2025 F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Friday Practice Results

F1 title favourite Lando Norris set the pace in both practice sessions at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Norris, who will win his maiden world championship with a top-three finish in Sunday’s season finale, once again headed title rival Max Verstappen at the top of the times in second practice.

The Briton had a more comfortable margin of 0.363 seconds over Verstappen in the more representative FP2, having only just edged out the Red Bull driver in FP1.

Norris goes into the three-way showdown 12 points ahead of Verstappen, who can seal a fifth consecutive world title if he wins the race and the current championship leader is lower than third.

Norris’s McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, who is the other driver in title contention, had a difficult practice and finished down in 11th.

Piastri returned to the cockpit of his MCL39 after sitting out of first practice so that Pato O’Ward could complete McLaren’s mandatory rookie running.

The Australian, who needs to finish in the top two to have any chance of becoming world champion, was left well down the order after a big lock up at Turn 6 ruined his soft tyre lap.

George Russell was third-quickest for Mercedes, ahead of impressive rookie Ollie Bearman, who was surprised by the competitiveness of his Haas as he ended up fourth and just four-tenths off the pace.

Both Saubers once again featured in the top-10 as Nico Hulkenberg took fifth ahead of rookie teammate Gabriel Bortoleto in sixth.

Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar was seventh, ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, and Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, another driver who missed FP1, was only 14th in his Ferrari.

Norris sets benchmark in FP1

Norris set the pace in a rookie-dominated opening practice at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Norris edged out title rival Verstappen’s Red Bull by just 0.008 seconds in an incredibly tight first practice in Abu Dhabi.

Ferrari’s Leclerc suffered a spin but ended up with the third-quickest time, only 0.016s behind Norris.

FP1 is the least representative session of the weekend at the Yas Marina Circuit given it takes place during the day, unlike qualifying and the grand prix.

Nine rookie drivers also took part in the opening hour of running, with Piastri, the other championship hopeful in the three-way showdown, sitting out of the session.

Antonelli was fourth, ahead of Sauber’s Hulkenberg and Mercedes teammate Russell and Bortoleto, who took seventh as both Saubers featured towards the top of the FP1 timesheet.

Bearman finished eight despite sensor issues in his Haas, while Sainz and Franco Colapinto rounded out a top-10 covered by less than four tenths of a second for Williams and Alpine respectively.