Verstappen takes 1st pole of season in Abu Dhabi qualifying
Red Bull's Max Verstappen will start in P1 for the Formula 1 season finale in Abu Dhabi on Sunday after taking the pole during Saturday's qualifying at the Yas Marina Circuit in the United Arab Emirates.
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:35.246 |
| 2 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | +0.025 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | +0.086 |
| 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.251 |
| 5 | Alexander Albon | Red Bull Racing | +0.325 |
| 6 | Carlos Sainz | McLaren | +0.569 |
| 7 | Daniil Kvyat | AlphaTauri | +0.717 |
| 8 | Lance Stroll | Racing Point | +0.800 |
| 9 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri | +0.996 |
| 10 | Esteban Ocon | Renault | Q2 |
| 11 | Daniel Ricciardo | Renault | Q2 |
| 12 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.819* |
| 13 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | Q2 |
| 14 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo | Q2 |
| 15 | Kimi Raikkonen | Alfa Romeo | Q1 |
| 16 | George Russell | Williams | Q1 |
| 17 | Pietro Fittipaldi | Haas | Q1 |
| 18 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams | Q1 |
| 19 | Sergio Perez | Racing Point | Q2* |
| 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | Q1* |
*Dropped because of previous penalties
"It's a long season for everyone and this was a great final qualifying for the whole team," Verstappen said. "We are all very happy and it's great to finally get there after being close many times in 2020."
Lewis Hamilton, who missed last weekend's Sakhir Grand Prix due to COVID-19, will start in P3.
"I've been really grateful to be back with the team to close out what has been a great season for us," the reigning F1 champion said. "I struggled with the car a bit today but congratulations to Max. We'll be ready to give him a good run for his money tomorrow."