Lando Norris takes pole ahead of tomorrow’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and Nico Hulkenberg puts on a show in his final Grand Prix for Haas.
Q1:
There was no hurry to hit the track early in the session. The Aston Martin duo, led by Lance Stroll ahead of his teammate Fernando Alonso were first to hit the track. First to set a time was Stroll with a 1:24.366. With over 4 minutes gone from the session, the other team’s began to trickle out on track.
Next to set a time was Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, jumping to the top of the timesheets with a 1:23.366. A track limits infringement at turn 1 however, saw his opening time deleted. Teammate, and newly crowned 4 time champion Verstappen, was next to set the pace with a 1:23.516.
Ferrari then challenged the Champion with Sainz pipping him by 0.023 seconds as teammate Leclerc slotting into 3rd behind Verstappen. A strong opening lap from Magnussen in his final qualifying for Haas however, allowed him to snatch P3 from Leclerc in the opening exchanges.
As the opening laps panned out, the top 8, from Carlos Sainz down to Lance Stroll, were separated by just 0.242s. The last to set a competitive time were the Williams duo of Albon and Colapinto, as well as Perez following his opening lap deletion. With the session time approaching zero, Perez’ opening lap was reinstated however, returning the Red Bull man to a preliminary P3.
The Williams duo, setting their opening laps, managed to secure P11 and P13 for Albon and Colapinto. With all other drivers’ back on track however, the pair were all but safe from elimination.
With second laps coming thick and fast, Bottas showed the track evolution, jumping to P1 with a 1:23.481. The celebrations were short lived however, as Leclerc then jumped to the top 0.179s quicker than the Sauber.
A bollard, clipped by Kevin Magnussen as he attempted to keep out of the way, caught under the Mercedes of Hamilton on his final lap. The loss of downforce from the debris potentially caused a loss of downforce, costing the 7 time champion dearly on his final run.
Eliminated from the session were Albon, Zhou, Hamilton in his final qualifying for Mercedes, and Colapinto. Rounding out the grid in P20 was Jack Doohan in his first competitive qualifying in Formula 1.
Q2:
As the light went green for the second session, Verstappen was first to make his way on track. The Red Bull man set the pace with a 1:22.998 on new soft tyres. Next to cross the line was George Russell for Mercedes, 0.807s slower than Verstappen.
Closest to Verstappen as the opening runs played out was Lando Norris in the McLaren, just 0.100s slower on used tyres. Teammate Piastri then slotted into P3 behind Norris, albeit another 0.101s slower.
With 6 minutes remaining in the session, the Aston Martin due of Alonso and Stroll, Magnussen, Bottas and Gasly occupied the bottom 5. Charles Leclerc for Ferrari with a 1:23.833 was just 0.073s clear of elimination.
Confident in his opening time, Verstappen got out of the car as the other remaining drivers queued to run again. With just 3 minutes remaining on the clock, the McLaren duo were last out, stuck in the congested pit lane.
First to cross the line on his second run was Kevin Magnussen in his final qualifying session for Haas. A 1:23.877 saw the Dane leap to P11, failing to get out of the bottom 5. Teammate Hulkenberg however, improved massively to P2, just 0.042s slower than Verstappen in P1.
A lap time deletion saw Charles Leclerc for Ferrari eliminated, despite setting a lap quick enough for P1. Coupled with a grid drop due to taking a third energy store, Leclerc will start from P20. Teammate Sainz then occupied the top spot with a 1:22.985, showing the pace of the Ferrari.
Eliminated from Q2 was Tsunoda and Lawson for RB, Stroll, Leclerc and Magnussen. The shock of the session was once again Valtteri Bottas, securing P9 and a Q3 appearance. With the Finn potentially competing in his final Grand Prix weekend, he has not failed to put on a show thus far.
Q3:
First out for the final session was Nico Hulkenberg, also celebrating his final Grand Prix with Haas. The German set the opening pace with a 1:23.492. Verstappen was next to take the top spot, despite a huge spin in the final corner with a 1:22.945.
With the first laps shaking out, Lando Norris for McLaren occupied P2 just 0.004s off Verstappen. A track limits infringement for the second McLaren of Piastri saw the Aussie lose his P3 time. Sainz for Ferrari then held P3, 0.394s off the top spot. An announcement shortly after however, saw Piastri reinstated to P3.
As the final runs began to flow in, Perez was first to cross the line, nabbing P4. Hulkenberg, ahead of his move to Sauber, then nabbed provisional pole with a 1:22.866. The celebrations were short lived as Piastri then pipped him by 0.082 seconds.
Lando Norris then leaped to P1 with a 1:22.595, leading his teammate for a provisional 1-2. A poor final lap for the Champion saw Verstappen only manage a P5 finish, behind the man of the hour Nico Hulkenberg.
