Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Qualifying Highlights: Max Verstappen Shines

The 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix witnessed an exhilarating qualifying session, with Max Verstappen clinching the final pole position of the season. This marked Verstappen’s eighth pole of the year, a remarkable achievement that no other driver could match in the current season. He set an impressive time of 1:22.207, showcasing his dominance in the sport.

Verstappen’s Dominance in Q3

Verstappen’s performance in Q3 was nothing short of spectacular. He completed two laps that were fast enough to secure his pole position, demonstrating his skill and confidence behind the wheel. One factor that contributed to his success was the strategic choice to use only used tires during Q2. This decision allowed Verstappen to save two new sets of soft tires for the crucial Q3 session. As a result, he was one of only three drivers, none of whom were from McLaren, to enter Q3 with two fresh sets of softs at their disposal.

Using these fresh tires, Verstappen quickly established provisional pole, then further solidified his lead with a final lap that featured purple sector times in the first two sectors. This performance left his rivals in awe, particularly McLaren, which had shown promise during practice sessions but struggled to match Red Bull’s pace when it mattered most.

Verstappen expressed his satisfaction with his performance, stating, “I think that the changes [made after FP3] definitely helped me a little bit more to feel better in qualifying. In Q3, around here, track temperature is coming down, you can push a bit more, and that’s exactly what we did.” He continued, “We found a bit more lap time, and of course, I’m incredibly happy to be in first. That’s the only thing that we can control – try to maximize everything we have with the car, and we definitely did that in qualifying.”

McLaren’s Rivals: Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri

The battle for the front row was a fierce contest between McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. After the initial runs in Q3, Piastri had a slight edge over Norris, clocking in 0.129 seconds faster. However, Norris managed to turn the tables with a cleaner lap during the final runs. Piastri attempted to respond but fell short by a mere 0.029 seconds. Despite their efforts, both drivers could not come close to Verstappen’s time, with Norris’s best lap being 0.201 seconds slower than the reigning champion.

Norris acknowledged Verstappen’s strong performance, stating, “Max did a good job, so congrats to him. We did everything we could. I think my lap was pretty good. I’m pretty happy. Of course, I’m disappointed not to be on pole for the final weekend, but we just weren’t fast enough today. We’ll have to try and do it tomorrow.” If the championship contenders finish in their starting positions, Norris will still secure the title, needing just a podium finish to clinch the championship regardless of the other drivers’ results. Historical data suggests that the last ten pole-sitters at Yas Marina have gone on to win the race, adding to the stakes of the upcoming competition.

Piastri’s Resilience

Oscar Piastri displayed resilience throughout the qualifying session after facing challenges earlier in the weekend. He had missed FP1 and struggled to find his pace in FP2, leading to concerns about his performance. However, he managed to regain his rhythm during qualifying, expressing satisfaction with his efforts. “It was nice to finally get into a rhythm for the weekend,” he noted. “Honestly, I think the last lap in Q3 was pretty good. There wasn’t a whole lot left in that. It sets up a pretty exciting day tomorrow.”

Piastri acknowledged Verstappen’s speed, predicting that it would be tough to beat the Dutch driver from pole position. “We’ll find out tomorrow,” he said. “I think Max has looked very quick in the long runs this weekend, and he’s clearly very quick over one lap. Let’s see how much pace is a factor tomorrow.”

Other Noteworthy Performances

George Russell put in a solid performance for Mercedes, securing the fourth position. However, he finished 0.438 seconds off the pace set by Verstappen. Just behind him was Charles Leclerc, who managed to surprise many by making it to Q3 in his Ferrari, despite its recent struggles for pace.

Fernando Alonso, representing Aston Martin, qualified sixth, while Gabriel Bortoleto had an impressive showing, ending the season with a head-to-head qualifying record of 12-11 against his teammate, Nico Hülkenberg. Esteban Ocon also made a notable appearance, placing eighth in only his third Q3 outing of the season, marking his first appearance in the final qualifying session since Monaco back in May.

Isack Hadjar qualified ninth, achieving his 16th Q3 appearance, the highest among midfield drivers, surpassing both Lewis Hamilton and Yuki Tsunoda among the leading contenders. Tsunoda, who qualified tenth, had a unique experience as he made it to Q3 for the first time since Azerbaijan in September, contributing positively to Red Bull Racing’s overall performance.

Oliver Bearman narrowly missed out on Q3, starting the race from 11th place, just 0.007 seconds behind the cutoff. He will be followed by Carlos Sainz and Liam Lawson, who qualified 12th and 13th, respectively. Kimi Antonelli faced disappointment, qualifying 14th and expressing frustration over a lack of grip in his final run, which left him ahead of only Lance Stroll in 15th.

In a surprising turn of events, Lewis Hamilton faced another setback, marking his third consecutive Q1 elimination in what has been a challenging season for the veteran driver in his new Ferrari. After undergoing repairs following a crash in FP3, Hamilton reported feeling good during a brief shake-down on medium tires. However, he was unable to put together a competitive lap in Q1, finishing just 0.008 seconds short of advancing to the next segment.

Alex Albon faced a similar fate, finishing 17th for Williams, while Nico Hülkenberg and Alpine teammates Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto rounded out the back of the grid. Despite their struggles, these drivers put forth commendable efforts, especially in light of the multiple laps they had to have deleted for exceeding track limits during the session.

Conclusion

As the teams and drivers prepare for the main event, the atmosphere is electric. Max Verstappen’s pole position puts him in a strong spot to secure a victory, but with fierce competition from the McLaren duo of Norris and Piastri, as well as other talented drivers on the grid, the race promises to be a thrilling showdown. Fans will be eagerly watching to see if Verstappen can convert his pole position into a race win and how the championship battle unfolds as the season comes to a close.