ABU DHABI GP – Max Verstappen takes pole ahead of Lewis Hamilton by three tenths for title decider
Max Verstappen has beaten his championship rival Lewis Hamilton by over three and a half tenths to take pole position for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver pulled out one of his biggest advantages of the season, setting up another classic race as to win the championship they both need to beat each other on track.
The Dutchman lead the way through Q2 before going overall fastest, but it was Hamilton who was fastest in Q1. This suggests there will be very little between them as they fight for victory and the world championship. Red Bull have the single lap pace but the race could come down to strategy.
Hamilton had been half a second down following his first run, although he improved, he couldn’t push Verstappen off pole. The seven-time champions two runs were done without a tow. The Dutchman being aided by the tow from his teammate Sergio Perez, Verstappen however didn’t need to improve as his second lap was fast enough for pole.
Verstappen said: “It’s an amazing feeling. Incredibly happy with this. It is of course what we wanted but it is never easy, especially with their form recently. felt good on both tyres. In the evening, it is a bit cooler so a bit easier for the soft tyres. We will see tomorrow.”
Hamilton said: “Max did a great lap today so we just couldn’t compete with that time at the end there. In the first lap, I dropped a bit of time in Turn Five but the last lap was nice and clean. I just couldn’t go any quicker. I couldn’t beat that time he did today. He fully deserved that pole.
They will also start the race on different tyres after Verstappen was forced onto the soft tyre, which is less durable, in Q2 after locking up and damaging his mediums. Hamilton in theory could go longer on the first stint having got through Q2 on mediums as well as having an extra unused set for the race.
A brilliant lap at the end of the session put McLaren’s Lando Norris third, the Englishman eight tenths behind Verstappen. That put Norris a hundred and a half ahead of Perez who starts fourth, while his former teammate Carlos Sainz was fifth just under five hundredths off Perez. Valtteri Bottas starts his final race for Mercedes sixth.
The Finn was nine-tenths off the pace set by Verstappen, however, he splits the Ferrari’s having gone nearly nine hundredths faster than Charles Leclerc. Red Bull having the having the strategic advantage to help Verstappen secure his first title.
Yuki Tsunoda put his Alpha Tauri eighth after going over a tenth and a half faster than Esteban Ocon. Daniel Ricciardo just scraped into Q3 but didn’t improve stay tenth.
Both Ocon and Ricciardo are under investigation for impeding Sebastian Vettel at different points in qualifying. Fernando Alonso was also impeded by Ricciardo at the final corner, meaning the two-time champion failed to get out of Q2, the incident also under investigation.
Pierre Gasly was twelfth fastest going two-hundredths faster than Lance Stroll, Antonio Giovinazzi starting his final race fourth tenth ahead of Sebastian Vettel. The four-time champion is under investigation for impeding Ocon in Q1, although both drivers made it through safely.
Nicolas Latifi once again out-qualified his Williams teammate, George Russell, in their final qualifying as teammates the Canadian was just under nine hundredths faster. Russell, who has most times led the team in qualifying, complained that his tyres were “absolutely nowhere” and criticising his team’s run plan late in Q1.
Kimi Raikkonen starts his final race eighteenth, the Finn over a tenth faster than the Haas of Mick Schumacher, who made two mistakes and went through the gravel twice at Turn One. Schumacher going seven tenths faster than teammate Nikita Mazepin.