Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Norris Leads, Verstappen Chases
Abu Dhabi, UAE – Lando Norris topped both Friday practice sessions at the Yas Marina Circuit for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but remains focused on extracting more performance from his McLaren. In the first session, Norris edged out Max Verstappen by a slender 0.008 seconds. By the second session, he extended his lead to over 0.3 seconds, yet expressed a sense of dissatisfaction.
“Obviously, from the times and everything, things are good, but I still want a bit more from the car,” Norris stated. “It’s been a positive day, but we always know it gets a lot closer going into qualifying, so nothing to smile about just yet.”
While Norris enjoyed an additional practice session compared to teammate Oscar Piastri, he dismissed any perceived advantage. Piastri, who had Pato O’Ward fill in during FP1, finished the day 0.6 seconds off the pace. “I got there pretty well on the medium [tire], just on the soft I didn’t get the most out of the grip on that first timed lap,” Piastri commented. “Finding my feet, I think. It didn’t feel perfect, but nothing major.”
With qualifying approaching, Piastri remains optimistic, emphasizing the need for more laps: “I think we’ll be there after a few more sets of tires.”
Verstappen, currently poised in second amid a 12-point deficit, expressed contentment with his Red Bull’s handling but recognized the need for improved pace. “Pretty OK [two sessions],” he assessed. “We just need to be probably a little bit faster. It seems like it’s a decent gap that we need to close.”
As the teams prepare for further practice on Saturday, both McLaren and Red Bull are keen to optimize their setups ahead of qualifying, crucial for determining the starting grid in this pivotal race weekend.
