Max Verstappen has taken pole position for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, ending the run of Mercedes power securing pole position for every grand prix this year.
Verstappen last started a race on pole at the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix, and he’ll be looking to keep the two Silver Arrows at bay tomorrow to help him secure second in the Drivers’ Standings.
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Valtteri Bottas edged out his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton on the seven-time World Champion’s return to Formula One after recovering from COVID-19.
Lando Norris equalled his best qualifying of the season to put his McLaren on the second row of the grid, ahead of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz on the third row.
Daniil Kvyat, Lance Stroll, Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly round out the top ten, though Leclerc will start the race in P12 as he picked up a three-place grid drop at last weekend’s Sakhir Grand Prix.
Sebastian Vettel will start his final race with Ferrari down in P13 after being knocked out in Q2.
With both McLarens outqualifying Lance Stroll and Sergio Perez starting towards the back of the grid after incurring a penalty for a power unit change, and the two Renaults only managing P11 and P12, the Woking-based team is in a good position to clinch third in the Constructors’ Championship on Sunday.
The Abu Dhabi GP is set to be a one-stop race, so teams will have little room to maneuverer with regards to strategy, but there are a few good overtaking spots on the Yas Marina Circuit, so we could be in for an exciting end to the season.
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