Verstappen lands pole in Abu Dhabi

Max Verstappen has secured pole position to head an all-Red Bull front row for Sunday’s Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The Dutchman secured top spot in Yas Marina by 0.2s over team-mate Sergio Perez following Qualifying ahead of the season finale.

Behind the Red Bull duo come the two Ferraris, with Charles Leclerc ahead of Carlos Sainz. The trend then continues onto the all-Mercedes third row.

Elsewhere, Daniel Ricciardo progressed to Qualifying 3 in what is his final appearance for McLaren, as did Sebastian Vettel in what is his last Formula 1 race appearance prior to retirement.

The session proved to be a slow burner initially, with almost 10 minutes elapsing before the heavy hitters began their initial runs.

That resulted in Verstappen fastest from Perez and Leclerc, the Ferrari driver slipping to fourth when Sainz completed his first lap, slotting in third best.

A final flurry with three minutes to run in Qualifying 1 saw the field, with the exception of the two Ferraris, head back out on track.

Traffic in the final sector was an issue, with cars crawling around the last two corners as others completed flying laps.

It saw a near miss for Vettel, though the German was able to progress out of the first phase.

Eliminated from the session were Kevin Magnussen, Pierre Gasly, Valtteri Bottas, Alex Albon, and Nicholas Latifi.

Fernando Alonso squeaked through with his final lap, finishing just 0.05s clear of an early elimination.

Qualifying 2 saw George Russell set the early pace, a 1:25.363s, though he was quickly shuffled down the order as others went faster.

Perez record a 1:24.419s, heading team-mate Verstappen by 0.4s after their initial flying lap.

The Dutchman complained about a lap of grip and fell to third when Hamilton managed a 1:24.774s.

Leclerc was only seventh best after his initial effort, while Alonso, Yuki Tsunoda, and Ricciardo were covered by less than a tenth in 10th to 12th respectively.

All 15 remaining runners completed a second run in the last moments of the segment.

It saw the timing screen change with almost every car across the line, though settled with Alonso, Tsunoda, Mick Schumacher, Lance Stroll, and Guanyu Zhou eliminated.

Perez ended the segment fastest, while Leclerc rose to second best in the latter stages, with Sainz third.

Verstappen stuck in the garage as Qualifying 3 began, emerging slightly out of sequence behind the bulk of the field.

His initial lap moved him onto pole with a 1:23.988s, deposing Sainz’s 1:24.281s which had been top of the timesheets to that point.

Vettel and Ricciardo were the only two who did not immediately head out in Qualifying 3. preferring to run in the middle of the session when the circuit was otherwise empty.

That saw Vettel go seventh best with his lap, a 1:24.961s, while Ricciardo mustered a 1:25.045s to slot in eighth.

The Australian ended his lap as the rest of the field journeyed back out on track.

Leclerc was the first to start his lap, crossing the line with just under two minutes remaining in the session.

The Ferrari driver improved to second fastest with a 1:24.092s, while Norris rose to seventh on a 1:24.769s.

Already on provisional pole. Verstappen managed a 1:23.824s to extend his advantage, with Perez improving to second with a 1:24.052s.

Sainz could not better that, ensuring a Red Bull one-two for Sunday’s race, while Mercedes locked out the third row with Hamilton ahead of Russell.

Results: Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Qualifying