Match point for McLaren: Formula 1 driver Lando Norris has secured the last pole position of the season and paved the way for his racing team to their first title in the team world championship in 26 years.
The Brit set the fastest lap on the asphalt in Abu Dhabi on Saturday in 1:22.595 minutes. Teammate Oscar Piastri (Australia) had to admit defeat by almost two tenths and made the front row of the grid perfect for McLaren. “The front row is fantastic for the team. Hopefully it will continue like this tomorrow,” he cheered.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz (Spain) came third, but things didn’t go according to plan for McLaren’s competitors. Behind them, Nico Hülkenberg initially surprised in his Haas with an outstanding fourth place – but later had to give it up again.
Because Ferrari star Charles Leclerc was centimeters off the track on his fast lap in turn one in Q2, the Monegasque’s time was canceled. He fell back to 14th place in the rankings, but also received a ten-place penalty for the race on Sunday (2:00 p.m./Sky) due to a new battery – so he starts from the last row of the grid.
Sainz, who left the Scuderia for Williams after the race, was at least able to easily keep up. “It will be my last chance to win for some time. We have nothing to lose tomorrow,” he said. Fifth place went to world champion Max Verstappen (Netherlands) in his Red Bull.
Record champion Lewis Hamilton experienced a horror qualifying. On his last race weekend for Mercedes, of all things, he was eliminated in Q1. Because a bollard that was lying on the track got caught in the Brit’s front wing in the crucial minutes, he only ended up in 18th place. “I completely screwed it up, boys” and “that was really bad,” radioed Hamilton. He will compete for Ferrari from 2025.
Hülkenberg from Emmerich initially shone for his team in his last qualifying and came fourth. From 2025 he will compete for Sauber and Audi. But because he overtook two cars in the pit lane in Q2, he received a penalty of three places. This comes at the wrong time: Together with teammate Kevin Magnussen, who will also be leaving the US racing team, he is still fighting against Alpine for sixth place in the team world championship. The Dane fell significantly behind Hülkenberg in 15th place.
At the French racing team, things only went according to plan for Pierre Gasly. The Frenchman set the sixth best time and now starts directly in front of him due to Hülkenberg’s penalty. Teammate and Grand Prix debutant Jack Doohan (Australia) came last. In the constructors’ championship, Alpine is five points ahead of Haas.