Max Verstappen grabbed a shock pole position for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – positioning himself perfectly to wreck Lewis Hamilton’s drive for an eighth world title.
The Dutchman did a magnificent lap on the Yas Marina circuit’s remodelled Yas Marina track. He was able to get to the front without any obstructions, even though there was a brief suspension for clearing a bollard.
Verstappen starts on the soft, faster tyre while Hamilton is on the mediums. This championship is fiercely contested and strategy could have an impact on its outcome.
Max Verstappen takes a surprising pole position at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Red Bull driver Lewis Hamilton was almost three tenths slower than Red Bull.
Verstappen’s killer lap came out of nowhere. Verstappen was able to get a helper from Sergio Perez (Red Bull team-mate), to make his lap more than half an second faster than Hamilton. Hamilton came in second with 0.371sec.
It was a surprise, but the scene has dramatically changed in the title race joust. McLaren Lando Norris qualified unexpectedly third.
Simple title mathematics. Hamilton will win the title by finishing ahead of Verstappen while still being in the top 10.
Hamilton was forced to accept second place on the grid in Yas Marina’s season finale
Hamilton will be starting alongside his chief title challenger on Sunday’s front row.
Hamilton waves to Saturday’s crowd after the qualifying session
Hamilton and Verstappen are locked level on points but the Dutchman leads 9-8 in terms of wins – enough to give Verstappen his maiden title if neither of them finishes the race.
Verstappen was four-tenths faster than Hamilton in Q1. However, the roles were reversed in Q2, as Verstappen was fastest on medium tyres. He had switched to soft tires after declaring he had a huge flat spot.
‘The lock-up wasn’t ideal so it kind of forced our hand,’ said Red Bull boss Christian Horner. ‘We were 50-50 going into that session, it forced our hand, and the soft is going to be a different tyre to Mercedes tomorrow.
McLaren’s shock third-place finish behind Verstappen was Lando Norris from Britain (right).
Dutch Verstappen supporters in orange dominated the stands.
‘So we’ll see how it plays out.’
Mick Schumacher threw a bollard at the corner’s end, which promoted the red-flag suspension.
George Russell was beaten in qualifying for the first time in his Williams career – a remarkable run – with Nicholas Latifi a place ahead of the Englishman in 16th.
To win the record-breaking eighth world title, Hamilton has to beat Verstappen.
He was joined by his supporters at Yas Marina Circuit.