Valtteri Bottas a été le plus rapide de la première séance d’essais libres à Abou Dhabi. Max Verstappen a fait le 2e temps suivi de Lewis Hamilton et de Alexander Albon. Sebastian Vettel a fait le 6e. Romain Grosjean s’est classé entre les deux Ferrari.
| Pos | No | Pilote | Équipe | Temps | Écart | Tours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1:36.957 | 23 | |
| 2 | 33 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda | 1:37.492 | +0.535s | 22 |
| 3 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:37.591 | +0.634s | 20 |
| 4 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Red Bull Racing Honda | 1:38.084 | +1.127s | 23 |
| 5 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1:38.906 | +1.949s | 19 |
| 6 | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Haas Ferrari | 1:39.146 | +2.189s | 18 |
| 7 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:39.249 | +2.292s | 18 |
| 8 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | 1:39.350 | +2.393s | 19 |
| 9 | 99 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari | 1:39.423 | +2.466s | 20 |
| 10 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Renault | 1:39.505 | +2.548s | 22 |
| 11 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Renault | 1:39.628 | +2.671s | 18 |
| 12 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Racing Point BWT Mercedes | 1:39.864 | +2.907s | 23 |
| 13 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari | 1:39.888 | +2.931s | 17 |
| 14 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Racing Point BWT Mercedes | 1:39.901 | +2.944s | 17 |
| 15 | 26 | Daniil Kvyat | Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda | 1:39.969 | +3.012s | 20 |
| 16 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda | 1:40.401 | +3.444s | 17 |
| 17 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | McLaren Renault | 1:40.687 | +3.730s | 23 |
| 18 | 88 | Robert Kubica | Williams Mercedes | 1:40.792 | +3.835s | 21 |
| 19 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Renault | 1:40.850 | +3.893s | 12 |
| 20 | 63 | George Russell | Williams Mercedes | 1:41.362 | +4.405s | 24 |