The battle for the world title between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen took an explosive turn during the second practice session for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. On the sweltering Yas Marina circuit, the McLaren driver saw his fast lap almost ruined by a radio misunderstanding with the Red Bull team — a moment that brought an incident very close to reality.
While Verstappen had just completed a timed lap, his engineer Gianpiero Lambiase warned him that Norris was not in a running lap. This information was corrected the next second, with a suddenly alarmed tone:
"Or maybe he is... he's coming!"
Caught off guard, Verstappen abruptly changes trajectory to the left. Norris, traveling at full speed, suddenly appeared towards him — the two single-seaters grazed each other. Over the radio, the Briton's voice confirmed the scare:
"What is he doing? I almost hit him!"
Lando Norris furious with Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi
The commissioners F1 briefly noted the incident before deciding that no sanctions would be necessaryBut the warning is clear: in this high-tension end to the season, a fraction of a second can change everything.
Because from a sporting perspective, the duel is going in favor of Norris The McLaren proved formidable, and the Briton dominated FP2 with a lead of more than three tenths over Verstappen — a strong message sent to the world champion.
Behind, the other McLaren experienced a very different scenario. Oscar piastri, after having left his seat at Patrick O'Ward During FP1, he lacked pace and finished 11th after a major wheel lock-up. The Australian is nearly seven tenths of a second off the pace. Norris and will need to bounce back quickly to avoid losing ground in the title race.
The table is set: at Abu DhabiNothing is decided, everything is risky… and the duel Norris–Verstappen It's never been so electric.
Lando on a push lap, Max going slow… no harm done! #F1 #AbuDhabiGP pic.twitter.com/NG5knOHSTJ
- Formula 1 (@ F1) December 5, 2025
