Welcome to Total-Motorsport.com‘s live coverage of FP2 at the 2024 Abu Dhabi GP, hosted at the iconic Yas Marina circuit in the United Arab Emirates.
This is the final stop of a dramatic and unpredictable season, and this venue offers a stunning blend of twilight racing and a picturesque backdrop, making it a fitting conclusion to the year.
Drivers will take to the track in this opening session to gather crucial data under the bright afternoon sun—a sharp contrast to the cooler evening conditions of qualifying and the race.
And with its mix of fast technical sectors and high-speed straights, this track challenges teams to find the perfect balance, setting the stage for a thrilling showdown as the 2024 season reaches its crescendo.
Max Verstappen might be your drivers’ champion but that doesn’t mean the drama is over yet. Look to McLaren and Ferrari‘s showdown as the two most historic teams in the sport go to battle for the constructors’ championship – the pinnacle of teamwork in Formula 1.
It’s the Italians who are chasing the Brits as Ferrari look to overturn a 21-point deficit in order to catch McLaren, who have led the race for the teams’ title ever since the Azerbaijan GP all the way back in September.
More from the Singapore GP
Catch up with Total Motorsport's latest Singapore GP coverage, including Max Verstappen's victory at Marina Bay, Ferrari's costly strategy gamble, the full race classification, and the updated 2026 Formula 1 Drivers' and Constructors' Championship standings.
If McLaren hold on it will be their first title since 1998 whilst Ferrari are gunning for their first since 2008, so keep an eye on how the title battle shapes up the on-track action as the championship battle continues to unfold live with Total-Motorsport.com for FP2 at the F1 2024 Abu Dhabi GP!
F1 LIVE 2024 Abu Dhabi GP FP2 – News, updates and reaction
Thanks and goodbye!
But that’s it from us folks! We’ll be back tomorrow for FP3 – an hour later than FP1 this morning – and then qualifying at 14:00 UK time before the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday so enjoy the rest of your Friday and catch us then.
REPORT: McLaren set for title glory in Abu Dhabi GP?
McLaren are set for constructors’ championship glory as Lando Norris tops FP2 ahead of Oscar Piastri at the F1 2024 Abu Dhabi GP as they close in on the title with Ferrari struggling for one-lap speed, as Nico Hulkenberg finished third.
The British team need to ensure they are not out-scored by 23 or more points by their Italian counterparts in Sunday’s Grand Prix and they took a huge step in the right direction as evidenced by FP2 at the Yas Marina circuit. Read more…
Abu Dhabi GP FP2 results
And here’s the classified list of how the 20 drivers finished in Abu Dhabi, with the rookies out of the way and night running for the first and only time before qualifying…
Chequered flag
And that’s that folks! Norris finishes with the quickest time and only one non-McLaren could get within half a second of him.
Mercedes and Red Bull also have work to do but the biggest concern will be over Ferrari who already have Charles Leclerc’s 10-place grid penalty to contend with in Abu Dhabi.
Russell in trouble?
Russell complained his rear is sliding all over the place as the clock ticks down towards the end of the session, he likely won’t improve from 13th.
However, Mercedes’ Friday pace has often had an inverse relationship to their performance in qualifying and the race so maybe that’s a good thing?
Albon returns
It looked like an issue with his rear left tyre and the Williams is back out on track, in a rare piece of reliability good news for the Grove team. And he’s on the softs! A tyre that Colapinto hasn’t set a time on.
Long runs underway
That could be how things finish in FP2 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The field has put on another set of medium tyres as Max Verstappen hits his plank with a kerb.
15 minutes to go: latest leaderboard
Norris remains the driver to beat, but now McLaren have joined the party as the sky turns a stunning shade of orange in Abu Dhabi – talk about golden hour.
- Lando Norris – 1:23.517
- Piastri +0.234
- Hulkenberg +0.462
- Sainz +0.582
- Hamilton +0.602
- Leclerc+0.684
- Bottas +0.713
- Magnussen +0.718
- Albon+0.752
- Tsunoda +0.980
More trouble for Williams
Only three more sessions to go, lads! It’s been a horrible season for Williams in terms of incidents and now Albon’s FW46 has gone into ‘limp home mode’ stuck in third gear at turn five, on what was meant to be the start of a long run.
Colapinto damage confirmed
Williams have just told the media that Colapinto “will not continue in FP2 as tthe team assess the floor damage sustained”. It’s another blow for James Vowles’ beleagured team.
Bad news for Williams… again
The F1 Twitter admin may love it, but Franco Colapinto’s wobble has earned session-ending damage to the FW46, on the weeekend where both Williams will have five-place grid penalties for using too many RNC gearbox components.
Hulk’s last hurrah
It’s Hulkenberg’s final race for Haas before he joins Sauber next season, and the German has fired himself into third above Sainz! Lewis Hamilton has split the Ferraris and there are five different teams represented between him and 10th-placed Yuki Tsunoda.
Wow Lando!
Purple-purple-purple and Norris takes almost a second out of his best time on the mediums! Piastri slots into second place too, have they been playing down their competitiveness against Ferrari? Sainz is well adrift in third, almost over half a second behind Norris.
30 minutes to go: latest leaderboard
Get ready for these times to change in a few moments when the soft times roll in, but for now here’s how they stand:
- Lando Norris – 1:24.332
- Leclerc +0.208
- Sainz +0.238
- Perez +0.433
- Piastri +0.466
- Verstappen +0.626
- Tsunoda +0.823
- Russell +0.931
- Colapinto +0.933
- Hamilton +0.961
Getting soft
Almost the entire grid has now rejoined the action on track, this time sporting the soft tyres! So get ready for a preview of qualifying as the timing screens light up with green.
Brown: Leclerc can emulate Verstappen
With a bit of a lull in proceedings on track, McLaren head honcho Zak Brown spoke to Sky Sports F1 about Leclerc’s penalty and McLaren’s prospects in Abu Dhabi:
“Clearly it puts Ferrari at a disdvantage but a lot of practice left, that can happy to any of us at any time. Also we saw great driver like Max can go from P17 to first, Charles is perfectly capable of that.
“The car’s good, we knew it’d be good but we aso think the Ferraris have a small advantage at this circuit.
“Of course [we’re] expecting Max to be right up there and the Mercedes.”
All quiet in the Middle East
As Zhou Guanyu heads back into the pits, that means every driver is back in the garage with Niorris still leading Leclerc and four drivers separated by four hundredths of a second at the tail end of the top 10.
Toasty George
Speaking of which, Russell has just told his team that the cockpit is rather warm as the temperature drops at Yas Marina Circuit.
“The cockpit’s still feeling toasty”
Stirring the tea
Lando Norris continues to lead, after stirring the pot between Russell and Verstappen all weekend. On track, the Mercedes man did lead Verstappen by 0.002 seconds but the Dutchman has just improved to jump up to fifth.
45 minutes to go: latest leaderboard
Here’s how it stand a quarter of the way into the session:
- Lando Norris – 1:24.332
- Sainz +0.238
- Leclerc +0.412
- Piastri +0.600
- Russell +0.931
- Verstappen +0.933
- Colapinto +0.933
- Albon +0.975
- Hamilton +0.999
- Perez +1.049
Trouble for Verstappen?
He’ll need to produce one hell of a performance to win in Abu Dhabi if Ferrari’s pace is to be believed, and Verstappen has just complained of understeer over team radio.
Trading blows
This weekend is all about McLaren v Ferrari and the two constructors’ championship rivals are already battling it out – Sainz goes top for a few moments before Norris pushes him down with an almost identical time to the fastest FP1 lap.
Both teams are yet to break out the soft tyres too…
Busy bees
Lawson is quickest after five minutes but drivers are still getting their eye in – the Kiwi is over a second slower than Leclerc’s best time in FP1.
Green light
The pit exit is live and we are go go go! A queue of drivers are raring to get out.
T-5 minutes
Not long to go now! The sun is starting to set over the Yas Marina Circuit as we count down to the start of FP2.
Driver to beat?
Gabriel Bortoleto arrived in Abu Dhabi 0.5 points ahead of Isack Hadjar in the title race with Paul Aron the only other driver still in (admittedly far-fetched) contention.
And the lead pair remain almost inseparable after qualifying as neither driver picked up the two points available for pole position – while Kimi Antonelli was just one place away from sprint race pole.
Turning point?
Charles and Arthur Leclerc shared a historic moment both driving for Ferrari in FP1 earier – but it’s bad news for the older brother who was handed a 10-place grid penalty for a energy store change as the Scuderia battle McLaren for the constructors’ championship.
Familiar faces return
Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz, Oscar Piastri, Yuki Tsunida, Alex Albon and Lance Stroll all return for this session after skipping FP1 to give rookie drivers a go, how quickly can they get up to speed now?
Remember, one driver that’s not coming back is Esteban Ocon (or Logan Sargeant and Daniel Ricciardo for that matter, gone but never forgotten), as Jack Doohan has made an early start to life as an Alpine F1 driver.
Hello and welcome!
It’s the only chance for teams to get a preview of their pace under the lights in Abu Dhabi before the meaningful sessions begin, and Ferrari need all the help they can get – more on that soon.
But FP2 at the Abu Dhabi GP gets underway in 20 minutes’ time so now is the time to strap in!
When is FP2 at the F1 2024 Abu Dhabi GP?
FP2 at the F1 2024 Abu Dhabi GP will take place at 17:00 local time on Friday, December 6 at the Yas Marina circuit in the United Arab Emirates, a nation located in the Middle East.
For watchers from the United Kingdom, that means you should be turning on the television at 13:00 GMT time on Friday, December 6.
For those in the United States and Canada, situated near the East Coast, set your alarm clock for 08:00 ET on Friday, December 6. For those on the western coast of the USA and Canada, you should be waking up at 05:00 PT.
For fans Down Under in Australia, FP2 will begin at midnight AEDT. Whilst for those from New Zealand tuning in to see their very own Kiwi, Liam Lawson, it’s a 02:00 NZDT start time.
Where to Watch the F1 2024 Abu Dhabi GP live?
In the UK, the F1 2024 Abu Dhabi GP will be broadcast by Sky Sports F1 which will supply live coverage of all sessions, including practice, qualifying and Sunday’s race. Streaming will be provided by Sky’s NOW service as well as Sky Go.
In the USA, ESPN will broadcast Sunday’s Grand Prix. The race can be watched live on ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN Deportes. ESPN+ will provide streaming options for those who prefer to watch all 57 laps online.
Canadian fans can watch the action on TSN and RDS. Both networks offer live coverage of all sessions. Streaming is also available through TSN Direct and RDS Direct.
In Australia, the F1 2024 Abu Dhabi GP will be shown live on FOX Sports 506. Kayo Sports will provide streaming services for comprehensive coverage of all Formula 1 sessions. Network Ten will also offer select live coverage for those unable to catch all of the action.
