Friday’s second running in Abu Dhabi began with drivers heading out onto a hot Yas Marina circuit, still glowing in late-afternoon sun. As the track was busy with cars returning after FP1’s young-driver sessions, Liam Lawson was the first to get going. Early laps were a bit messy: Charles Leclerc had air blasting into his eye through a helmet vent, while Isack Hadjar set the quickest early time on soft tyres, half a second clear of Oliver Bearman.

Oscar Piastri was back in his McLaren after Pato O’Ward drove it in FP1, and the team had made several setup changes. Verstappen’s Red Bull had also been adjusted between sessions. Piastri tried to get up to speed but made a mistake at Turn 6, which cost him momentum just as the evening settled in and the track cooled.

There was also a tense moment between the title rivals. Verstappen was warned that Norris was approaching quickly, and moments later the McLaren driver complained that they had “almost crashed”. The stewards looked at the incident but decided that no further action was needed.

As temperatures dropped and the wind picked up, many cars changed behaviour. George Russell began to feel more confident in his Mercedes, while Norris climbed the order after a quieter start on the medium tyres. Drivers soon switched to soft tyres for faster laps. Verstappen briefly went quickest, Carlos Sainz complained about a strange snap at Turn 2, and Bearman reported an “unsafe release” from a Sauber.

Norris then produced a sharp lap to move back to the front, while Piastri locked up again at Turn 6 and continued to struggle for rhythm. Alexander Albon also reported something wrong with his engine, only for Williams to explain they had made background adjustments during the session.

As the final minutes arrived, the field settled into long-run work under the floodlights. Bearman enjoyed one of the best spells of his weekend, telling Haas the car felt “insane” as he ran near the leaders. Others focused on gathering consistent race-pace data for the rest of the weekend.

When the chequered flag fell, the day ended with a clear picture of who had early momentum. Norris led the way, followed by Verstappen and Russell, with Oliver Bearman and Nico Hülkenberg also appearing strongly. Behind them came Gabriel Bortoleto, Isack Hadjar, Charles Leclerc, Fernando Alonso and Kimi Antonelli to complete the top ten.