Based on the second free practice, the Abu Dhabi GP on Sunday (12:00 UTC) promises to be an intense duel between Ferrari and McLaren. In FP2, Lando Norris is the fastest, followed by teammate Oscar Piastri. Max Verstappen, who has triumphed at the Yas Marina Circuit for the past four years, has to settle for the 17th time.
From the start of the session, Ferrari and McLaren lead the timesheet. Both teams are still fiercely battling for the constructors’ title. The difference is 21 points in favor of the British team of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. The grid penalty that Charles Leclerc received earlier today for Sunday’s race due to a necessary battery change is very inconvenient for Ferrari. This also applies to Leclerc himself, who still has a chance for second place in the drivers’ championship and is only eight points behind Norris.
The four-time world champion and soon-to-be father Max Verstappen sat out the first free practice for the Abu Dhabi GP on Friday morning. His seat was contractually taken by Isack Hadjar, who can win the F2 title this weekend. In FP2, Verstappen has to find the right setup. This does not go as planned. Over the team radio, he complains about a lack of power at low revs and understeer.
Verstappen Loses Ground
Midway through the session, Norris leads the time chart with 1:24.332, followed by the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc (1:24.450) and Carlos Sainz (1:24.570) respectively. Max Verstappen, on his mediums, has to concede significantly more ground: 1:24.958.
In the second part of the session, at sunset, Verstappen performs slightly better in the qualifying simulation on the fast softs, but it’s not enough to close the gap with McLaren and Ferrari. He still complains about a lack of grip at the front of the car, a known issue with the RB20. In the end, the reigning world champion concedes just over a second to Norris’s fastest time and thus doesn’t get further than P17. Sergio Pérez also struggles with the RB20 and ends up stuck in 14th place.
In short, there’s work to be done for the Milton Keynes outfit to ensure a better performance in tomorrow’s qualifying. Things are going better for the Haas team, where Nico Hülkenberg clocks the third fastest time and teammate Kevin Magnussen moves up to P8.
