Max Verstappen sets the pace in Abu Dhabi after 'forced' absence in 1st practice

Max Verstappen hopped back into his Red Bull in FP2 and immediately set the pace in Abu Dhabi Grand Prix practice on Friday evening.

The World Champion went more than three-tenths faster than the Mercedes of George Russell in second place in the session, with Charles Leclerc taking third, albeit almost half a second down on the Red Bull driver's benchmark.

Lewis Hamilton, Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz followed behind their teammates over one-lap pace, with the teams looking at both short and long-run pace through FP2 in Abu Dhabi.

With eight drivers having swapped seats for FP1, the teams mostly filling their mandatory 'young driver' running at the season finale, the full grid was back in play as the sun began to set over Yas Marina.

Here's how FP2 finished ??#AbuDhabiGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/fk7blonXbl

Representative conditions

With FP2 beginning at the same time the race will start on Sunday, conditions were fully representative for the drivers as they took to the track on Friday evening.

For Verstappen, he was clearly eager to get going, having been sat in his Red Bull cockpit long before the lights went green as he retook his seat for the session, with Red Bull junior Logan Sargeant having replaced him earlier in the day.

READ: WRAP | Max Verstappen posts quickest time across Friday practices in Abu Dhabi

The initial medium and hard-tyre runs allowed the field to get their collective eyes in before qualifying simulations got underway, though Hamilton pulled alongside Kevin Magnussen on the back straight to show his displeasure after he came right up to the back of the Haas under braking for the Turn 6 hairpin. The Dane had gone much slower than the Mercedes driver anticipated.

But elsewhere, Verstappen was the first of the