Lando Norris celebrated a flawless day after clinching the pole position ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri, positioning McLaren on the verge of their first constructors’ title since 1998 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix season finale.
During Saturday’s eventful qualifying, Norris emerged fastest at 1:22.595, beating Piastri by three-tenths of a second. At the same time, Carlos Sainz secured third in his final outing with Ferrari before his move to Williams.
Ferrari faces a 21-point gap against McLaren for the constructors’ championship. Their hopes dimmed when Charles Leclerc, burdened with a 10-place grid penalty, was eliminated in Q2 and relegated to start from the back.
Nico Hulkenberg of Haas placed fourth, later adjusted to a seventh-place start due to a penalty, trailing behind new four-time world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull. The top ten also featured Pierre Gasly, George Russell, and two-time champion Fernando Alonso, who expressed severe dissatisfaction with his car, describing it as “the worst ever.”
Norris’s Triumph
“A perfect day for us,” Norris remarked, securing his eighth pole of the season. He noted the weekend’s consistent strength and satisfaction with his qualifying lap. The session saw ideal conditions at the Yas Marina Circuit, with air temperatures at 25°C and track temperatures at 30°C, as the sun set over the year’s final qualifying.
In his last race weekend with Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton faced a disappointing exit from Q1—the third in his last six races. An unfortunate incident where a bollard dislodged by Kevin Magnussen’s Haas became lodged under his car, compromising his balance and pace. Toto Wolff, Mercedes’ team boss, attributed the mishap to a strategic error and apologized to Hamilton for the timing oversight.
Controversial Decisions and Penalties
The session was not without controversy, as George Russell narrowly avoided impeding Liam Lawson, resulting in an investigation but no subsequent action from the stewards. Meanwhile, Verstappen dominated Q2 but relaxed as others took their second runs. Leclerc initially topped before having his time deleted for exceeding track limits, pushing him to start at the back on race day.
The qualifying set the stage for a thrilling conclusion to the season, with McLaren poised to end a long championship drought potentially and Ferrari facing uphill battles from significant setbacks.
