BlackEcoLewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen among top F1 names to miss Abu Dhabi GP FP1 as 10 rookies replace full-time drivers
UrPartnerInCrimeFormula 1 teams require to run a rookie in each of their cars during the season and most outfits have left it until the final race of the season - from the article
Did know this but it’s pretty cool
wearling0600It just makes sense, they’ve got their cars tuned in by now, Abu Dhabi is a circuit they know well so they’re not likely to mess up the setup (or conversely find some amazing leaps through setup).
They now likely have a huge selection of used parts they can put on the car so they don’t risk wear/damage on the parts they might need at a later date.
So if you’re not expecting to be fighting for championship positions in the final race it’s a no-brainer.
The others did it in Mexico which is the 2nd best option, if you don’t want to use up all of FP1 in the final race for the young drivers.