Max Verstappen was in a hurry during the second practice session after overtaking three cars, including Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, in the pit lane; watch qualifying for the Abu Dhabi GP live on Sky Sports F1 at 2pm on Saturday, with lights out on Sunday at 1pm
Last Updated: 24/11/23 4:02pm
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Max Verstappen squeezes past cars in the pit lane after the drivers were given the green light to continue the second practice session at the Abu Dhabi GP
Max Verstappen squeezes past cars in the pit lane after the drivers were given the green light to continue the second practice session at the Abu Dhabi GP
Max Verstappen appeared to accuse Lewis Hamilton of being “a bit silly” after overtaking the Mercedes driver and others in the pit lane during Abu Dhabi Grand Prix practice.
Friday’s second practice, which is the most crucial of the weekend’s three practice sessions as it takes place in the same evening conditions as qualifying and the race, was heavily disrupted as two red flags took away half of the 60-minute running time.
When the session resumed for a second and final time with just 16 minutes remaining, Red Bull’s Verstappen opted to make some aggressive manoeuvres to clear Hamilton and his Mercedes team-mate George Russell, along with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly.
Each appeared to consider blocking Verstappen before eventually leaving enough room for the world champion to move clear.
Speaking after finishing third in the session, Verstappen said: “They have to move!
“They are all driving slow and I want to go out because we are all limited on time and they keep on driving in the middle. Then I went to pass, they try to squeeze me in the wall. So a bit silly.”
Verstappen’s pit-lane overtaking does not breach any rules, but was described by Sky Sports F1‘s Damon Hill as “silly”.
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Verstappen says it’s ‘a bit silly’ as he complains of slow drivers in the pit lane exit during P2 of the Abu Dhabi GP
Verstappen: A lot of jumping with the car
Verstappen finished third in practice, which was the only session before qualifying that was held in twilight conditions.
He was 0.173s behind pace-setter Charles Leclerc, with Lando Norris in second. The three-time world champion says his team have “a lot to figure out” ahead of qualifying.
“From our side, the balance was very off – a lot of understeer, a lot of jumping, so definitely a few things to figure out for tomorrow,” said Verstappen.
“I also didn’t expect to be so far off, so that’s also a bit of a question mark for us. We are still P3, it’s not too bad but balance-wise it can be a lot better, so we’ll try to have a look at what to do there.”
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Christian Horner is questioned about rumours surrounding Red Bull approaching Mercedes driver Hamilton
Hamilton: Getting into Q3 will be a challenge
Red Bull are more competitive than Mercedes though, on a weekend where the rivalry between both teams flared up after Christian Horner’s comments that Lewis Hamilton’s father, Anthony Hamilton, had been in contact with him over a potential drive.
Hamilton, who will be going two seasons without a win if he’s not on the top step of the podium this Sunday, says he was not happy with his Friday.
“Not the greatest of days. I only got four timed laps, which is not a lot in a day in terms of your knowledge of the car and the track. The car doesn’t feel bad. We are not in a terrible place. I just hope we get some more running tomorrow,” said
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Lewis Hamilton reflects on both practice sessions while being hopeful for a Q3 finish in Qualifying at the Abu Dhabi GP
“I’m going to try and see if there’s a way to get into Q3. We’ve had difficult qualifying sessions and getting out of Q1 into Q2, for example, is always a tough battle and even getting into Q3 is a challenge.
“The work tomorrow morning has to just be making sure we can get into Q3. I think it’s going to be close. George is looking good, so he might be in a better place, but he didn’t miss P1. I’m not going to make any excuses, I’m just trying to go and get on it tomorrow.”
Norris admits McLaren are in ‘good position’
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McLaren driver Lando Norris is hopeful for a better qualifying session compared to the two practice sessions on Friday at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
McLaren had their worst weekend since the start of the season last time out in Las Vegas, with both cars out in Q1 and Norris enduring a big crash in the race.
Both drivers were competitive again though on Friday in Abu Dhabi as Norris was Leclerc’s closest challenger in second practice.
“It was decent, messy of course, not many laps today. I got comfortable and confident very quickly, which is always important on a day where you miss FP1,” explained Norris.
“For just one session today, I was happy. The car was obviously quite quick. Definitely a bit to find. I think it’s going to very close here in qualifying tomorrow, so one or two-tenths is easily five-six positions come tomorrow afternoon.
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Nico Hulkenberg brings up the second red flag after skidding into the barriers during practice two at the Abu Dhabi GP
“We’re in a good position definitely. We’re more confident and comfortable than we were in Vegas and a few other races, but not many high-fuel long-run laps that I managed to get to in today, actually zero.
“So we’re a little bit behind from a long-run perspective but maybe I can make up for that tomorrow.”
Piastri ended the evening session in 10th but revealed he made “a couple of mistakes” on his best lap and is happy with the completeness of the car.
“I think Q3 is definitely the minimum. Lando showed the pace of the car now. I’m pretty confident if I can get everything together I can be there as well,” he said.
“Maybe we didn’t fully see what Red Bull’s pace was like today, but I think we’re fighting well and truly at the front.”
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David Croft and Anthony Davidson take a look back at Friday practice, which saw ten rookie drivers and two red flags dominate the sessions
Sky Sports F1’s live Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Saturday November 25
- 10.15am: Abu Dhabi GP Practice Three (session starts at 10.30am)
- 12.15pm: F2 Sprint
- 1.15pm: Abu Dhabi GP Qualifying build-up
- 2pm: Abu Dhabi GP Qualifying
- 4pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
Sunday November 26
- 9.10am: F2 Feature Race
- 11.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday Abu Dhabi GP build-up
- 1pm: The ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX
- 3pm: Chequered Flag: Abu Dhabi GP reaction
- 4pm: Ted’s Notebook
After the thrills of Las Vegas, Formula 1 heads to Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit for the 2023 season finale and another stunning spectacle under the lights. Watch the Abu Dhabi weekend live on Sky Sports F1, with lights out on Sunday at 1pm. Stream F1 on Sky Sports with NOW