Event: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Track: Yas Marina Circuit
Weather: dry 25.7°C
Tarmac: dry 28.8°C
Humidity : 63%
Wind : 2.5 km/h South
Lando Norris scored the 9th F1 pole position of his career during the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix qualifying session today. The McLaren driver will start from P1 for the first time on Yas Marina circuit. It was the 164th pole for McLaren.
2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Qualifying Report
The Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi set the stage for the final qualifying session of the 2024 Formula 1 season. Under the twilight sky, the grid positions for tomorrow’s decisive race were established, with McLaren shining brightest to secure a front-row lockout. Here's how the action unfolded across the three thrilling segments of qualifying.
Q1: Early Exits and Unexpected Drama
The opening session began with all eyes on Lewis Hamilton, bidding farewell to his Mercedes career. However, a dramatic sequence of events, including an unlucky encounter with a bollard dislodged by Kevin Magnussen, sealed Hamilton’s fate. Unable to recover, Hamilton was eliminated in 18th place, marking a disappointing end to his last qualifying for the Silver Arrows.
Joining Hamilton on the sidelines were Franco Colapinto, Zhou Guanyu, Alex Albon, and rookie Jack Doohan. Doohan, experiencing his first-ever F1 qualifying session as Esteban Ocon’s stand-in at Alpine, found himself at the back of the grid but gained invaluable experience in challenging conditions.
Valtteri Bottas surprised many by setting the fastest lap of Q1, showcasing a late-season resurgence for the Sauber team, while Charles Leclerc’s lap deletion for track limits highlighted the session’s unforgiving nature.
Q2: Ferrari Falters as Hulkenberg Shines
The second session delivered heartbreak for Ferrari fans as Charles Leclerc’s woes continued. A deleted lap time saw him drop out in 14th, while Carlos Sainz managed to scrape through. Nico Hulkenberg, on the other hand, delivered a stunning performance for Haas, briefly topping the timesheets and advancing comfortably to Q3.
Eliminated alongside Leclerc were Kevin Magnussen, Lance Stroll, Liam Lawson, and Yuki Tsunoda. The competitive midfield battle saw eight different teams represented in the top ten, emphasizing the tight margins and unpredictability of the session.
Q3: McLaren Dominance Secures Front Row Lockout
In the climactic final segment, McLaren solidified their dominance. Lando Norris delivered a flawless lap to claim his eighth pole position of the season, narrowly edging out teammate Oscar Piastri. Norris described it as a “perfect day” for the team, with their front-row lockout putting them in prime position to clinch the Constructors' Championship.
Carlos Sainz gave Ferrari a glimmer of hope by securing third, but the Scuderia’s reliance on a lone driver highlighted their struggles. Nico Hulkenberg impressed once again by qualifying fourth, marking a season-best performance for Haas.
Max Verstappen, aiming for his fifth consecutive pole in Abu Dhabi, had to settle for fifth after a scruffy lap. Pierre Gasly, George Russell, Fernando Alonso, Valtteri Bottas, and Sergio Perez rounded out the top ten.
Looking Ahead: A Decisive Final Race
As the curtain falls on the 2024 season, tomorrow’s race promises high-stakes drama. McLaren enters with one hand on the Constructors’ Championship trophy, while Ferrari must fight to overturn a 21-point deficit. With sparks set to fly under the floodlights, fans can expect a thrilling conclusion to a record-breaking Formula 1 season.
Stay tuned for the final showdown at Yas Marina Circuit. The race begins at 17:00 local time (13:00 UTC).
The quickest sector times in Q3 were:
- Sector 1: 16.943 sec. by Oscar Piastri (MCL38).
- Sector 2: 35.718 sec. by Nico Hulkenberg (Haas VF-24).
- Sector 3: 29.861 sec. by Lando Norris (McLaren MCL38).
Last years pole position was won by Max Verstappen in the Red Bull RB19 with a lap time of 1:23.445 min.
Qualifying Times 2024 Abu Dhabi GP
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Laps |
| 1 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:23.682 | 1:23.098 | 1:22.595 | 16 |
| 2 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:23.640 | 1:23.199 | 1:22.804 | 16 |
| 3 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1:23.487 | 1:22.985 | 1:22.824 | 16 |
| 4 | 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas | 1:23.722 | 1:23.040 | 1:22.886 | 17 |
| 5 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:23.516 | 1:22.998 | 1:22.945 | 15 |
| 6 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:23.548 | 1:23.086 | 1:22.984 | 18 |
| 7 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:23.678 | 1:23.283 | 1:23.132 | 19 |
| 8 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:23.794 | 1:23.268 | 1:23.196 | 19 |
| 9 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Sauber | 1:23.481 | 1:23.341 | 1:23.204 | 15 |
| 10 | 11 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull | 1:23.559 | 1:23.379 | 1:23.264 | 18 |
| 11 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Racing Bulls | 1:23.735 | 1:23.419 | 12 | |
| 12 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:23.733 | 1:23.472 | 12 | |
| 13 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:23.729 | 1:23.784 | 14 | |
| 14 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:23.302 | 1:23.833 | 12 | |
| 15 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1:23.632 | 1:23.877 | 11 | |
| 16 | 23 | Alex Albon | Williams | 1:23.821 | 6 | ||
| 17 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Sauber | 1:23.880 | 6 | ||
| 18 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:23.887 | 7 | ||
| 19 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Williams | 1:23.912 | 6 | ||
| 20 | 61 | Jack Doohan | Alpine | 1:24.105 | 6 |
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Alfa Romeo? This isnt 2023, mate!
Checo got out-qualified by Zhou in the last two rounds & Bottas this time around, which speaks volumes & is simply beyond embarrassing.
Max's last lap was surprisingly poor in the end since he got out-qualified by even Hulkenberg, but I'm positive he'll finish at least third in the race.
K-Mag couldn't really do anything differently, so pure bad luck for Hamilton.
Thats just ridiculous , the Haas car underfunded,underdeveloped and the drivers leaving , qualifying 4th, so is it luck,driver skil, or the others not trying to hard, i can understand Mcl Arab owners wanting the prestige of the WCC, makes the washing look a bit cleaner, Checo 3 tenths off Max , thats where he should be qualifying isnt it
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