{"id":15385,"date":"2025-12-06T16:59:05","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T16:59:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/?p=15385"},"modified":"2025-12-06T16:59:05","modified_gmt":"2025-12-06T16:59:05","slug":"abu-dhabi-gp-max-verstappen-beats-championship-rivals-to-pole-by-two-tenths-with-sublime-laps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.f1vault.co.uk\/index\/abu-dhabi-gp-max-verstappen-beats-championship-rivals-to-pole-by-two-tenths-with-sublime-laps\/","title":{"rendered":"ABU DHABI GP \u2013 Max Verstappen beats championship rivals to pole by two tenths with sublime laps"},"content":{"rendered":"

Max Verstappen has beaten Lando Norris to pole by two tenths for the championship-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The reigning champion set a 22.207, delivering two sublime laps that would have beaten both his championship rivals in Q3. Verstappen found a lot of time improving by nine hundredths on his final run.<\/p>\n

The top three in the championship start as the top three on the grid, but Norris will go into the race as the favourite to take the championship, the Englishman beating his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri by three hundredths. Red Bull appeared to struggle and looked out of the title fight on Friday, but the four-time champion kept himself in the hunt.<\/p>\n

If the closing races of the season have proved anything, it’s that Verstappen can never be counted out his hopes of a fifth championship looked over in August by a series of wins and strong results have brought him back into play. Though many still see Norris as the favourite to win his first title.<\/p>\n

There was no tow on Verstappen’s second lap, but he nevertheless improved further, snipping just under nine hundredths off his own time. That allowed him to secure pole while Norris moved up ahead of Piastri, but it wasn\u2019t enough to secure back-to-back pole.<\/p>\n

But a snap of oversteer on his final attempt through the marina section, which cost him the two tenths and the chance to fight Verstappen for pole, but he is still in pole to win the championship if he finishes on the podium. Norris looked up until that minor but costly error gave Verstappen the edge, which the McLaren had after topping all three practices.<\/p>\n

However, should Verstappen convert pole into victory, and Norris to drop off the podium, he would win a fifth consecutive championship. Norris leads Max Verstappen by twelve points in the standings, but it’s the Dutchman who has secured pole position for the title showdown.<\/p>\n

Norris, who will start on the front row, \u201cIt’s tough. Tough. Max [Verstappen] did a good job, so congrats to him. We did everything we could. I think my lap was pretty good; I was pretty happy. Of course, disappointed not to be on pole for the final weekend but we just weren’t fast enough today. We’ll have to try and do it tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Piastri qualified in third: “It was pretty good, the lap I did in Q1 was nice to finally be able to get into a rhythm through the weekend. I thought the last lap in Q3 was pretty good as well. There wasn’t a whole lot left in that. Just not quite quick enough today, but it sets up for a pretty exciting day tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are easier ways for Norris to win the championship, should Verstappen not win or finish third with every place lost by the Red Bull making his route easier.<\/p>\n

Piastri was just over two tenths faster than George Russell, the Mercedes driver had looked to be a threat to the three title rivals with him being second in Q2 and teammate Kimi Antonelli third in Q1, but when it mattered, Russell made a mistake at Fourteen and the final corner.<\/p>\n

Russell put his Mercedes eight and a half hundredths ahead of Charles Leclerc, the Ferrari driver lucky to get through after a scrappy final run in Q2, saying he nearly aborted \u201cfive times\u201d as he struggled to grip the handling of the Ferrari. That left him two and three-quarters ahead of Fernando Alonso, the Aston Martin two thousandths ahead of the Sauber of Gabriel Bortoleto, with the team converting strong practice pace into a fifth Q3 appearance.<\/p>\n

Esteban Ocon was eighth, he went nine thousandths ahead of his fellow Frenchman Isack Hadjar, while Tsunoda sacrificed to help Verstappen, meaning he didn\u2019t set a time in Q3, meaning he starts tenth.<\/p>\n

Ollie Bearman put his Haas eleventh the Englishman just missed out on the chance to get into the final part of qualifying by just seven thousandths. On a day where Haas certainly had the pace to get both cars through to the final part of qualifying, the Englishman was a thousandth ahead of Carlos Sainz.<\/p>\n

Like Bearman, the Williams also struggled to convert the flashes of pace he showed during qualifying into a Q3 appearance.<\/p>\n

Liam Lawson was three and a half hundredths ahead of Kimi Antonelli, the Mercedes driver appeared to struggle in Q2 with the rear of his Mercedes sliding around. That left him unable to get the most out of his car and just over a hundredth and ahead of Lance Stroll.<\/p>\n

Saturday will be a day to forget for Hamilton; he appeared puzzled and had \u201cno answer\u201d to his third consecutive Q1 elimination. This followed a crash at Turn Nine in FP3, saying, \u201cThe car was feeling great, just had some bottoming and lost the back end.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hamilton and Alex Albon, both looked to be caught out as the sunset and the lap times started to fall, they were shuffled down and out of qualifying.<\/p>\n

The Ferrari just over two hundredths ahead of Albon, while Nico Hulkenberg was three and a half hundredths further behind. The two Alpine\u2019s completed the field Pierre Gasly over four tenths ahead of teammate Franco Colapinto.<\/p>\n

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