Formula 1 in Abu Dhabi
Qualifying thriller in the title fight: Verstappen takes the last pole in 2025
Updated on December 6, 2025 – 4:15 p.mReading time: 1 min.
Qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be a close affair between the three title contenders. In the end, the four-time world champion prevailed. Another experiences the next disappointment.
Is this a final sign in the dramatic Formula 1 title fight? World champion Max Verstappen has secured first place on the grid at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver took pole position in the exciting qualifying for the last Grand Prix of the season and is in the best starting position at the start of the race in the tight title fight with World Championship leader Lando Norris (408 points) and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri (392). Verstappen is currently 396 points between the two McLarens. Norris will start the race on Sunday (from 2 p.m. in the live ticker on t-online) from second place on the grid, Piastri in third.
In the final section of qualifying, Verstappen excelled with two strong laps and secured his eighth pole of the year. Nevertheless, Norris is still on course for the world title in second place.
Only the Briton can win the title on his own on Sunday; a place on the podium is enough for the Englishman to achieve his first triumph. Verstappen and Piastri, on the other hand, need a win if possible and also weak results from the competition.
Meanwhile, record world champion Lewis Hamilton experienced another bitter setback. The Ferrari driver was eliminated again in the first part of qualifying in 16th place. Nico Hülkenberg (Emmerich/Sauber) also disappointed in the time hunt. While his Brazilian teammate Gabriel Bortoleto will start the race from a strong seventh place, the German couldn’t get past 18th place.