Showdown in Abu Dhabi

LIVE: The course is set for the world championship showdown

Max Verstappen was unbeatable on Saturday.(Bild: AFP/ANDREJ ISAKOVIC)

Max Verstappen has secured pole position in the final qualifying session of the Formula 1 season. The Red Bull driver will start the World Championship finale in Abu Dhabi on Sunday ahead of his title rivals Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

With a dream lap on Saturday, Max Verstappen secured pole position for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and thus an advantage for the Formula 1 World Championship final. The Red Bull driver relegated his McLaren rivals, Lando Norris (+0.201 sec.) and Oscar Piastri (+0.230), to second and third place in qualifying. "That was madness," said a jubilant Verstappen. A third place on Sunday (14:00) will be enough for Norris to become world champion.

The starting grid:

The premier class of motorsport thus has all the necessary ingredients for a dramatic showdown. "The top three in the world championship are the top three on the grid. That could be really explosive right from the first corner," predicted Red Bull's motorsport consultant Helmut Marko. With his eighth pole this year and his 48th overall, Verstappen has achieved another important partial success in his race to catch up. "I'm incredibly happy to be in first place. That's the only thing we can do and control to get the maximum out of it," said the Dutchman.

Max Verstappen(Bild: EPA/ALI HAIDER)

Starting position plays a role in Abu Dhabi that should not be underestimated. In the last ten races at the Yas Marina Circuit, the pole driver won each time, last year it was Norris. The Briton goes into the all-important Grand Prix with a twelve-point lead over Verstappen and 16 over Piastri. Defending champion Verstappen has to win and needs help behind him to clinch his fifth title in a row.

Verstappen dominated Q3
The top drivers showed no signs of slowing down in the first two qualifying phases, with Piastri fastest in Q1 and George Russell (Mercedes) in Q2. In the third phase, Verstappen showed himself to be a world champion and set a first lap record (1:22.295 minutes) on the asphalt of the Yas Marina Circuit. The two McLaren cars were both chasing this time, while the 28-year-old even improved it once again to 1:22.207. "I spoke to Max beforehand and said: You know we need a 'magic lap' from you. Then he did two," said Marko in the Sky interview.

Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri (from left to right)(Bild: EPA/ALI HAIDER)

"I think the changes we made helped me in qualifying," said Verstappen, pointing to some of the optimizations made to the car. Marko was optimistic "that these changes will have an even more positive effect in the race". The Styrian is also hoping for outside help on Sunday. "Between us and the McLaren, it would be good if we had someone else in between." One candidate would be Russell, who will start from fourth position. Verstappen could also try to keep the field close at the front instead of opening up a lead.

McLaren under pressure
Meanwhile, Norris and Piastri had to take note of the two tenths gap. "Max did a great job, congratulations. I gave everything I could," explained championship leader Norris. "I think my lap was good, I was quite happy. But of course I'm disappointed not to be on pole. We just weren't quick enough." When asked whether he was approaching Sunday's race tactically, the Briton simply replied: "I will try to win tomorrow. That's the goal."

"That promises to be a pretty exciting day tomorrow," said Piastri, whose chances of winning the world championship have dropped significantly. His team is also likely to ask for his support in order to win the drivers' title after the constructors' title. "We don't want to do anything wrong in the battle between our drivers," explained McLaren boss Zac Brown. "We just have to make sure that we have a good first lap, that we maintain the positions we have now. Our race pace gives us a certain advantage in terms of strategy. We don't have to win the race, but we want to win it."

Incident between Norris and Tsunoda
Norris had dominated the Friday practice sessions and remained ahead of Verstappen in the final practice session on Saturday afternoon. However, the Briton experienced a moment of shock - and it was a Red Bull driver who was to blame. At the exit of a corner, Yuki Tsunoda drove into the middle of the track. However, the Japanese driver, who will have to make way for Isack Hadjar in 2026, was not at race pace. Norris did, reacting with lightning speed and passing Tsunoda on the left to avoid a serious crash. The race stewards imposed a 10,000 euro fine on the "cops" and gave Tsunoda a warning.

For Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, the final qualifying session was a mirror image of his season to date, with the Ferrari driver dropping out in Q1 for the third time in a row and starting the race from 16th on the grid. The seven-time world champion left the circuit in a huff. The Briton had already crashed into the barriers in the third free practice session.