Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen among top F1 names to miss Abu Dhabi GP FP1 as 10 rookies replace full-time drivers

I agree, I hesitated to edit the headline (something along the lines of "List of rookies taking part to Abu Dhabi GP FP1") as I don't know if it is allowed on /c/formula1

It 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.

The teams will put someone into the cockpits who actually helps the team, like a development driver or a sim driver or a F2 driver that may join said F1 team in 1-2 years. McLaren is the exception with O'Ward.

At the moment there are no women in that strategic position.