Lando Norris ended the first day of action at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on top, setting the pace in a busy second practice session. He led teammate Oscar Piastri and Nico Hülkenberg of Haas, as McLaren firmly established themselves as the team to beat heading into the final race of the season.
The opening practice session saw six rookie drivers take to the track, but the second session brought the full 2024 grid back together. Oscar Piastri, Carlos Sainz, Max Verstappen, Lance Stroll, Yuki Tsunoda, and Alex Albon returned to action as the fading sun set the stage at the Yas Marina Circuit. This twilight session proved crucial for teams preparing for Sunday's 58-lap race, which will take place under similar early evening conditions.
Ferrari faced an early setback with news that Charles Leclerc would serve a 10-place grid penalty for exceeding the permitted allocation of energy stores. Determined to recover ground, Ferrari drivers were among the first on track. Leclerc slotted in behind Norris early on, as the McLaren driver set the pace with an initial time of 1m 25.020s on medium tires. Traffic on the circuit intensified as drivers began logging their first quick laps.
The competitive rivalry between Ferrari and McLaren—a defining storyline of the 2024 season—heated up as Norris, Sainz, Leclerc, and Piastri traded positions at the top of the timesheets. Meanwhile, reigning champion Max Verstappen had an uneven session, struggling with a bumpy run over the curbs. Alpine’s Jack Doohan also had difficulties, locking up his tires as he continues to adapt to his first full race weekend.
During the final half of the session, many drivers focused on qualifying simulation laps in the cooler track temperatures. Norris emerged as the fastest, posting an impressive lap time of 1m 23.517s. Teammate Piastri finished closely behind in second, underlining McLaren's strong form. Hülkenberg impressed with his performance, claiming third for Haas.
Sainz finished fourth, 0.582 seconds off Norris's time, narrowly edging out Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, who is set to bid farewell to the team this weekend. Leclerc settled for sixth place, followed by Valtteri Bottas, who stood out with a strong seventh-place finish. Kevin Magnussen, Alex Albon, and Yuki Tsunoda rounded out the top 10.
Just outside the top 10, Liam Lawson placed 11th, ahead of Pierre Gasly and a surprisingly out-of-sync George Russell. The Red Bulls of Sergio Pérez and Verstappen were noticeably off the pace, finishing 14th and 17th respectively, with Verstappen hindered by front axle issues. Zhou Guanyu took 15th, followed by Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso in 16th. Lance Stroll, Jack Doohan, and Franco Colapinto completed the session order, with Colapinto missing the final portion of practice due to floor damage on his car.
With FP3 and qualifying on the horizon, teams now have significant data to analyze in preparation for Saturday's session at 2:30 PM local time. Sunday's highly anticipated race promises a battle for supremacy, as McLaren's momentum may pose a formidable challenge to Ferrari’s hopes of closing the gap in the constructors' standings.