McLaren dominated Abu Dhabi FP2, Norris leading Piastri, raising hopes for an edge over Ferrari in the constructors’ title fight.
After a first practice session that gave several young drivers a chance, the FP2 of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix took place at the Yas Marina circuit, at dusk, as the race will on Sunday. It was an opportunity to work on long-run pace for both drivers and teams.
Alex Albon, Oscar Piastri, Carlos Sainz, Lance Stroll, Yuki Tsunoda, and Max Verstappen participated in their first session of the weekend after handing over their cars to rookies during FP1.
It was shortly after the first session that we learned Charles Leclerc, who set the fastest time that morning, would receive a 10-place grid penalty for a battery change exceeding his annual quota. This was a blow for Ferrari in the constructors’ championship battle against McLaren F1.
The two Williams drivers are also facing penalties for exceeding their gearbox quota. Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto will both drop five places on the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
The drivers quickly went out at the start of the session, with George Russell quickly taking the lead. The Alpine drivers, Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan, completed validation laps following the morning’s aero tests.
Lando Norris set the benchmark with a 1’24″332 on medium tires, which stood until halfway through the session as track activity remained calm, focused on long-run work. Max Verstappen expressed concerns over a significant lack of balance in his RB20, while Leclerc had a sudden bounce over the curb.
Oscar Piastri improved with a 1’23″751 on soft tires, with Kevin Magnussen second, also on softs. Max Verstappen could only manage seventh with the softs, just ahead of Sergio Pérez.
Norris regained the lead on soft tires with a 1’23″517, while Carlos Sainz took third and Valtteri Bottas fourth. Fernando Alonso set the provisional seventh-fastest time.
Verstappen confirmed he still had no front grip, while Albon placed his Williams in sixth. Colapinto also had a violent encounter with a curb, possibly damaging his FW46.
Liam Lawson set the eighth-fastest time ahead of Pierre Gasly, with both drivers making it into the top 10 ahead of Leclerc and Verstappen. Lewis Hamilton also climbed into the top 5.
Nico Hülkenberg secured third, confirming the strong pace of the Haas. George Russell made a mistake in the final corner and could only manage 13th, while Leclerc improved to set the sixth-fastest time.
Williams brought Colapinto into the pits to repair his FW46 after his curb encounter. With 15 minutes remaining, Colapinto was the only driver yet to use soft tires.
As usual in FP2, drivers didn’t improve in the second half of the session, which was focused on long runs.
McLaren finished with both drivers at the top, Norris ahead of Piastri, and the team seems to have good pace, aiming for a strong result in the constructors’ championship battle.
However, caution is needed regarding the accuracy of the FP2 times, as Hülkenberg is third ahead of Sainz, Hamilton, Leclerc, Bottas, Magnussen, Albon, and Tsunoda. Pérez and Verstappen are only 14th and 17th.
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes MCL38 | 1:23.517 | 25 |
| 02 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes MCL38 | 1:23.751 | 28 |
| 03 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas Ferrari VF-24 | 1:23.979 | 28 |
| 04 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari SF-24 | 1:24.099 | 28 |
| 05 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes W15 | 1:24.119 | 28 |
| 06 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari SF-24 | 1:24.201 | 28 |
| 07 | Valtteri Bottas | Stake F1 Kick Sauber C44 | 1:24.230 | 24 |
| 08 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari VF-24 | 1:24.235 | 25 |
| 09 | Alex Albon | Williams Mercedes FW46 | 1:24.269 | 22 |
| 10 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT VCARB 01 | 1:24.497 | 28 |
| 11 | Liam Lawson | RB Honda RBPT VCARB 01 | 1:24.503 | 25 |
| 12 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault A524 | 1:24.517 | 27 |
| 13 | George Russell | Mercedes W15 | 1:24.534 | 24 |
| 14 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull Honda RBPT RB20 | 1:24.555 | 27 |
| 15 | Guanyu Zhou | Stake F1 Kick Sauber C44 | 1:24.557 | 23 |
| 16 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR24 | 1:24.574 | 25 |
| 17 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Honda RBPT RB20 | 1:24.598 | 26 |
| 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR24 | 1:24.686 | 29 |
| 19 | Jack Doohan | Alpine Renault A524 | 1:24.961 | 27 |
| 20 | Franco Colapinto | Williams Mercedes FW46 | 1:25.265 | 10 |
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McLaren’s FP2 Sweep Sparks Hope in Ferrari Battle McLaren’s FP2 Sweep Sparks Hope in Ferrari Battle
