Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz failed to make it through to Q3, giving Max Verstappen fewer rivals for pole although the likes of Lando Norris, George Russell and Charles Leclerc were still threatening
Max Verstappen held off the McLaren challenge to secure pole position for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, while Lewis Hamilton’s worst fear came true.
Lando Norris was chief threat to the Dutchman in Q3 but made a mistake on his final run which ended his chances of pole. Oscar Piastri, George Russell and Charles Leclerc all improved, but it was not enough to stop Verstappen.
It means a 12th pole position of the season for the record-breaking Red Bull star while Leclerc will be the one to join him on the front row. Sergio Perez had briefly shot up to second but his lap was deleted for track limits violations so he will start ninth.
Hamilton qualified only eleventh overall, so he was not part of that Q3 scramble. Russell, his Mercedes teammate, had leapfrogged him in the closing moments of that practice, condemning him to a Q2 exit.
Carlos Sainz, who only finished 16th fastest in Q1, was the biggest victim. Given that Hamilton and his Mercedes team are currently tied for second place in the championship with just four points separating them, this would have been welcome news for them.
Logan Sargeant showed good pace but had both his fast laps deleted, forcing him to start the Grand Prix last on the grid. It condemned the American to the reality of having been out-qualified by his team-mate at all 22 races this season.
Both Alfa Romeo cars were also out while Kevin Magnussen was the other star condemned to the bottom five in that first part of qualifying. But there was some good news for Haas at least as Nico Hulkenberg made it through to the final 10.
Hamilton was not so lucky. He warned after Friday practice that reaching Q3 was going to be a struggle and that prediction proved to be correct, as the seven-time world champion could manage only 11th place on the grid.
Following the initial Q3 runs, Norris was second fastest behind Verstappen. After a brilliant first sector, Verstappen didn’t get any better, but neither did the British driver because of a mistake in the last few corners that cost him too much time.
Piastri, Russell, and Leclerc were also able to separate Norris from Pole, but none of them were able to refute Verstappen. The Red Bull driver wasn’t happy with his vehicle in the third practice session, but the team evidently discovered the ideal configuration for him just in time.
Full 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix qualifying result.
1.Max Verstappen – Red Bull
2.Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
3.Oscar Piastri – McLaren
4.George Russell – Mercedes
5.Lando Norris – McLaren
6.Yuki Tsunoda – AlphaTauri
7.Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin
8.Nico Hulkenberg – Haas
9.Sergio Perez – Red Bull
10.Pierre Gasly – Alpine
11.Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes
12.Esteban Ocon – Alpine
13.Lance Stroll – Aston Martin
14.Alex Albon – Williams
15.Daniel Ricciardo – AlphaTauri
16.Carlos Sainz – Ferrari
17.Kevin Magnussen – Haas
18.Valtteri Bottas – Alfa Romeo
19.Zhou Guanyu – Alfa Romeo
20.Logan Sargeant – Williams