It was McLaren who came out on top in their battle with Ferrari, after Lando Norris set the fastest time ahead of team-mate Oscar Piastri.
In a further blow to Ferrari, Charles Leclerc will serve a 10-place grid penalty for the Abu Dhabi GP after having a battery pack changed on his car outside of his allotment.
Nico Hulkenberg completed the top three in FP2, an excellent result in his final weekend for Haas as the team chase down sixth in the constructors' championship.
Friday evening also delivered another nightmare session for Franco Colapinto, who retired to the garage early after the Williams star ran wide over the kerb at Turn Eight and damaged his car.
The Argentine was unable to set a lap on the soft tyres, and finished the session in P20 and last of the whole field.