Abu Dhabi – Qualifications: Rosberg Leads Hamilton Ahead of the Finale

Weather conditions are optimal before the start of the qualifying session for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the last of the 2014 Formula 1 season – 26°C in the air and 33°C on the track.

Q1: It’s off for 18 minutes, with 20 drivers in the running following the return of the Caterham F1 team for this last race of the year. Will Stevens is the first to hit the track at the wheel of his Caterham, immediately followed by Sergio Perez and then the McLaren drivers. The Caterham drivers choose the super-softs for their first stint, as do the Mercedes drivers and Gutierrez.

Sergio Perez is the first to set a time at 1:43.856, Stevens falls short by almost 2 seconds behind the Force India. But the Mexican’s time is quickly improved by Magnussen, then Bottas and Rosberg, who sets a 1:41.308 faster than his best time in FP3. But Lewis Hamilton betters his teammate’s time by a tenth to take the lead.

In mid-Q1, still no sign of the Red Bulls on the track while the Ferraris are not at their best – Alonso 14th and Räikkönen 16th and provisionally eliminated, but they used the soft tires. Vettel and Ricciardo hit the track on super-softs and immediately move out of the red zone with their first timed lap, Ricciardo is 3rd, Vettel 5th. On super-softs, the Ferrari drivers also recover, Alonso is 11th and Räikkönen 5th.

At the end of the session, many drivers improve but it is not enough for the Caterham, Lotus, and Gutierrez drivers who are eliminated in the first part of qualifying.

Eliminated in Q1: Grosjean, Gutierrez, Maldonado, Kobayashi, Stevens

Q2: No one is in a hurry to take to the track. Perez is the first to leave the pits ahead of his teammate, Hülkenberg, and Kimi Räikkönen. The rest of the drivers still in contention gradually follow the three men already on the track. Everyone has chosen the super-softs, the fastest tires this weekend.

Sergio Perez is the first to set a time, 1:42.467, two-tenths faster than in Q1. But the Mexican’s time is improved by Massa and then Hamilton – 1:40.920, while Nico Rosberg made a mistake on his lap and lost time. The German improves on his second lap but falls short in 2nd place, half a second behind his teammate.

All the drivers return to the pits, but the first stint was problematic for McLaren as Button and Magnussen don’t have a timed lap to their name, fuel problem for the Briton. However, the two men are among the first to get back on the track. The Dane is 9th and the Briton 6th.

The checkered flag is waved but many drivers have a lap to finish. Magnussen improves but it’s not enough, he is 11th and the first to be eliminated while Button qualifies in the top 10. Vergne is also eliminated while Kvyat advances to Q3.

Eliminated in Q2: Magnussen, Vergne, Perez, Hülkenberg, and Sutil

Q3: At the beginning of Q3, almost all the drivers gradually hit the track as the light at the end of the pit lane turns green. Only Kimi Räikkönen decides not to go on the track, probably planning for just one stint for the Finn.

The first to set a timed lap is Sebastian Vettel, 1:42.164. The Red Bull driver’s time is subsequently improved by Bottas, Massa, and Rosberg. Hamilton has to settle for the second time with a major lock-up approaching the final corner. After the first round of laps, Rosberg leads ahead of Hamilton, Massa, Bottas, Ricciardo, Vettel, Button, Alonso, Kvyat, and Räikkönen, with no time.

As at the start of Q3, Vettel is the first to hit the track for the final stint of Q3, followed by his teammate and the rest of the drivers still in the running. Vettel improves but remains 6th, Ricciardo improves, as do Bottas and Rosberg – 1:40.480. Massa does not improve unlike Hamilton, who falls short behind Rosberg by almost 0.4 seconds.

So it’s a new pole position for Nico Rosberg, who will have Lewis Hamilton alongside him. The Williams team locks out the second row, with Bottas ahead of Massa. Red Bull locks out the third row, Ricciardo ahead of Vettel. They are followed by Kvyat, Button, Räikkönen, and Alonso.