This time, World Cup leader Lando Norris was not the fastest, but his compatriot George Russell. The Mercedes driver lapped in 1.23.334. Norris was four thousandths of a second slower. Verstappen followed Russell by more than a tenth, after improving in the final phase.
The Red Bull driver actually lost all time in the winding third sector and complained about understeer and a bouncing car in that phase, just like last week in Qatar. Oscar Piastri rode the fifth fastest time.
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Training was halted for about fifteen minutes because Lewis Hamilton crashed in turn nine during a fast lap. That was also possible for the Brit in this very disappointing debut season for the seven-time world champion at Ferrari.
Earlier in training, Norris was also hindered by Verstappen’s teammate Yuki Tsunoda. That incident will be reviewed by the stewards after training. The same applies to the moment when Kimi Antonelli suddenly crashed into Tsunoda in the pit lane.
Qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix starts on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m., Dutch time.