Red Bull’s Max Verstappen takes pole position for F1’s Abu Dhabi title-decider
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Red Bull's Max Verstappen drives out of the pit lane during the qualifying session ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
AFP
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ABU DHABI – Max Verstappen was “incredibly happy” on Dec 6 after clinching pole position for the title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with McLaren’s Formula One leader Lando Norris alongside on the front row and his teammate Oscar Piastri qualifying third.
In a shrewd tactical move by Red Bull, four-time world champion Verstappen was given an aerodynamic tow behind teammate Yuki Tsunoda, who will start 10th, to lap 0.201 of a second faster than Norris.
Norris leads Verstappen by 12 points, and Piastri by a further four, and will be champion as long as he finishes on the podium in the Dec 7 race at Yas Marina.
Verstappen will have to win and hope Norris finishes no higher than fourth and the 2025 crown will be his. For now, the Dutchman said he was thrilled with his pole position.
“In Q2, I stayed on scrubbed tyres and those laps already felt quite decent. In Q3 around here, the track temperature is coming down and you know you can push more and that’s what we did,” he said.
“We found a bit more lap time and I am incredibly happy to be in first. That’s the only thing we can do, we can control, to maximise what we have and what we can with the car and we definitely did that in qualifying.
“I will try to win the race... We need a bit of luck with what’s happening behind us.”
Norris, meanwhile, admitted that Verstappen was the better driver on the day.
“It’s tough. Max did a good job so congrats to him,” he said. “We did everything we could. I think my lap was pretty good, I was pretty happy.
“Of course disappointed to not be on pole for the final weekend but we were just not fast enough today, so we will try and do it tomorrow.”
When asked about his strategy for the main race, he gave nothing away.
“The time will come (when) I think of that but, for now, disappointed to not be on pole. I still want to win tomorrow so that’s going to be the goal,” he added.
Mercedes’ George Russell will join Piastri on the second row after qualifying fourth.
With his title hopes fading, Piastri is still expecting a “pretty exciting day” nonetheless.
“We will find out. Max has looked quick in the long runs and clearly quick over one lap. Let’s see how much pace is a factor tomorrow,” he said.
Behind the top four are Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc (fifth), Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin (sixth), Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto (seventh) and Haas’ Esteban Ocon (eighth).
Isack Hadjar of Racing Bulls, who will replace Tsunoda at Red Bull next season, finished one spot ahead of the Japanese in ninth.
For the third race running, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who had a crash in third practice
It was another nightmare setback for the Briton, who has the best record of all at the Yas Marina Circuit with five pole positions and five wins.
He will take some solace, perhaps, from the memory of last season when he finished fourth after again starting 16th on the grid.
Sky Sports pundit David Croft, like Piastri, is predicting an exciting race day but also one that requires a bit of strategy from Verstappen in pole.
“What a race we have got in store tomorrow,” he said. “Don’t expect Max Verstappen to blast off into the distance.
“He will need others to overtake Lando Norris and he will maybe need to back Norris into the pack.
“Oscar Piastri will be challenging because he needs to beat Norris as well.” REUTERS, AFP
