Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen made the most of a drying track to record the fastest time of the day before teams halted running for lunch.
The morning was dedicated to wet weather running, with teams sampling Pirelli's intermediates and full wets.
Haas' Romain Grosjean was second fastest late in the session, having put on a set of the SuperSoft compound to set his time which was just 0.43s off Raikkonen's best.
Stoffel Vandoorne just edged out Max Verstappen, also registering a late lap with his UNtraSoft-shod McLaren.
Lewis Hamilton was scheduled to run on the damp track in the morning but an electronic issue kept the Brit's W08 in the garage. Team mate Valtteri Bottas was sent out at the end of the session, achieving nine laps at a slow pace.
Unfortunately, Williams was missing from the session following damage to its Fw40 chassis sustained when Lance Stroll hit the barriers yesterday.
GALLERY: F1 drivers' wives and girlfriends
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
Formula 1's 2025 season hurtles toward its dramatic close this weekend in Yas Marina, with…
In a title showdown charged with tension, numbers, and a hint of intra-team intrigue, Max…
Charles Leclerc isn’t sugarcoating Ferrari’s struggles this season – but he also isn’t second-guessing the…
Red Bull Racing’s newest recruit, Isack Hadjar, is stepping into Formula 1’s hottest seat with…
Lando Norris may be on the brink of his first Formula 1 world championship, but…
On this day in 1997, Nigel Mansell was swiftly cruising at the wheel of his…