Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Practice Recap

With FP1 set early afternoon, and therefore unrepresentative of Saturday and Sunday’s early evening track conditions for qualifying and the race, track time potentially had limited value but nonetheless it was a productive session with MoneyGram Haas F1 Team drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen finishing P6 and P8 respectively.

Both ran an identical tire program, utilizing a set each of the Pirelli P Zero Yellow medium and Red soft compounds. Following a baseline outing on the mediums, the drivers set their fastest laps on the soft rubber – Hulkenberg clocking a 1:25.373, Magnussen behind on a 1:25.444. High-fuel long runs back on the mediums concluded the opening 60-minute practice.

FP2 commenced at 17:00 local time - with a setting sun the precursor to the floodlights illuminating the 5.281-kilometer (3.281-mile), 16-turn Yas Marina Circuit. Hulkenberg and Magnussen successfully maintained their top 10 form with Hulkenberg delivering an impressive 1:23.979 on softs to go P3, while Magnussen’s 1:24.235 on the same compound landed P8 on the timesheet. As per the earlier session, distance runs wrapped up proceedings – Hulkenberg remaining on his softs with Magnussen returning to medium rubber.

MoneyGram Haas F1 Team ran a total of 101 laps on Friday across FP1 and FP2 – Hulkenberg (51), Magnussen (50).



Nico Hulkenberg:

“It was a very solid Friday. From this morning, the car felt in a happy place and in a sweet spot, which is obviously a good place to start and provides a good foundation. Now we need to preserve that and improve little things, optimize, and we need to be good on the operational side. A lot of drivers were out of position in second practice, so it’s still going to be a challenge to get into the top 10, but I think it’s possible if we do a really good job.”

Kevin Magnussen:

“The pace was good in the car, there’s just a little bit we need to work on and hopefully we can find a little bit more. It’s so tight, we’d like to find a bit more to get into Q3 as it’s going to be super difficult. We were in the top 10 with both cars so hopefully we can get there tomorrow too. FP1 straightaway felt good and quick, we made some changes for FP2, and straight out of the box it didn’t feel so good so reverted and found the pace again. We’re giving it everything we have.”

Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal:

“I think it was a decent Friday and from the get-go both drivers were in a decent place with the car as well. We’ve got a couple of things to look at, but going into this final race with lots riding on it, I feel everyone is working well and is calm. It was a good Friday and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
    
Today's Data:

Event: Free Practice 1 & 2 for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Friday December 6
Location: Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi
Layout: 5.281-kilometer (3.281-mile), 16-turn circuit
FP1 & FP2 Weather: Sunny / Clear
Drivers: Nico Hulkenberg, Kevin Magnussen

Free Practice 1 (FP1) Rundown:

Hulkenberg: 6th overall (1:25.373), 23 laps
Magnussen: 8th overall (1:25.444), 25 laps 
Fastest: Charles Leclerc of Scuderia Ferrari (1:24.321)

Free Practice 2 (FP2) Rundown:

Hulkenberg: 3rd overall (1:23.979), 28 laps  
Magnussen: 8th overall (1:24.235), 25 laps
Fastest: Lando Norris of McLaren (1:23.517)