Norris Tops Abu Dhabi FP2, Verstappen Second, Piastri Struggles

Lando Norris continued his strong form by topping the second practice session in Abu Dhabi, outpacing Max Verstappen by over three tenths. While Norris showed consistent speed, his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri struggled to find pace on soft tires, finishing well down the order.

Why it matters:

McLaren's strong showing, particularly from Norris, suggests they could be a genuine threat for pole position and race victory in the season finale. Verstappen's inability to match Norris in FP2, coupled with Piastri's difficulties, highlights the unpredictable nature of the Yas Marina Circuit and the importance of fine-tuning car setup as the grid tightens in the final race weekend of the current regulations era.

The details:

• Norris's Dominance: Lando Norris set the benchmark with a 1m23.083s lap, 0.363 seconds clear of Max Verstappen, replicating his strong performance from FP1.
• Verstappen's Pursuit: Verstappen improved significantly on soft tires but couldn't match Norris's ultimate pace, consistently trailing by a few tenths.
• Piastri's Struggles: Oscar Piastri, after an initially competitive start on harder compounds, lost significant time on soft tires due to errors, including a lock-up at Turn 6. He finished 11th, over six tenths behind Norris and three tenths shy of Verstappen.
• Stewards' Note: An early session incident saw Norris complain of being impeded by Verstappen, which stewards noted but took no further action.
• Rookie & Midfield Highlights: George Russell was third for Mercedes, followed by impressive performances from rookies Oliver Bearman (Haas) and Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber), as well as Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber).
  • Bearman, in particular, was surprised by Haas's pace, finishing fourth after a strong top-ten result in FP1.
  • Isack Hadjar, confirmed as a 2026 Red Bull driver, secured seventh for Racing Bulls, just ahead of Charles Leclerc.
• Tight Field: The top 16 drivers were separated by less than a second, indicating an incredibly tight grid as the current regulatory cycle concludes.

What's next:

Teams will now analyze the data from this critical twilight session to prepare for Saturday's qualifying and the final race of the season. Piastri's team will be working hard to understand his struggles on soft tires and improve his setup for what promises to be a highly competitive qualifying session. The final practice session and qualifying at Yas Marina Circuit will be crucial in determining the starting grid for Sunday's race, with McLaren looking to convert their practice pace into a strong grid position.