Verstappen Claims Pole in Abu Dhabi, Setting Up Epic Season Finale
Max Verstappen pulled out a stunning lap when it mattered most, securing pole position for the Abu Dhabi season finale ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
“It’s definitely game on,” McLaren CEO Zak Brown told ViaPlay after qualifying. “It’s going to be an epic race tomorrow, top three guys in the championship, one, two, three on the grid.”
The four-time world champion Verstappen delivered when the pressure was highest, clocking an impressive 1:22.207.
That put him more than two tenths clear of Norris in second place.
Piastri rounded out the top three, just a few hundredths behind his teammate.
Brown wasn’t shocked by Verstappen’s blistering pace in the final stages of qualifying. “He didn’t show his hand, but he’s a four-time world champion. When he needed to put the lap time down, he did. Chucky did it.”
It was, in Brown’s words, “a hard qualifying session” that sets up what promises to be one of the most thrilling season conclusions in recent memory.
McLaren isn’t planning to play it safe tomorrow, despite having championship considerations.
“We do have a good race car, but both drivers want to win, and the margins are so small that if we don’t try and win and play it safe, you’ll get overtaken,” Brown explained.
“We’re playing to win tomorrow. It’s going to be an exciting first lap.”
With the top three championship contenders lining up in the same order on the grid, the race could be decided in those crucial opening moments.
Can Verstappen convert his pole position into victory? Or will the McLaren duo use their numerical advantage to challenge the reigning champion?
Follow all the action from the Formula 1 season finale through GPblog’s paddock updates on YouTube and Spotify to catch every dramatic moment as the drivers’ championship reaches its climax.
