Norris takes last pole of the year, Hamilton down in Q1

If some thought that McLaren hid his game, Lando Norris et Oscar piastri were responsible for proving them wrong! Although behind, the Woking representatives woke up in the final sprint of Q3 to offer their team a double.

While the battle was very tight, with everything being decided by thousandths, Lando Norris signed a last great lap in 1'22"595 to push his teammate back by more than 2 tenths! A result that allowed him to secure his 9th pole position in his career, his 8th this season. Author of a beautiful pirouette that almost sent him into the scenery but which nevertheless ensured him the best provisional time during his first run, Max Verstappen was jostled in his second, unable to improve. With 0 seconds behind the Englishman, the Dutchman only finished 350th, finding himself in front of a surprising Nico Hulkenberg et Carlos Sainz.

FEAR FOR MAX VERSTAPPEN 😶

The world champion stays within track limits and dominates the timesheet a few minutes from the end of the session 👀#AbuDhabiGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/lW28OEA5H9

— CANAL+ F1® (@CanalplusF1) December 7, 2024

In great shape at the end of the season and while the developments brought by Alpine work, Pierre Gasly has once again made it to Q3. Better still, he was a serious contender as he finished just outside the Top 5 ahead of George Russell, among others. A very good result for the French team, which has a 5-point lead over Haas while Nico Hülkenberg will start 4th this Sunday.

Initially in Q3 after setting the best time in Q2, Charles Leclerc was ultimately unable to hold his own. The Monegasque was caught by the patrol for not respecting the track limits at the first corner, losing his time. He therefore fell back to 14th place and will start at the back of the grid since he must serve a 10-place penalty for using a third battery this weekend, while only two are authorized per season. 

From this last qualification with Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton will not keep good memories. The German team played with the limits of the time and sent its driver back on track at the last moment which put him in a bad position. In a delicate situation, he also saw Kevin Magnussen hit a cone in front of him which lodged itself under his car as he approached the last two corners on his fast lap. Trapped, he did not do better than the 18th fastest time, taking the door from Q1. Only Franco Colapinto and Jack Doohan finished behind him. The penalties of Charles Leclerc and Alex Albon will allow him to gain two places on the grid this Sunday (14 p.m.). 

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