The second practice session at the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix confirmed Lando Norris as the man to beat, while Oscar Piastri and the Ferrari drivers faced a tougher afternoon. After a strong showing in FP1, Norris once again impressed at Yas Marina, setting the pace comfortably ahead of Max Verstappen. Piastri, starting further back, will need to review his data carefully ahead of tomorrow’s qualifying.
FP1 saw eight teams hand over their cars to rookies, with Oscar Piastri and Lewis Hamilton sitting out the first session. FP2, however, offered a more realistic picture of race conditions, as track temperatures and asphalt characteristics closely matched what drivers will face in qualifying and the race. The cleaned track and the setting sun created the ideal conditions for a representative session.
FP2 results
Lando Norris cruised to the top of the timesheets in FP2, confirming McLaren’s strong pace at the Yas Marina Circuit. Max Verstappen finished second, with George Russell completing the top three, though nearly four-tenths slower than Norris. Oscar Piastri struggled to find an ideal lap on the soft tyres, ending the session in 11th. Ferrari also faced challenges, with both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton struggling particularly in the third sector.
There were a few surprises further down the order, with Oliver Bearman continuing to impress in comparison to Esteban Ocon. Both Kick Sauber cars performed well in the twisty sections of Yas Marina, while Hadjar showed promise for Racing Bulls. Williams started FP2 strongly but eventually fell back once other drivers set competitive times on the red soft tyres.
Race and qualifying simulations
As in the morning session, Max Verstappen was the first of the top drivers to start a qualifying simulation on the red tyres, posting an initial lap of 1:23.446. However, times were expected to drop significantly with around 30 minutes remaining. Norris responded immediately, delivering a lap over three tenths faster than Verstappen. Meanwhile, Leclerc and Piastri lost significant time on their C5 runs compared to the McLaren driver. Ollie Bearman, via team radio, confirmed that his car felt particularly well-suited to the Yas Marina layout.
Drivers then transitioned to long runs to assess tyre degradation ahead of the race. Norris once again led the way with a consistently strong performance. In contrast, the Red Bull team experienced a drop-off as the stints continued, highlighting areas to address before qualifying. Oscar Piastri also struggled with consistency, showing fluctuating sector times.
Session start
Oscar Piastri returned to track action in FP2, preparing to challenge Norris and Verstappen for the title. Most drivers began on yellow medium tyres, with the exception of the Haas duo and Hadjar, who went straight to the softs despite times initially being higher than predicted for qualifying. Verstappen quickly showed strong pace, continuing the momentum from FP1. Norris moved to the top of the timesheets on the medium tyres after aborting a previous lap due to a mistake. Piastri quickly settled into the car, staying within a tenth of his teammate but still behind Verstappen.
The Ferrari drivers started slightly further back on the C4 compound. Lewis Hamilton’s on-board footage revealed significant sliding in the third sector, where he lost most of the time to rivals. On the second attempt with the same tyre, Charles Leclerc improved, positioning himself between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.
FP2 times
1 Lando Norris (McLaren) 1m23.083s
2 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.363s
3 George Russell (Mercedes) +0.379s
4 Ollie Bearman (Haas) +0.418s
5 Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) +0.467s
6 Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) +0.487s
7 Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) +0.574s
8 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.575s
9 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +0.625s
10 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +0.667s
11 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.680s
12 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +0.749s
13 Carlos Sainz (Williams) +0.789s
14 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.856s
15 Alex Albon (Williams) +0.867s
16 Esteban Ocon (Haas) +0.875s
17 Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) +1.220s
18 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +1.391s
19 Franco Colapinto (Alpine) +1.688s
20 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +1.880s
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