Dark. Dry. Air +27C, highway +33C
The stage in Abu Dhabi traditionally closed the season. Everyone wanted to leave for the winter holidays in a good mood, so qualifying on a circuit where overtaking is difficult was especially important.
On Friday, Russell and Leclerc were in the lead during training, and on Saturday morning George again set the best time. Many complained of poor setup and balance problems as the second session, the most rewarding of the weekend, was cut short due to two crashes.
The tire makers brought the softest rubber compounds to the podium: C3, C4 and C5 in Hard, Medium and Soft roles. Qualifying started at 6:00 PM local time and the sun set at 5:33 PM – the track gradually cooled and grip improved. The stands were completely filled.
In the first session everyone went to Soft. On the first attempt, Verstappen topped the timesheet with 1:24.160. Sargent made several attempts, but was unable to stay on track in any of them – all his fastest laps were cancelled.
Verstappen had the best time; Sainz, Magnussen, Bottas, Zhou and Sargent dropped out of further competition.
In the second session everyone went back to Soft. Verstappen again showed the best time and completed a lap in 1:23.740. Hamilton, Ocon, Stroll, Albon and Ricciardo did not qualify for the final. “Guys, there’s something wrong with my car,” Lewis said at the end of the session.
In the final everyone went to Soft. Verstappen immediately set a new benchmark: 1:23.445, which no one could improve. Charles Leclerc came closest to him.
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Max Verstappen won qualifying in Abu Dhabi and took the 32nd pole of his career and the 12th of the season. On Sunday he will share the front row with Charles Leclerc. Piastri and Russell start from second, Norris and Tsunoda from third.
Qualifying results
| Pilot | Team | 1 session | Session 2 | Session 3 | ||||||
| M | Time | Kr | M | Time | Kr | M | Time | Kr | ||
| 1. M. Verstappen | Red Bull | 1 | 1:24,160 | 6 | 1 | 1:23,740 | 3 | 1 | 1:23,445 | 6 |
| 2. S. Leclerc | Ferrari | 10 | 1:24,459 | 6 | 3 | 1:23,969 | 6 | 2 | 1:23,584 | 6 |
| 3. O. Piastri | McLaren | 12 | 1:24,487 | 6 | 10 | 1:24,278 | 5 | 3 | 1:23,782 | 6 |
| 4. D. Russell | Mercedes | 5 | 1:24,337 | 6 | 4 | 1:24.013 | 6 | 4 | 1:23,788 | 6 |
| 5. L.Norris | McLaren | 6 | 1:24,368 | 5 | 2 | 1:23,920 | 5 | 5 | 1:23,816 | 6 |
| 6. Yu.Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 3 | 1:24,286 | 6 | 8 | 1:24,207 | 6 | 6 | 1:23,968 | 6 |
| 7. F. Alonso | Aston Martin | 13 | 1:24,501 | 6 | 7 | 1:24,131 | 6 | 7 | 1:24,084 | 6 |
| 8. N. Hulkenberg | Hare | 8 | 1:24,425 | 6 | 9 | 1:24,213 | 6 | 8 | 1:24,108 | 6 |
| 9. C. Perez | Red Bull | 2 | 1:24,209 | 6 | 6 | 1:24,116 | 5 | 9 | 1:24,171 | 6 |
| 10. P. Gasly | Alps | 15 | 1:24,600 | 6 | 5 | 1:24,078 | 6 | 10 | 1:24,548 | 6 |
| 11. L.Hamilton | Mercedes | 9 | 1:24,437 | 6 | eleven | 1:24,359 | 6 | |||
| 12. E. Okon | Alps | 14 | 1:24,565 | 6 | 12 | 1:24,391 | 6 | |||
| 13. L. Walk | Aston Martin | 7 | 1:24,405 | 6 | 13 | 1:24,422 | 6 | |||
| 14. A. Elbon | Williams | 4 | 1:24,298 | 6 | 14 | 1:24,439 | 6 | |||
| 15. D. Ricciardo | AlphaTauri | eleven | 1:24,461 | 6 | 15 | 1:24,442 | 6 | |||
| 16. K. Sainz | Ferrari | 16 | 1:24,738 | 6 | ||||||
| 17. K.Magnussen | Hare | 17 | 1:24,764 | 6 | ||||||
| 18. V. Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 18 | 1:24,788 | 6 | ||||||
| 19. G.Zhou | Alfa Romeo | 19 | 1:25,159 | 6 | ||||||
| 20. L. Sargent | Williams | 20 | – | 6 | ||||||
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
