'Hello to my brother': Charles and Arthur Leclerc team up for Ferrari in F1 practice

What a way to say hello.

Charles Leclerc and his younger brother Arthur drove side-by-side in matching Ferraris at the end of the first practice session Friday for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

“Just saying hello to my brother," Arthur told the team over the radio after Charles gave him a wave on their slowdown lap at the Yas Marina Circuit.

Brothers have raced in F1 before — Michael and Ralf Schumacher both won races — but F1 said the Leclerc brothers from Monaco were the first to be teammates in an official session as part of a championship race weekend.

The 24-year-old Arthur Leclerc, who previously drove in Formula 2, was borrowing Carlos Sainz Jr.'s Ferrari because of a rule that teams must give younger and less experienced drivers practice time at least twice per season.

Charles Leclerc said his family was flying in to Abu Dhabi to watch the brothers.

“It will be a very special moment,” he said in a team statement Thursday. “Because to a certain extent it means that all the sacrifices my family made will have served a purpose.”

At one stage, the family reportedly had to pause Arthur's career when he was a teenager because of the financial demands of supporting Charles in his rise toward F1.

Charles was fastest in first practice but his session began with a major setback as Ferrari had to replace the battery pack on his car. That led to an expected 10-place grid penalty for Sunday's race and a heavy blow to the team's hopes of beating McLaren to the constructors' title.

Arthur spent the first part of the session driving with his car fitted with an “aero rake", a frame with sensors that allow teams to measure air flows. By the end, he was 18th fastest of the 20 drivers in the session, 1.858 seconds off his brother's time.

As the last round of the year, Abu Dhabi is a popular choice to try out a younger driver, since teams are typically more familiar with how to set up the car for different conditions regardless of feedback from the drivers.

Five other teams gave practice time to drivers who won't be racing Sunday, including F2 driver Isack Hadjar in champion Max Verstappen's Red Bull and former F2 champion Felipe Drugovich taking over Lance Stroll's Aston Martin.

Alpine driver Jack Doohan is set to make his race debut Sunday as well.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco in action during the first free practice ahead of the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Ferrari driver Arthur Leclerc of Monaco in action during the first free practice ahead of the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Ferrari driver Arthur Leclerc of Monaco prepares for his debut free practice ahead of the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Ferrari driver Arthur Leclerc of Monaco stands in the garage before his debut free practice ahead of the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Ferrari driver Arthur Leclerc of Monaco prepares for his debut free practice ahead of the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

NEW YORK (AP) — The Washington Wizards selected forward AJ Dybantsa, who led the nation in scoring in his one season at BYU, with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft on Tuesday night.

Dybantsa averaged 25.5 points, highlighted by a 43-point effort that broke BYU's freshman scoring record.

At 6-foot-9 and 217 pounds, Dybantsa has drawn comparisons to Kevin Durant, who happens to be his favorite player. Durant grew up in the Washington area, and Wizards fans can only hope Dybantsa can live up to the comparisons.

They certainly hope he will be better than center Kwame Brown, the pick Washington made in 2001, the first time it had the No. 1 selection after the NBA changed draft formats to eliminate territorial picks in 1966. The Wizards took John Wall in 2010 the other time, and he did turn into an All-Star.

He appeared to say a quick prayer after his name was announced, then went on stage to greet Commissioner Adam Silver and slipped on a black Wizards hat that matched nicely with his black suit.

Dybantsa beat out fellow freshman Darryn Peterson of Kansas, who was taken at the No. 2 pick by Utah. While some thought Peterson had the most talent in the class, the guard missed 11 games during the season because of injuries and illness, potentially creating some questions that Dybantsa didn't have.

Cameron Boozer, the college player of the year in his one season at Duke, was taken at No. 3 by Memphis. Caleb Wilson, another freshman forward from rival North Carolina, went to Chicago with the next pick.

Those players were the expected top four throughout the pre-draft process, though there was certainly a case for Peterson to go first with his promise. Or for Boozer, with his body of work after he put up 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game for Duke, where his father, Carlos, also played before becoming a two-time NBA All-Star.

The uncertainty was expected to begin at No. 5. The Los Angeles Clippers acquired the rights to it after a trade with the Indiana Pacers and used it on Illinois guard Keaton Wagler. The host Brooklyn Nets then went with Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

Cameron Boozer, right, poses for a photo with Adam Silver, left, NBA Commissioner, after being selected by the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the NBA basketball draft, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Darryn Peterson is interviewed after being chosen by the Utah Jazz in the first round of the NBA basketball draft, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

AJ Dybantsa, right, poses for a photo with NBA commissioner Adam Silver, left, after being selected by the Washington Wizards as the first pick in the first round of the NBA basketball draft, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

AJ Dybantsa arrives for the first round of the NBA basketball draft Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

AJ Dybantsa arrives for the first round of the NBA basketball draft Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Prospective draftees pose for a group photo with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, center, before the first round of the NBA basketball draft, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - Kansas guard Darryn Peterson (22) works against Arizona guard Jaden Bradley (0) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Arizona, Feb. 28, 2026, in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri, File)