The final qualifying session of the season was dominated by Max Verstappen ahead of the McLaren duo.
Photo: Bryn Lennon
Although McLaren were considered the on-paper favourites, Verstappen pulled two tenths clear and will start the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from pole position. The current championship leader Lando Norris will join him on the front row of the grid, while Oscar Piastri will start only from third.
Verstappen said: "We found some lap time and I'm incredibly happy to be first. That's the only thing we can do to maximize what we have and what we can do with the car, and we definitely did that in qualifying."
The unluckiest driver of qualifying was undoubtedly Lewis Hamilton. After his crash in FP3, he wasn’t able to make it out of Q1 and will start the race from 16th place. He is now the only Ferrari driver to be knocked out in Q1 three times in a row. His teammate fared slightly better and will start from fifth.
Mercedes had the one-lap pace, but they didn’t fully convert it. Antonelli failed to make it out of Q2, and although George Russell was on a strong lap at the end of Q3, he made a mistake in the final corner, leaving him only fourth on the grid.