Red Bull’s Max Verstappen claimed pole position ahead of title rivals, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri for the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Verstappen had enjoyed a competitive weekend throughout the three practice sessions as Mercedes’ George Russell topped FP3, before the Dutchman saved his best for Q3 as he set two laps good enough to secure pole ahead of championship leader – Norris.
Piastri meanwhile will line up third knowing that he must record a top-two finish and hope that his title rivals falter if he is to snatch a maiden title.
FP3
With unrepresentative conditions in the final practice session of the season, Aston Martin opted to do some early pit-stop practice whilst Alpine’s Pierre Gasly set the initial benchmark of 1m 25.984 on the soft tyre.
Norris however soon took control and lowered the benchmark twice to 1m 24.533 before Verstappen posted 1m 24.245 to sit fastest at the halfway mark from Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin by 0.059 seconds as drivers ran a mix of medium or soft tyre opening stints.
The session however was red flagged in the 31st minute after Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton spun out at Turn 9 due to a sudden loss of control at the front end.
The session resumed 14 minutes later and after Verstappen set 1m 24.116 as the new benchmark as everyone switched to soft-tyre qualifying simulations, Piastri produced 1m 23.593 with ten minutes left.
Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda meanwhile collided in the pit lane after the Italian made a pit stop, which curtailed Tsunoda’s running due to severe damage.
Norris meanwhile lowered the benchmark to 1m 23.538 but with five minutes left, Russell produced 1m 23.334 to snatch the fastest lap of the final practice by just 0.004s from his British compatriot.
Verstappen was a further 0.120s behind his title rival whilst Piastri found himself fifth-fastest behind Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso who sat fourth-quickest.
| Position | Driver | Team | Time |
| 1 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1m 23.334 |
| 2 | Lando Norris | McLaren | + 0.004 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | + 0.124 |
| 4 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | + 0.251 |
| 5 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | + 0.259 |
| 6 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | + 0.271 |
| 7 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | + 0.275 |
| 8 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | + 0.341 |
| 9 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | + 0.373 |
| 10 | Alex Albon | Williams | + 0.388 |
| 11 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber | + 0.457 |
| 12 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | + 0.477 |
| 13 | Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber | + 0.536 |
| 14 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | + 0.561 |
| 15 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | + 0.613 |
| 16 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | + 0.645 |
| 17 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | + 0.738 |
| 18 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | + 1.136 |
| 19 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | + 1.167 |
| 20 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull | + 1.359 |
Qualifying
Q1
Gasly was first out on track as the opening segment of Qualifying began and set 1m 24.729 as the initial benchmark, but Russell set the pace with 1m 23.247 once everyone set a lap time, with Bearman and Piastri sat second and third with 0.008s splitting the trio.
The bottom five at the halfway mark meanwhile comprised of; Albon, Leclerc, Hamilton, Gasly and Colapinto – as the Argentinean’s two lap times were deleted, although Hamilton soon moved up to fifth and dropped Ocon into the elimination zone.
At the checkered flag, Hamilton got sucked back into the elimination zone as he only qualified 16th ahead of Albon as Leclerc survived at the expense of Hulkenberg, as the German only qualified 18th ahead of Gasly and Colapinto as Alpine round out a tough season with another back-row start.
Q2
Verstappen was first out on track in Q2 and set 1m 22.912 as the benchmark time on used soft tyres, which was usurped just minutes later as Russell posted 1m 22.730 on new soft tyres, but Verstappen was able to respond to get within 0.022s of the Brit ahead of Norris and Piastri.
Hadjar, Tsunoda, Antonelli, Bearman and Lawson meanwhile found themselves sat in the bottom five after the first Q2 runs.
Once the checkered flag fell, only Hadjar and Tsunoda escaped elimination as Bearman qualified 11th ahead of Sainz by 0.001s but fell just 0.007s behind Tsunoda’s lap time, with Lawson, Antonelli and Stroll also knocked out as the five eliminated drivers were split by 0.056s.
Up front, Russell’s first flier proved enough to top the segment ahead of Verstappen and Norris as the top three were split by 0.074s.
Q3
Tsunoda and Verstappen were first out on track for the final qualifying segment of the season and the former gave Verstappen on new soft tyres a slipstream tow to set 1m 22.295 as the benchmark time.
That time put Verstappen on provisional pole after everyone else set a lap time as Piastri put his McLaren second ahead of Norris, whilst Leclerc managed to place his Ferrari a provisional fourth ahead of; Russell, Bortoleto, Alonso, Hadjar, Ocon and Tsunoda who didn’t set a lap time.
As the checkered flag fell, Verstappen clung on for pole as he set 1m 22.207 but will line up alongside Norris who just needs a top-three finish for the title.
Piastri will line up third ahead of Russell, Leclerc, Alonso, Bortoleto, Ocon, Hadjar and Tsunoda.
| Position | Driver | Team | Time |
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1m 22.207 |
| 2 | Lando Norris | McLaren | + 0.201 |
| 3 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | + 0.230 |
| 4 | George Russell | Mercedes | + 0.438 |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | + 0.523 |
| 6 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | + 0.695 |
| 7 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber | + 0.697 |
| 8 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | + 0.706 |
| 9 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | + 0.865 |
| 10 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull | No Time |
| 11 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1m 23.041 |
| 12 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | + 0.001 |
| 13 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | + 0.036 |
| 14 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | + 0.039 |
| 15 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | + 0.056 |
| 16 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1m 23.394 |
| 17 | Alex Albon | Williams | + 0.022 |
| 18 | Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber | + 0.056 |
| 19 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | + 0.074 |
| 20 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | + 0.496 |
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