Autobayng News Team
Lando Norris led championship rival Max Verstappen again in second practice at the Yas Marina, by a wider margin than he did earlier in the day.
The championship leader’s pace-setting lap of 1’23.083 was over a third of a second faster than Verstappen’s best.
Their pair briefly encountered each other on the track earlier in the session when Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase gave him mixed messages over whether Norris, behind was on a flying lap. “What is this guys doing?” asked Norris after passing Verstappen at turn one. “I almost crashed.” The stewards ruled the incident did not need to be investigated.
Oscar Piastri, Norris’s team mate and the third championship contender, joined the track for the first time this weekend after missing the opening session, but did not appear in the top 10. Piastri abandoned an early run on the soft tyres to make a balance change, then locked up heavily at turn six on his final attempt.
As in the first practice session, five different cars appeared in the top five places. George Russell lapped just a hundredth of a second slower than Verstappen’s Red Bull.
Oliver Bearman was delighted by his Haas’s performance as he set the fourth-fastest time. “Mate, the car is insane,” he told race engineer Ronan O’Hare. “I don’t know how it’s so good.”
The Sauber pair came next, setting a strong pace in the final race for the team in its original identity. Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto both lapped within half a second of Norris’s time.
Ferrari were therefore slower than both of their customer teams. Isack Hadjar’s Racing Bulls demoted Charles Leclerc to eighth place. The top 10 was completed by Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin and Andrea Kimi Antonelli in the second Mercedes.
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2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix second practice result
| P. | # | Driver | Team | Model | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL39 | 1’23.083 | |
| 2 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | RB21 | 1’23.446 | 0.363 |
| 3 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | W16 | 1’23.462 | 0.379 |
| 4 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas-Ferrari | VF-25 | 1’23.501 | 0.418 |
| 5 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber-Ferrari | C45 | 1’23.550 | 0.467 |
| 6 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber-Ferrari | C45 | 1’23.570 | 0.487 |
| 7 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT | 02 | 1’23.657 | 0.574 |
| 8 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SF-25 | 1’23.658 | 0.575 |
| 9 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin-Mercedes | AMR25 | 1’23.708 | 0.625 |
| 10 | 12 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | W16 | 1’23.750 | 0.667 |
| 11 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL39 | 1’23.763 | 0.680 |
| 12 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Mercedes | AMR25 | 1’23.832 | 0.749 |
| 13 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Williams-Mercedes | FW47 | 1’23.872 | 0.789 |
| 14 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | SF-25 | 1’23.939 | 0.856 |
| 15 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | FW47 | 1’23.950 | 0.867 |
| 16 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas-Ferrari | VF-25 | 1’23.958 | 0.875 |
| 17 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | RB21 | 1’24.303 | 1.220 |
| 18 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT | 02 | 1’24.474 | 1.391 |
| 19 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine-Renault | A525 | 1’24.771 | 1.688 |
| 20 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine-Renault | A525 | 1’24.963 | 1.880 |
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2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
- Team bosses promise ‘clean’ fight as FIA does not repeat 2021 warning to contenders
- “The world discovered an even more extraordinary Max this season” – Mekies
- Data: Rapid midfielders could surprise championship contenders in qualifying
- Verstappen happy with Red Bull’s balance, Tsunoda mystified by lack of pace
- Piastri unconcerned at ending Friday practice 11th after missing first session
