P1racenews AI automatic summary:
McLaren looks on course to be in a “league of their own” at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix based on the times in opening practice, according to the team’s F1 rivals.
The McLaren team showed dominance at the Yas Marina Circuit with Lando Norris leading a 1-2 finish in FP2, setting a time of 1:23.517s. The team’s pace was evident, with Norris faster than his teammate Piastri and Hulkenberg’s Haas. Despite McLaren’s strong performance, Mercedes’ George Russell believes they still have a lot of ground to cover to catch up with McLaren and Ferrari. Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz admitted that they are a few tenths behind McLaren and need to improve their performance for the final race. McLaren’s consistent performance in Abu Dhabi makes them a tough competitor, according to both Russell and Sainz.
