Formula 1 final in Abu Dhabi
Fable lap: Max Verstappen takes last pole ahead of Lewis Hamilton
Nerves of steel: Max Verstappen takes pole position in Formula 1 for the Abu Dhabi race with a fabulous lap
© Lars Baron / Getty Images
Was that a first step towards winning the Formula 1 World Championship? Red Bull driver Max Verstappen took pole position ahead of competitor Lewis Hamilton before the last race of the season.
In the decisive lap in qualifying for the last Formula 1 race of the season, Red Bull countered rival Mercedes with a trick. Max Verstappen managed a fabulous lap because he hung in the slipstream of his team-mate Carlos Sainz and gained more speed. The 24-year-old Dutchman surprised many on Saturday at the Yas Marina Circuit when he relegated to second place with a lead of over three tenths of a second. “It’s a fantastic feeling,” said the Red Bull star: “That’s what we wanted.”
That is also what the fans wanted for the finale of a memorable season with a tough duel, sometimes beyond the limit of what is allowed. The two best pilots by far next to each other when the red lights go out at dusk in Abu Dhabi. “I can see him,” emphasized Hamilton, who was booed loudly by some fans after qualifying. It seems rather doubtful that he will and can attack directly at the start on Sunday. Especially since a crash of the two and a premature retirement would make Verstappen world champion.
Max Verstappen races to the 13th pole in Formula 1
With his 13th pole on the brightly lit Yas Marina Cicuit, Verstappen nourished hopes for his premiere title. He starts tied with Hamilton in the 22nd and final Grand Prix of a thrilling season. “A great lap”, the beaten Hamilton praised the performance of his bitter opponent. “We just didn’t have an answer to that.”
Behind the duo that has already shaped this World Cup, Lando Norris raced into third place in a McLaren, while Verstappen’s Red Bull escort Sergio Perez came fourth. Hamilton potential racing bodyguard disappointed. Valtteri Bottas only finished sixth in his last qualifying in the Mercedes, almost a second behind Verstappen.
As the fastest accelerator, Red Bull Perez ordered the fast lap ahead of Verstappen. “It was the only way to get ahead of them,” explained team principal Christian Horner. “That was fine on the first try,” admitted Verstappen. “1-0 for Red Bull”, stated Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff. But the strategy seems suboptimal to him.
Lewis Hamilton has an advantage with his tire strategy
Because Verstappen and Perez will start with the faster red marked tire. That was probably not strictly planned, but necessary after a so-called brake plate. The drivers from the top ten have to start with the tires with which they turned the fastest lap in the second section of qualification. In the case of Verstappen and Perez, the soft ones. Irrelevant for the German duo: Sebastian Vettel disappointed in 15th place in the Aston Martin, Mick Schumacher was 19th in the Haas.
The starting tires at the top could, however, be a decisive factor in the awarding of the title. “This will be interesting,” said Hamilton, the Briton did not seem concerned with the best will in the world. It will have the more durable rubbers with the yellow marking on it. “I think these are the right ones.”
So Verstappen will have to change earlier. The question is whether he can build a good lead if the two World Cup rivals survive the highly sensitive start phase without a collision.
Mercedes hadn’t thought of a slipstream variant in qualifying like Red Bull, now Hamilton has to do it alone. He has to get into the points and, above all, before Verstappen, he has to cross the finish line. Both have 369.5 points before the race this Sunday (2 p.m. CET / Sky). But Verstappen leads the classification thanks to his nine wins this season, Hamilton won eight races.
For the eighth time he also wants to become world champion, overtake Michael Schumacher and become the sole record champion. But Verstappen wants to prevent that and his premiere triumph. Hamilton has only been stopped once since 2014: Nico Rosberg won the world title in 2016 – in Abu Dhabi.