Abu Dhabi GP 2025 FP1 FP2 Round-Up: Norris Takes Early Control as the Title Fight Starts to Take Shape

Friday didn’t decide anything. It just exposed the edges. The Abu Dhabi GP 2025 FP1 FP2 Round-Up showed Norris leading both sessions and looking the most settled of the title trio. Verstappen kept himself close in the afternoon before losing touch under the lights. Piastri had to build from zero mileage after sitting out FP1 and spent FP2 learning rather than attacking. The gaps weren’t huge. The momentum was. The three-way fight is still intact, but one driver ended the day with clearer control than the others.

FP1 — Norris Sets the First Mark as Yas Marina Settles

The opening hour began at full noise. All twenty cars out immediately. Nine rookies involved. Mercedes and Sauber the only teams sticking with their usual pair. The track filled before anyone found temperature.

Hadjar produced the first lap. Browning waved at radio trouble. O’Ward made his first appearance in Piastri’s car. Sainz, Leclerc, Hadjar and Verstappen traded early improvements as the surface gripped up faster than expected.

Sainz’s 1:25.712 sat at the top for a moment. Verstappen cleared it when the Softs arrived. Russell and Antonelli followed with calm laps. Norris, a snap through Turn 2 on his push run, still threaded together a clean enough time to stay close.

Bearman reported a returning sensor issue and ended his session early. Arthur Leclerc sat deep in the order while Charles held steady inside the top three.

Inside the final fifteen minutes, Norris steadied the session. A 1:24.485. Verstappen only eight thousandths behind. Leclerc next. Antonelli and Hülkenberg tucked in behind.

Verstappen mentioned something “broken” on the RB21. Charles spun at Turn 5. Arthur teased him on the radio. None of it changed the order.

Norris stayed on top. Verstappen in range. Leclerc third. A compact FP1 that suited the track conditions and the late-season tension.

FP1 Final Classification

Between Sessions — Grip, Traffic and a Shift Toward Long-Run Work

The break sat quietly. FP1 had already shown two things. The track carried more grip than expected. And traffic was going to shape the weekend. Teams spent the gap lining up run plans for FP2, knowing the evening hour would mirror qualifying more closely.

McLaren eyed Soft-tyre execution. Red Bull prepared a split plan toward long-run evaluation. Mercedes looked comfortable enough to push their short-run work later in the session. Ferrari chased balance after Leclerc’s rotation.

The day moved toward its decisive hour.

FP2 — Norris Extends His Advantage on a Cooler Track

FP2 opened with intention. Bearman out early on Softs after the FP1 hydraulic issue. Most others on Mediums. Colapinto on Hards to gather baseline data. The track temperature dropped into that useful qualifying window. The first laps were tidy without being aggressive.

Bearman set the initial target. Verstappen slotted in behind. Hadjar reset the lap times with a sharper run on Softs. Piastri and Hadjar had missed the opening phase, both held in the garage for adjustments.

Traffic returned. Russell baulked. Antonelli too. Timing mattered. One blind out-lap could shape the weekend.

Norris and Verstappen shared the first flashpoint. Norris arrived quickly. Verstappen drifted late. A small mis-read. A frustrated radio message. The stewards noted it and let it go.

When the Softs came back, Verstappen delivered the first serious time. A 1:23.446. Hulkenberg followed with a strong effort. Sainz reported a snap in Turn 2. Bortoleto’s release into Bearman in the pit lane brought another brief interruption to Haas’ rhythm.

Then Norris put the evening into perspective.

Soft tyres. Clean out-lap. A composed push.
A 1:23.083. Over three tenths quicker than Verstappen.
A lap that carried weight.

The final third moved into long runs. Red Bull switched early. Norris returned on Mediums already past their best. Piastri did the same, still chasing mileage after missing FP1. His Soft-tyre phase never connected. A lock-up at Turn 6. A Turn 1 mistake earlier. The day left him short of a headline lap but not out of the weekend.

Mercedes settled. Russell took third. Hamilton sat further down, skated off once, and never pieced together a clean lap. Not a crisis. Just a flat hour.

Ferrari kept themselves in the middle. Leclerc held eighth. The balance wasn’t perfect but the pace was there in flashes.

Bearman found the hour sweetly. Fourth. Hulkenberg just behind in fifth. The midfield compressed. Hadjar, Bortoleto and Colapinto kept the gaps tight. Albon reported concern over the engine. Antonelli found more traffic than rhythm.

In the closing minutes Verstappen caught a snap and corrected it cleanly. Gusts through the braking zones added small moments across the field. Nothing changed at the front.

Norris remained clear.
Fastest in FP1.
Fastest again in FP2.
A calm Friday for a driver carrying the weight of a championship fight.

FP2 Final Classification

Coffee Corner Take

Friday didn’t settle the title fight. It just leaned it toward Norris. He looked composed from the first lap of FP1 and even stronger once the evening grip arrived. Two sessions. Two markers laid down. Verstappen stayed close early but drifted as FP2 settled into its rhythm.

Mercedes kept themselves in the conversation. Russell’s FP2 lap wasn’t a surprise. The car looked calm, predictable and already pointed in the right direction. No hunting for balance. No major swings. Just a team that understood the window quickly and used it well. If anyone is going to disrupt the title flow on Saturday, Russell is near the front of that list.

Ferrari’s day stayed in the middle. Leclerc found one-lap pace but never quite settled into a clear balance under the lights. Hamilton sat deeper in the order, had the off, and never pieced together a clean lap. Nothing dramatic in the numbers. Just a session that didn’t fully come to him.

Piastri’s missing hour shaped the gap more than the story. His Soft-tyre phase never landed, but the ingredients are there once he strings a tidy lap. FP1 mileage matters at Yas Marina. His day wasn’t representative.

The midfield stayed tight. Sauber remained present. Bearman carried his momentum into another sharp hour. Hadjar, Bortoleto and Colapinto kept themselves close enough to matter. Any one of them can reshape Q2 if the track flips again.

The title fight starts to take shape.
Norris holds the early advantage.
But Mercedes, and Russell in particular, look close enough to change the mood fast.

Saturday will tell us whether this gap meant something… or nothing at all.