Max Verstappen has secured pole position for the Formula 1 race in Abu Dhabi, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri lurking behind in second and third place.
Max Verstappen is making the World Championship battle really exciting again! The four-time world champion, who is aiming for his fifth title on Sunday, took pole position for the World Championship finale in Abu Dhabi.
However, the two McLarens are lurking right behind him: Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are in second and third place, giving Norris every chance of finishing on the podium on Sunday and becoming world champion.
Fourth place went to Mercedes driver George Russell ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc (5th) and Fernando Alonso (6th/Aston Martin). Behind them, Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) delivered a great result in seventh place and will start ahead of Esteban Ocon (8th/Haas), Isack Hadjar (9th/Racing Bulls), and Yuki Tsunoda (10th/Red Bull) in what is likely to be his last Formula 1 race for the time being. Nico Hülkenberg (Sauber) did not get beyond 18th place and, like Lewis Hamilton (16th/Ferrari), was already eliminated in Q1.
How Q3 went
Verstappen left no doubt in Q3 as to who would take pole position. Although he had not set the fastest time in any of the previous sessions, he made two quick attempts, both of which were faster than McLaren.
First, he took advantage of the slipstream from his teammate Yuki Tsunoda and set a commanding fastest time. Norris and Piastri struggled to match this time, and even with a second attempt on fresh soft tires, they couldn’t get close to the Dutchman. He was able to improve his own time once again at the end, even without the slipstream help from his teammate.
A little bit of magic from Max ✨
Ride onboard with the Red Bull driver as he storms to pole F1 AbuDhabiGP @pirellisport pic.twitter.com/cMktX4XmcE
— Formula 1 (@F1) December 6, 2025
In the end, Verstappen was 0.201 seconds ahead of Norris and 0.230 seconds ahead of Piastri.
The McLarens were lucky not to be overtaken by George Russell. The Brit was in good form in the early sessions, but skidded heavily in the last corner and lost a lot of time, meaning he only managed fourth place in the end.
This means that the World Championship contenders will start from the top three positions on Sunday, which gives Norris an advantage for now, as he only needs to finish on the podium. Verstappen will also have no help from Tsunoda at the front, as the latter exceeded the track limits after helping him in the second attempt and did not set a time.
How Q2 went
Oliver Bearman (Haas) is likely to be frustrated by the 0.007 seconds that prevented him from making it into the top 10. Tsunoda narrowly escaped elimination again after Q1, when he was 0.008 seconds above the line.
Behind them, Carlos Sainz (12th/Williams) and Liam Lawson (13th/Racing Bulls) also failed to make the cut. For Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), 14th place was a bitter disappointment – he complained about a lack of grip on the rear axle. “According to our data, the tires simply overheated and were put under too much strain in the last sector,” explained head of communications Bradley Lord on Sky. Also there: Lance Stroll, who finished 15th and last. The fastest time went to George Russell ahead of Max Verstappen.
How Q1 went
It was another disappointment for Lewis Hamilton. “Every time, I’m sorry,” he lamented over the radio after crossing the finish line in 16th place, eliminating him from the first stage of qualifying for the fourth time in a row. This time, he was just 0.008 seconds short of making it into Q2. Nico Hülkenberg (Sauber) was also among the disappointed, after the team had performed so well in practice so far. In 18th place, he finished behind Alexander Albon (17th), whose bad streak for Williams continues in Abu Dhabi.
The last row of the grid is once again occupied by the two Alpines of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto, whose first lap times were deleted due to track limits. Colapinto made the same mistake in Turn 1 once again and was only able to complete one timed lap.
The fastest time went to Oscar Piastri ahead of George Russell.
What’s next in Abu Dhabi
Kevin Scheuren and Kevin Hermann will be providing analysis of the qualifying session in a livestream on the Formel1.de YouTube channel starting at 8 p.m.
On Sunday, Formula 1 will contest this year’s season finale starting at 2 p.m. The race and the World Championship decision between Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, and Max Verstappen will be the big topics for Kevin Scheuren and Kevin Hermann in the livestream on the Formel1.de YouTube channel starting at 8 p.m.
Who can become world champion on Sunday?
We have compiled calculations for the World Championship title battle between Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, and Max Verstappen in this article.
