Abu Dhabi - Qualifying

With the World Drivers' Championship on the line, and three drivers hungry for the glory that comes with it, the weekend in Abu Dhabi is sure to be nothing short of unforgettable. Although the points are scored on a Sunday, the rivalry always first heats up during the qualifying hour, and the three sessions at Yas Marina were no different. 

The Alpines were the first cars to come out onto the track, but the early start didn't help their performance. Throughout the session, both Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto had trouble keeping their cars on track, which resulted in three lap times being deleted between the two of them. On the other end of the performance spectrum was George Russell, whose first attempt was the best out of all the other drivers on track. Oscar Piastri was the quickest out of the three championship contenders, a trend that continued after all drivers managed to complete their second flying laps. For a while, it seemed like Ferrari's Charles Leclerc could be in trouble, given that his first run, performed on medium tires, put him in an unfavourable P18, but the Monegasque easily saved himself from elimination with his second attempt. His teammate, Lewis Hamilton, didn't manage the same feat. He saw no improvement on his second flyer and ended up being knocked out of the qualifying by Gabriel Bortoleto. Alex Albon, Nico Hulkenberg, Pierre Gasly, and Franco Colapinto made up the rest of the elimination zone. 

Verstappen went out onto the track as soon as Q2 began, starting his first lap before the other drivers had even left their garages. He managed a good time, but was later beaten by both Norris and Russell, the latter of whom kept the top spot until the very end of the session. Leclerc came close to throwing his chances of participating in the top ten shootout after a mistake in sector one, but managed to turn his final lap around and safely move through to the next session. Oliver Bearman, Carlos Sainz, Liam Lawson, Kimi Antonelli, and Lance Stroll ended their day with twenty minutes of qualifying still to go.

Verstappen began Q3 with an absolutely electric lap, aided by a slipstream from his teammate, Yuki Tsunoda. Neither of the McLarens could measure up to his effort, although the fact that they had both gone out on used tires gave their fans hope for the second timed attempts. Unfortunately for them, when the time came for the Dutchman to complete his second attempt, he only improved his already impressive time. Once again, neither of the McLarens could catch up to him. When it mattered most, Verstappen did what he does best and jumped to the very top. 

Order of the grid:

1. Max Verstappen

2. Lando Norris

3. Oscar Piastri

4. George Russell

5. Charles Leclerc

6. Fernando Alonso

7. Gabriel Bortoleto

8. Esteban Ocon

9. Isack Hadjar

10. Yuki Tsunoda

11. Oliver Bearman

12. Carlos Sainz

13. Liam Lawson

14. Kimi Antonelli

15. Lance Stroll

16. Lewis Hamilton

17. Alex Albon

18. Nico Hulkenberg

19. Pierre Gasly

20. Franco Coalpinto