so they’re keeping it light and just having fun for now.”
Kim and Lewis first crossed paths years ago at GQ’s 2014 Men of the Year Awards. Back then, they both showed up with their now-exes—Kim was with Ye, and Lewis was with Nicole Scherzinger.
Kanye even had Lewis over for Easter one year. He talked about it: “Lewis Hamilton’s over at my house, and we’re playing some music in my studio. We’re having Easter brunch—my wife’s family, my friends, everyone’s there. And everybody’s like, ‘What is this music?’ and I’m like, ‘It’s Lewis Hamilton’s music.’”
Since splitting from Ye, Kim’s dated Pete Davidson and moved on. Kanye’s remarried, too—this time to Australian architect Bianca Censori.
Those two have been in the headlines a lot, usually for their wild fashion choices. Things got especially wild when Bianca showed up at the Grammy Awards in a see-through gown. She arrived in a black fur coat but ditched it to reveal a sheer dress that left little to the imagination. People at the event were definitely stunned.
FERRARI SF-26 COMPLETES 121 LAPS IN HISTORIC LEWIS HAMILTON-LECLERC BARCELONA DEBUT
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc completed a "productive" 121-lap debut for the Ferrari SF-26 during 2026 testing in Barcelona.
Ferrari kicked off its on-track work for the 2026 Formula One season with a steady first day at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc split driving duties in the team’s bold new car, and the whole thing felt like the start of a new chapter.
With the 2026 rules shaking up both the chassis and the power unit, Ferrari didn’t chase lap times. They zeroed in on checking systems, making sure their data lined up, and ironing out any reliability kinks. The weather threw a few curveballs—rain, some dry patches—but even so, they got through their plan and stacked up plenty of laps.
Leclerc seemed upbeat after his first taste of the new machine. He said it felt good to get back behind the wheel and start figuring out the car, even if the focus was just on systems and not raw speed. “We came here to understand how everything works,” he said. “With the weather mixed up, today was all about checks. We finished what we set out to do, and the car did what we expected. It’s a solid start and a decent base.”
Hamilton, now officially in Ferrari red, felt the same. For him, it was a busy day—lots of on-track time, plenty of new things to get used to—but he called it productive. “We got good mileage, learnt a lot, and didn’t hit any big issues. That’s what matters with so many changes coming in. This gives us a strong platform for the next few days.”
Ferrari’s Head of Track Engineering, Matteo Togninalli, stressed how important it was just to get through the day cleanly. “Given the conditions, it went well for us,” he said. Rain or not, they racked up the laps and—most importantly—avoided any real reliability problems. That’s the top priority when you’re shaking down a brand-new car and engine.
Performance talk? Still way too early for that. Right now, Ferrari’s just learning how this new car behaves, gathering data, and building up bit by bit as the days go on—keeping their focus squarely on themselves.