Abu Dhabi GP FP2 Report: Mercedes Knocks Red Bull off the Top As Hamilton Sets the Marker

The final race weekend of the season is finally underway as teams now collect more representative data regarding the Abu Dhabi GP. The second free practice session set the perfect environment for the race, and a slightly different timesheet was the outcome. Lewis Hamilton set the marker in the session.

The session was crucial for setup and strategy purposes, as teams would test the tweaks from the earlier session on the track. Now ten degrees cooler, the Yas Marina Circuit was as wonderful as ever.

The circuit favored Hamilton and his W12 this session; Esteban Ocon found himself in a Mercedes sandwich as Valtteri Bottas finished P3. The Red Bull duo rounded up the top 5, with Max Verstappen in P4 and Sergio Perez in fifth.

Minor incidents during the session end with a big crash

Valtteri Bottas made contact with the wall earlier in the session; a quick check of the rear tires and it was all ready for the Finn. However, the next incident came in no time.

Soon, Nicholas Latifi found himself in the barriers in Turn 13. Having lost the rear on entry, Latifi got away easily as rear-wing damage was as bad as it got for the Williams.

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Once again, Bottas found himself in trouble as he locked up going into Turn 12. However, he returned safely to the track, having avoided what could have been a flat spot. Soon, Nikita Mazepin followed in Bottas’ tire tracks, going straight into T12 as well.

Turn 13 struck again as the checkered flag dropped and Kimi Raikkonen crashed into the barriers. Heading into the final race of his career, Raikkonen lost control of the rear and crashed his Alfa Romeo. With the turns proving notorious during the session, Turns 12 and 13 will be the ones to look out for.

Mercedes & Red Bull look for a competitive Abu Dhabi GP

As always, the rival teams danced around the top of the timesheets. With a pace like this, the championship really is as close as it gets.

However, as the soft boots came on, the two rivals slowed down. Keeping their cards close to their chests, although the lap times remained impressive, they didn’t improve. Fuel consumption, tactics, or strategy?

Towards the end, Hamilton’s Mercedes picked up the pace and sat comfortably atop the timesheets. As Hamilton improved his times, Verstappen continued to soar around the circuit with his usual pace.

McLaren picks up pace in the midfield

McLaren’s new livery shone brightly as the sun began to set, but that was where the good impressions started for the team. The team was often ahead of their rivals during the practice session. With the MCL35M teasing with its pace, will Saturday be rewarding for the Papaya team?

Ferrari, who had struggled a bit in FP1, looked better suited this time around. With a comfortable final result of P8 for Leclerc and P9 for Sainz, the Prancing Horses may have an exciting weekend again.

Surprisingly, Alpine shone bright; with soft tires on, the Renault-powered machines found some incredible pace around the circuit. Ocon was in the championship mix and Alonso found himself in P6. Having outperformed the Big Two, Alpine may be a problem for the P3 contenders.

With a more reflective peek into what Qualifying could hold, we’re in for a grand weekend ahead of us in Abu Dhabi.

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