The last free practice session of the 2023 Formula 1 season at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix provided fans with the kind of thrilling unpredictability that has characterized this year’s championship. On a cool and rapidly darkening Yas Marina Circuit, McLaren’s Lando Norris stamped his authority on FP2, outpacing World Champion Max Verstappen and signaling that McLaren might yet have one final statement to make before the chequered flag falls on Sunday.
McLaren’s strong performance came as quite the surprise given that the afternoon FP1 had been largely inconclusive, owing to heavy use of rookie drivers and the ever-changing track conditions that come with the transition from daylight to floodlit night at Yas Island. Even so, Norris quickly set the benchmark pace on his qualifying simulation run, clocking a 1m24.660s that would remain unbeaten for the rest of the session. Verstappen, showing his trademark aggression through the twisty final sector, pushed hard but fell just short, ending the evening 0.385s adrift.
More tellingly, Norris's lap was not perfectly clean; a slight error in the final corner meant he gave away at least a couple of tenths, foreshadowing the kind of raw speed McLaren may have for qualifying. With teammate Oscar Piastri only managing 11th, however, the balance between single-lap pace and race simulation data remains an intriguing puzzle for the papaya team.
Verstappen’s relative deficit was attributed largely to Red Bull’s experimentation with car setups and a certain lack of balance through Yas Marina’s slick new tarmac sections. The Dutchman’s radio messages hinted at a car that was challenging to hook up, particularly in the high-speed corners. Still, knowing Red Bull’s ability to turn things around overnight, few would dismiss Verstappen’s chances come Saturday’s qualifying and, more importantly, the Grand Prix.
Elsewhere on the timing sheets, it was Charles Leclerc who shone for Ferrari, slotting into third with a lap just over half a second slower than Norris. Ferrari appeared to be prioritizing long-run race pace, with tyre degradation trends proving crucial given the track’s notorious abrasion. Leclerc’s teammate Carlos Sainz, still digesting a heavy FP1 shunt that saw his car undergo repairs, finished further down the order. The Scuderia’s engineers will be burning the midnight oil in Maranello and Abu Dhabi alike as they hunt for those final tenths in the battle for second in the Constructors’ Championship.
Intriguingly, the Mercedes garage had a subdued session, with both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell once more struggling to extract pace from the W14 on low-fuel runs. Hamilton in particular appeared uncomfortable in the braking zones, and his session ended with yet more questions than answers regarding tyre warm-up and ultimate rear grip. The team’s strategy debate will be fascinating, especially as they’re embroiled in a tense tussle with Ferrari in the points table.
Further down the grid, Alpine continued to look quietly impressive thanks to Pierre Gasly sneaking into the top five, while Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin underlined its resurgence with unexpectedly strong time-attack laps. The fight in the congested midfield is as unpredictable as ever, and with the sun setting both figuratively and literally on the 2023 season, every marginal gain could make the difference between glory and defeat.
Away from the headline figures, the evening session also highlighted concerns about traffic management on the tight Yas Marina layout, with several drivers voicing frustration about slow-moving cars hampering their qualifying simulations. This will be a key narrative heading into Q1, especially given how razor-thin the margins are in modern Formula 1.
With the grandstands packed and Hungarian fans in particular watching with bated breath, Saturday’s qualifying promises fireworks. Lando Norris’s surge has thrown down the gauntlet to Verstappen and the established order, and with the midfield closer than ever, this season finale is shaping up to be a classic. F1’s relentless development war will be on full display as every team chases those last vital points in Abu Dhabi.
