Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Qualifying: Max Verstappen on pole ahead of Charles Leclerc
The three qualifying sessions are over at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi for the final races of the year. In the 2023 edition, we see Max Verstappen take pole position for the fourth consecutive year. The first row is completed by Charles Leclerc, with the second row being occupied by McLaren drivers.
Verstappen will start ahead of Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri after the qualifying session. A very important second place for Ferrari, as the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is the last chance for the Italian team to leapfrog Mercedes in the constructors’ standings. With Carlos Sainz’s sixteenth position, Ferrari really needs to find some reassurance before the end of the season.
Q1
Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), Kevin Magnussen (Haas), the Alfa Romeos of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, as well as Logan Sargeant (Williams), who lost his two best times due to track limits violations, all crashed out in the first session.
Q2
Verstappen also set the pace in the second round, recording a time of 1.23.740s on his first lap, 0.18s faster than Lando Norris. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), Esteban Ocon (Alpine), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), Alex Albon (Williams), and Daniel Ricciardo (AlphaTauri) were eliminated at this stage.
Q3
During the first runs, Verstappen set the bar at 1.23.445s, 0.371s faster than Norris. For his final runs, Verstappen didn’t improve but Leclerc jumped to second place, 0.139 seconds behind the pole.
Piastri took third place from Norris, who made a big mistake in his final lap and lost half a second. George Russell (Mercedes), on the other hand, managed to snatch fourth place from his fellow British driver.
Behind Norris, Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) will start in sixth place, ahead of Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), Nico Hülkenberg (Haas), Sergio Perez (Red Bull), whose best time was deleted, and Pierre Gasly (Alpine).
| N° | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Verstappen | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 1.24.160 | 1.23.740 | 1.23.445 | 15 |
| 2 | Leclerc | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:24.459 | 1:23.969 | 1.23.584 | 18 |
| 3 | Piastri | McLaren F1 Team | 1:24.487 | 1:24.278 | 1.23.782 | 17 |
| 4 | Russell | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport | 1:24.337 | 1:24.013 | 1.23.788 | 18 |
| 5 | Norris | McLaren F1 Team | 1:24.368 | 1:23.920 | 1.23.816 | 16 |
| 6 | Tsunoda | Scuderia AlphaTauri | 1:24.286 | 1:24.207 | 1.23.968 | 18 |
| 7 | Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team | 1:24.501 | 1:24.131 | 1.24.084 | 18 |
| 8 | Hülkenberg | MoneyGram Haas F1 Team | 1:24.425 | 1:24.213 | 1.24.108 | 18 |
| 9 | Perez | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 1:24.209 | 1:24.116 | 1.24.171 | 17 |
| 10 | Gasly | BWT Alpine F1 Team | 1:24.600 | 1:24.078 | 1.24.548 | 18 |
| 11 | Hamilton | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport | 1:24.437 | 1:24.359 | 12 | |
| 12 | Ocon | BWT Alpine F1 Team | 1:24.565 | 1:24.391 | 12 | |
| 13 | Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team | 1:24.405 | 1:24.422 | 12 | |
| 14 | Albon | Williams Racing | 1:24.298 | 1:24.439 | 12 | |
| 15 | Ricciardo | Scuderia AlphaTauri | 1:24.461 | 1:24.442 | 12 | |
| 16 | Sainz | Scuderia Ferrari | 1.24.738 | 6 | ||
| 17 | Magnussen | MoneyGram Haas F1 Team | 1.24.764 | 6 | ||
| 18 | Bottas | Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake | 1.24.788 | 6 | ||
| 19 | Guanyu | Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake | 1.25.159 | 6 | ||
| 20 | Sargeant | Williams Racing | -:–.— | 6 |
