Max Verstappen has taken pole for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. After trailing the Mercedes of George Russell in Q1 and 2, the reigning world champion benefitted from a fresh set of soft tyres in Q3 to put in not one but two incredible laps and take pole by over two tenths of a second. His fifth at Yas Marina and his eighth of this season. Verstappen later claimed his main focus was to win the race but also acknowledged those starting behind him. He may be best placed to take the race win, but victory alone will not be enough for Verstappen to claim this title.
Behind him, Lando Norris was forced to run used tyres and had no answer to Verstappen’s pace. That said, he was able to claim second and outpace his teammate Oscar Piastri by three hundredths of a second. He later claimed that he would still aim for the win on Sunday, but with a 12-point lead, a podium finish would be enough to secure the world championship for Norris.
Oscar Piastri will line up third. Having traded fastest times with Norris throughout, the Australian later admitted to having left very little time on the table at the end of his last run. He currently sits 16 points behind Norris in the championship and will need some significant external intervention to have a chance. That said, Piastri’s position dispels the need for any caution.
Quickest in FP3, Q1 and Q2, George Russell looked like a possible candidate for pole position. However, Verstappen’s Q3 runs made life difficult for the Mercedes driver, who also suffered a wayward moment out of turn 16 that compromised his final lap. In the end, Russell had to make do with fourth but remains finely poised to strike should any of the leading trio hit trouble.
After having to complete a second run in Q1 to avoid elimination and struggling for grip throughout, Charles Leclerc did well to secure fifth by the end of Q3. However, with doubts looming over Ferrari’s race pace, it remains to be seen if Leclerc will be able to mix it in with those ahead of him.
Aston Martin’s solid free practice pace persisted through qualifying as Fernando Alonso claimed sixth after what he described as a “happy day” ahead of Gabriel Bortoleto, who equalled his best qualifying performance in seventh. Having endured a middling run of races, the Brazilian is well placed to end his season on a high in what will be Sauber’s F1 swansong ahead of the 2026 Audi takeover.
Esteban Ocon made Q3 for the first time since Monaco back in May and will start eighth, one place ahead of Isack Hadjar.
Yuki Tsunoda made it into Q3 but failed to set a time in the final part of qualifying. He will therefore start tenth for his final race as a Red Bull driver.
After a strong showing in free practice and briefly going quickest in Q2, Ollie Bearman missed out on Q3 by just 0.007s. He will share the sixth row with Carlos Sainz, who starts ahead of Liam Lawson, whose Q3 prospects were curtailed by his teammate.
Kimi Antonelli ended up a disappointing 14th, having struggled with rear instability throughout. Lance Stroll couldn’t match his teammate and will start 15th ahead of a dejected Lewis Hamilton. After making a series of setup changes after free practice, the seven-time world champion struggled for pace and was knocked out of Q1 for the third race in succession. When asked about his qualifying woes, Hamilton struggled for words and was clearly frustrated with his performance. Alex Albon will start 17th ahead of Nico Hülkenberg, Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto.
Verstappen has done all he can to keep himself in the running. But with all three contenders at the front of the grid, turn one a potential hotbed for chaos, and 58 laps still left to run, this title is anything but settled.
