Verstappen leads Russell and Leclerc in 2nd Abu Dhabi practice session for Formula 1

• Max Verstappen of Red Bull outran Mercedes’ George Russell and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc
• Verstappen was one of eight drivers that sat out first practise
• Ricciardo had a challenging practice

Max Verstappen of Red Bull outran Mercedes’ George Russell and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc during Friday’s second practice at the Yas Marina Circuit.

Verstappen was one of eight drivers that sat out first practice for varied “rookie” runs, but he immediately picked up pace for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and set a record time of 1 minute, 25.146 seconds on the soft compound tyre.

After hitting traffic in the last sector of his push lap on the red-marked rubber, Russell came in three tenths of a second later.

Third-place finisher Leclerc was another tenth behind first-practice leader Lewis Hamilton, Sergio Perez, and Carlos Sainz.

Along with Verstappen and Sainz, Lando Norris (McLaren), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), Nicholas Latifi (Williams), Fernando Alonso (Alpine), Mick Schumacher (Haas), and Zhou Guanyu also made their way back to the driver’s seat (Alfa Romeo).

In a Sebastian Vettel-themed helmet, Fernando Alonso finished eighth, barely ahead of teammate Esteban Ocon. Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris, both driving for McLaren, finished ninth and eleventh, respectively. Valtteri Bottas, driving an Alfa Romeo, maintained his position in the top 10.

Ricciardo had a challenging practice. He reported having problems stopping on his marks in the pit lane because of a “slippery spot,” was subsequently delayed by an oil leak, and ended up needing to pit for set-up adjustments.

As his farewell weekend proceeded, Vettel outlasted a significant lock-up to finish 12th, beating out Zhou Guanyu’s other Alfa Romeo, teammate Stroll, and Yuki Tsunoda’s AlphaTauri.

In the opening Formula 1 practice, Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time champion, led Mercedes to a 1-2 finish. He edged out teammate George Russell by just over two tenths of a second. Sergio Perez of Red Bull was second, and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc placed third, just under a tenth behind him.

Leclerc and Perez, who are tied for second place in the Drivers’ Championship with 290 points each, established the pace early in the practice while driving on soft tyres. However, in the last quarter hour, the Mercedes drivers switched to red-banded tyres and stormed to the top of the standings.

Russell, who won his first Formula One race at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix last weekend, trailed Hamilton by 0.220 seconds after Hamilton’s best lap of 1:26.633.

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