Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Free Practice 2: Sainz and Hülkenberg Crashes, Leclerc in the lead
With 34 minutes of red flag during this FP2, the possibility of making adjustments to the cars has inevitably been affected. Under these conditions, it is Charles Leclerc who takes the lead in the standings, ahead of Lando Norris and Max Verstappen. The top 15 are within one second.
Free Practice 2 was for many regular drivers their first opportunity to get in their Formula 1 car today, after a first free practice session primarily reserved for young drivers.
In this context, it was necessary to get acquainted with a track that was slightly different from previous years, which saw the creation of some bumps, absent in the following years on a circuit considered as a billiards table. Both young and experienced drivers in FP1 had some close calls with well-controlled slides. However, this was not the case for Carlos Sainz in his Ferrari, who completely lost control of his car and crashed into the techpro barriers. Requiring extensive repairs, the session was interrupted for 20 minutes.
The crash of Carlos Sainz Jr.
Red flag 🚩
Carlos Sainz crashes at the start of FP2 😱
The Ferrari driver is okay 👍 #AbuDhabiGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/mHb8ibsRW3
— CANAL+ F1® (@CanalplusF1) November 24, 2023
Max Verstappen played the party spoiler in this session, attempting to overtake everyone in the very narrow pit lane exit at Yas Marina, going under the tunnel. The Red Bull driver once again made himself noticed, playing inches away from the walls at the entrance of the tunnel.
At the resumption of the trials, it was Nico Hülkenberg who got caught. The Haas driver also violently lost control of his car, hitting the wall with his rear wing and requesting the officials to wave the red flag again.
Nico Hülkenberg’s crash:
The end of the red flag marked by a new… red flag 🚩
Nico Hülkenberg loses control of his car at the exit of the first turn 💥
#AbuDhabiGP #F1
pic.twitter.com/yxe2wh4USx
– CANAL+ F1® (@CanalplusF1)
November 24, 2023
In the end, Charles Leclerc sets the fastest time in these FP2 sessions, which are closest to the weather conditions that will be experienced in the race on Sunday, at nightfall. The Ferrari driver is ahead of Lando Norris in the McLaren by just 43 milliseconds and Max Verstappen in the Red Bull by 173 milliseconds. The top 15 drivers are within one second, making it one of the closest sessions of the year. Alfa Romeo makes a strong impression by placing their cars in P4 and P7. Sergio Perez and George Russell are in P5 and P6 respectively. Pierre Gasly in the first Alpine is in 9th place, while his teammate, Esteban Ocon, who is unwell, takes 14th place today.
The classification of Free Practice 2 of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
| Driver | Team | Times | Gap | Laps | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:24.809 | 15 | |
| 2 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:24.852 | +0,043 | 17 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:24.982 | +0,173 | 16 |
| 4 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 1:25.024 | +0,215 | 15 |
| 5 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Racing | 1:25.112 | +0,303 | 16 |
| 6 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:25.122 | +0,313 | 16 |
| 7 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo | 1:25.223 | +0,414 | 17 |
| 8 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:25.315 | +0,506 | 15 |
| 9 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:25.321 | +0,512 | 14 |
| 10 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:25.361 | +0,552 | 17 |
| 11 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco | 1:25.397 | +0,588 | 16 |
| 12 | Daniel Ricciardo | AlphaTauri | 1:25.467 | +0,658 | 15 |
| 13 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco | 1:25.492 | +0,683 | 16 |
| 14 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 1:25.566 | +0,757 | 16 |
| 15 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 1:25.669 | +0,860 | 16 |
| 16 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:26.081 | +1,272 | 19 |
| 17 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1:26.413 | +1,604 | 17 |
| 18 | Logan Sargeant | Williams | 1:26.659 | +1,850 | 16 |
| 19 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1:26.707 | +1,898 | 4 |
| 20 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas | 1:27.147 | +2,338 | 7 |
