Max Verstappen secured pole position at Yas Marina for the final Formula One race of 2023. After Charles Leclerc dominated the practice sessions Verstappen was able to edge Leclerc out of the top spot by just over a tenth. Verstappen stated the following to F1.com, “We definitely improved the car for qualifying and from the first lap it all seemed a bit more together and we could push more. Of course, I’m very happy to be on pole.
I have no clue how good we are going to be in the race, [but] normally we are always quite decent. It’s been a very special season, we’ve been enjoying it a lot and of course we are very proud of what we have achieved so far this year.” Verstappen will attempt to win his 19th race in 2023 tomorrow the the light go out in Abu Dhabi.
The Battle for 4th
The battle of 4th place in the constructors is heating up. Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz are tied in the championship standings. With Sainz being eliminated in Q1 it opened the door for Alonso to improve his starting position to create a hurdle for Sainz to over come if he is to beat out the veteran. The stakes are simple. If Sainz wants to beat Alonso he has to finish ahead of him in the race. With that said the 4th place spot is not only available to Sainz and Alonso. Depending on how the drivers finish there could be a swing in the positions 4th-7th by the end of the race. With no sprint race this weekend we will have to wait until the race to see how it all hashes out.
Likewise in the constructor’s championship the battle for second is up for grabs between Mercedes and Ferrari. Leclerc leads the way for the pack behind so we will see if he can convert this qualifying result to a points finish that can help Ferrari jump ahead of Mercedes. With both Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) and Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) starting outside of the top 10. It will be the last chance to make up ground in the final race of the season to assist int he battle for second place.
Abu Dhabi Qualifying Results
| POS | DRIVER | CAR | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | LAPS |
|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT | 1:24.160 | 1:23.740 | 1:23.445 | 15 |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | FERRARI | 1:24.459 | 1:23.969 | 1:23.584 | 18 |
| 3 | Oscar Piastri | MCLAREN MERCEDES | 1:24.487 | 1:24.278 | 1:23.782 | 17 |
| 4 | George Russell | MERCEDES | 1:24.337 | 1:24.013 | 1:23.788 | 18 |
| 5 | Lando Norris | MCLAREN MERCEDES | 1:24.368 | 1:23.920 | 1:23.816 | 16 |
| 6 | Yuki Tsunoda | ALPHATAURI HONDA RBPT | 1:24.286 | 1:24.207 | 1:23.968 | 18 |
| 7 | Fernando Alonso | ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO MERCEDES | 1:24.501 | 1:24.131 | 1:24.084 | 18 |
| 8 | Nico Hulkenberg | HAAS FERRARI | 1:24.425 | 1:24.213 | 1:24.108 | 18 |
| 9 | Sergio Perez | RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT | 1:24.209 | 1:24.116 | 1:24.171 | 17 |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | ALPINE RENAULT | 1:24.600 | 1:24.078 | 1:24.548 | 18 |
| 11 | Lewis Hamilton | MERCEDES | 1:24.437 | 1:24.359 | | 12 |
| 12 | Esteban Ocon | ALPINE RENAULT | 1:24.565 | 1:24.391 | | 12 |
| 13 | Lance Stroll | ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO MERCEDES | 1:24.405 | 1:24.422 | | 12 |
| 14 | Alexander Albon | WILLIAMS MERCEDES | 1:24.298 | 1:24.439 | | 12 |
| 15 | Daniel Ricciardo | ALPHATAURI HONDA RBPT | 1:24.461 | 1:24.442 | | 12 |
| 16 | Carlos Sainz | FERRARI | 1:24.738 | | | 6 |
| 17 | Kevin Magnussen | HAAS FERRARI | 1:24.764 | | | 6 |
| 18 | Valtteri Bottas | ALFA ROMEO FERRARI | 1:24.788 | | | 6 |
| 19 | Zhou Guanyu | ALFA ROMEO FERRARI | 1:25.159 | | | 6 |
| NC | Logan Sargeant | WILLIAMS MERCEDES | DNF | | | 6 |