For the second round in a row, MP rookies Clément Novalak and Doohan were the first to complete a tour of the track, with the Frenchman setting the benchmark at 1:59.442. 

Doohan topped the times at the end of the first run of flyers, as the field got a taste of the revamped Yas Marina Circuit. After momentarily falling to fourth, the Formula 3 vice-champion leapt back up to P1 at the end of the next round of laps, taking the quickest time down to 1:37.702, ahead of Marcus Armstrong and Ralph Boschung. 

Lundgaard beat Piastri to P1 at the midway point by becoming the first driver to break the 1m 37s in Abu Dhabi, but the PREMA driver did manage to wrestle the position from the Dane on his next lap, going 0.005s quicker. 

Improving track conditions were masking heavy tyre wear and allowed Doohan to improve and return to the top spot with a 1:36.821, but the Red Bull junior wasn’t there for long as Piastri jumped back to P1, going 0.21s faster. 

No one could unsettle the Alpine junior in the remaining 10 minutes, and he finished ahead of Doohan and Lundgaard. Boschung retained a spot amongst the frontrunners in fourth, ahead of Novalak, who made it two rookies in the top five. 

Jüri Vips beat Armstrong to sixth, with Bent Viscaal, Robert Shwartzman and Marino Sato completing the top 10. 

Piastri will look to increase his Championship advantage over teammate Robert Shwartzman by four points in Qualifying, which takes place at 6.35pm local time.