Max Verstappen achieved pole position for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, setting the stage for a thrilling title showdown against Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. With all three drivers vying for victory, the race promises to be a decisive moment in the Formula 1 season.
Sports
-Sathish Raman
Max
Verstappen
secured
pole
position
for
the
Abu
Dhabi
Grand
Prix,
setting
the
stage
for
a
thrilling
title
showdown
against
Lando
Norris
and
Oscar
Piastri.
The
race
at
Yas
Marina
Circuit
will
determine
the
Formula
1
champion.
Norris
leads
Verstappen
by
12
points
and
Piastri
by
16.
All
three
have
seven
wins
this
season,
with
Verstappen
aiming
for
his
fifth
consecutive
title.
image
Max
Verstappen
achieved
pole
position
for
the
Abu
Dhabi
Grand
Prix,
setting
the
stage
for
a
thrilling
title
showdown
against
Lando
Norris
and
Oscar
Piastri.
With
all
three
drivers
vying
for
victory,
the
race
promises
to
be
a
decisive
moment
in
the
Formula
1
season.
Verstappen’s
pole
position
is
crucial
on
the
58-lap
circuit,
where
overtaking
is
challenging.
Since
2015,
every
winner
has
started
from
pole.
The
last
exception
was
Nico
Rosberg
in
2014,
who
lost
to
Lewis
Hamilton.
Verstappen’s
fastest
lap
was
1
minute,
22.207
seconds,
beating
Norris
by
.201
seconds
and
Piastri
by
.230
seconds.
Title
Race
Dynamics
Norris
can
clinch
the
title
with
a
podium
finish
in
Abu
Dhabi.
If
Verstappen
wins,
Norris
must
finish
fourth
or
lower
for
Verstappen
to
take
the
championship.
Piastri
needs
Norris
to
finish
outside
the
top
five
if
he
wins.
Despite
starting
from
the
front
row,
Norris
was
disappointed
not
to
secure
pole
but
remains
determined
to
win.
Piastri
expressed
satisfaction
with
his
performance,
acknowledging
there
wasn’t
much
more
he
could
do.
Meanwhile,
Lewis
Hamilton
faced
another
setback,
failing
to
qualify
inside
the
top
10
for
four
consecutive
races.
He
crashed
during
third
practice
due
to
driver
error
and
was
eliminated
in
Q1.
Hamilton’s
Struggles
Hamilton
apologised
over
team
radio,
saying,
“I’m
so
sorry,” and
expressed
reluctance
to
think
about
future
seasons.
George
Russell
qualified
fourth
for
Mercedes,
ahead
of
Ferrari’s
Charles
Leclerc.
Hamilton’s
struggles
continued
as
he
spun
out
of
Turn
9
during
practice,
hitting
barriers
and
causing
a
red
flag.
Despite
holding
records
for
most
wins
and
pole
positions
in
F1
history,
Hamilton
described
his
performance
this
season
as
“terrible.” His
only
victory
came
in
a
sprint
race
in
China
in
March,
and
he
hasn’t
been
on
the
podium
in
a
main
race
this
year.
McLaren’s
Missed
Opportunity
Norris
led
Friday’s
practice
sessions
but
missed
a
chance
to
secure
the
title
at
last
week’s
Qatar
Grand
Prix
due
to
a
strategic
error
by
McLaren.
This
mistake
allowed
Verstappen
to
win
and
improve
his
chances
of
matching
Michael
Schumacher’s
record
of
five
consecutive
titles
with
Ferrari.
Verstappen’s
victory
in
Qatar
marked
his
70th
overall
win.
His
title
hopes
were
further
boosted
when
Norris
and
Piastri
were
disqualified
in
Las
Vegas.
After
winning
the
Dutch
GP
on
August
31,
Piastri
led
Norris
by
34
points
and
Verstappen
by
104.
Tense
Championship
Battle
Piastri
hasn’t
won
since
Zandvoort
and
aims
to
become
Australia’s
first
champion
in
45
years.
Norris
extended
his
lead
over
Verstappen
after
winning
the
Brazil
GP
sprint
race
in
November.
At
that
time,
Verstappen
qualified
16th
for
the
main
race
in
Sao
Paulo
and
felt
his
title
chances
were
slim.
However,
after
securing
another
impressive
pole
position,
Verstappen
celebrated
on
his
car
with
a
“No.
1” gesture.
As
the
final
race
approaches,
all
eyes
are
on
Yas
Marina
Circuit
to
see
who
will
emerge
victorious
in
this
intense
championship
battle.
With
inputs
from
PTI
