F1 undertook another mixed opening day of action, following the drama that hit Las Vegas GP FP1 and FP2, with the first session at the Yas Marina circuit effectively a mini rookie test with 10 new drivers in action.
After that, second practice was truncated heavily by two red-flag stoppages; the first for a heavy crash by Carlos Sainz that required barrier repairs before another crash for Nico Hulkenberg.
As a result of the restricted running, all teams lost out on representative long-run data, with Leclerc topping FP2 from Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.
The disrupted running provided a shaken-up order, with Valtteri Bottas in fourth for Alfa Romeo ahead of Sergio Perez and George Russell. Zhou Guanyu also impressed for the Swiss squad, running for the final time under its Alfa title sponsorship, in seventh place as Lewis Hamilton, Pierre Gasly and Oscar Piastri rounded out the top 10.
Qualifying for the Abu Dhabi GP starts at 6pm local time (2pm GMT), using the regular Q1, Q2 and Q3 knockout session format.
Date: Saturday 25 November 2023
Start time: 6pm local time – 2pm GMT