Lewis Hamilton a obtenu le tour le plus rapide des essais libres du vendredi à Abou Dhabi. Sebastian Vettel a fait le 2e temps et Daniel Ricciardo le 3e temps. Lance Stroll est 14e.
| Pos | Pilote | Temps | Écart | Tours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1:37.877 | 39 | ||
| 2 | 1:38.026 | +0.149s | 37 | |
| 3 | 1:38.180 | +0.303s | 34 | |
| 4 | 1:38.352 | +0.475s | 35 | |
| 5 | 1:38.537 | +0.660s | 33 | |
| 6 | 1:38.894 | +1.017s | 34 | |
| 7 | 1:39.323 | +1.446s | 33 | |
| 8 | 1:39.333 | +1.456s | 36 | |
| 9 | 1:39.529 | +1.652s | 41 | |
| 10 | 1:39.559 | +1.682s | 28 | |
| 11 | 1:39.635 | +1.758s | 36 | |
| 12 | 1:39.671 | +1.794s | 31 | |
| 13 | 1:40.201 | +2.324s | 38 | |
| 14 | 1:40.329 | +2.452s | 30 | |
| 15 | 1:40.694 | +2.817s | 39 | |
| 16 | 1:41.128 | +3.251s | 31 | |
| 17 | 1:41.270 | +3.393s | 43 | |
| 18 | 1:41.302 | +3.425s | 40 | |
| 19 | 1:41.496 | +3.619s | 39 | |
| 20 | 1:41.560 | +3.683s | 12 |