Lewis Hamilton admitted his last qualifying session for Mercedes may “not have gone a lot worse” as he was despatched out late in Q1, after which obtained a plastic bollard caught beneath his automobile, leaving him down in 18th. Mercedes staff principal Toto Wolff apologised to his driver, describing the staff’s error as “inexcusable”.
Hamilton, who’s becoming a member of Ferrari on the finish of the yr, will achieve a few locations because of penalties handed out to different drivers. However this was definitely not the fairytale end he would have been hoping for.
With one of many quickest vehicles on observe, Hamilton was despatched out final in Q1 after which picked up a rogue bollard, which was swept into his path by Haas’ Kevin Magnussen.
“You couldn’t make it up, you actually couldn’t, however it’s what it’s,” he mentioned. “We gave it every thing, I gave it every thing, the automobile was in an excellent place. Each apply session went properly, I used to be forward of my team-mate all weekend however after we obtained to qualifying I believe as a staff we didn’t carry out when it comes to the timing.
“I used to be the final automobile on observe and ran out of time in the end, after which I obtained the bollard on the finish which went underneath the automobile and I misplaced all downforce so it couldn’t have gone worse actually.”
Norris takes pole as McLaren lock out front-row
Lando Norris secured pole place – his eighth of the season – in a McLaren one-two because the Woking constructor closes in on their first constructors’ title since 1998.
Ferrari are the one staff who can cease them, however with Carlos Sainz third on the grid and Charles Leclerc down in nineteenth after a 10-place grid penalty on prime of his lap time in Q2 being deleted for observe limits, the Scuderia have their work reduce out. McLaren shall be champions except Ferrari outscore them by 22 factors within the UAE.
Norris described it as a “excellent” day for the staff.
“It was an ideal, excellent day for us, most likely a bit of bit more durable than we had been hoping for, we’ve been fast all weekend, we had been happy with the one-two however it was a bit trickier than what we’d have favored,” mentioned Norris on Sky after clinching pole. “My lap in the long run was robust and it was simply how we wished to finish right now.
“We now have obtained to beat Ferrari. That’s the goal however we’ve obtained to do it in type. I need to win. We all know what we’ve to take action we’re conserving our heads down and staying centered, we’re right here to win and something is feasible.”
There have been notable outcomes for Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg, who secured fourth on the grid, simply forward of Purple Bull’s Max Verstappen, and for Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas in what may very well be his last grand prix. The Finn will begin ninth on the grid.
On Sunday, although, all eyes shall be on Hamilton in his last race for Mercedes. He mentioned ending within the prime 10 can be “superb” and he was already wanting ahead to the top.
“I don’t have any feelings, I’m fairly chill,” he mentioned, including he wouldn’t be overly emotional waking up on Sunday morning. “It’ll be like I made it,” he replied when requested what his temper can be like. “I survived a really, very hardcore yr. And though I’m going to be unhappy to not be racing any extra this yr, hopefully subsequent yr comes round quickly sufficient.”
Wolff apologises to Hamilton for ‘idiotic’ mistake
Wolff was livid in regards to the staff error which noticed Hamilton despatched out so late.
“I must apologise to Lewis and to everybody within the staff who gave him such an incredible automobile,” he mentioned. “He was the faster man and we completely let him down, it was our mistake for not letting him exit earlier [when there was less traffic on the track]. Inexcusable. I’ve not often been so down about what occurred. That is the worst, it was simply idiotic, to make him exit after we did.
“You don’t danger a lot within the Q1 after we simply had the tempo. [Lewis is] essentially the most priceless we’ve ever had and the best driver ever within the sport and he’s out of Q1 due to such a nasty mistake. I can solely express regret to him.
“His tempo was there, we’d have had an actual go for the rostrum. Now it’s just about not possible.”
04:13 PM GMTMcLaren wins the day
All in all that was an eventful day of qualifying for the ultimate grand prix of the 2024 season.
An incredible day for McLaren who should serve up an calamity of epic proportions tomorrow if they’re to overlook out on their first constructor’s title in 26 years.
A foul day, although, for Ferrari, who want a minor miracle tomorrow. Feelings within the paddock of the scuderia can have gone from ecstasy to agony inside seconds, as they fleetingly had a 1-2 end in Q2 just for the officers to intervene VAR-style.
Additionally a day to overlook for Hamilton, who via no fault of his personal will be unable to exit on a excessive with the Mercedes staff he has served so brilliantly for the final 12 years, after being bumped down the grid by a rogue bollard.
Thanks for following and don’t overlook to hitch Luke Slater tomorrow to see what occurs within the race itself.
03:52 PM GMTWolff apologises to Hamilton
Toto Wolff has issued a profuse apology to Lewis Hamilton after the decision-making from the Mercedes staff that he felt brought about the driving force’s exit from Q1.
“I must apologise to Lewis and to everybody within the staff for giving him such an incredible automobile,” he mentioned. “He was the faster man and we completely let him down, it was our mistake for not letting him exit earlier [when there was less traffic on the track].
You’ll be able to nearly see the smoke popping out of the Mercedes staff principal’s ears as he vents.
“Inexcusable!” he continues. “I’ve not often been so down about what occurred. That is the worst, it was simply idiotic, to make him exit after we did.
“You don’t danger a lot within the Q1 after we simply had the tempo. [Lewis is] essentially the most priceless we’ve ever had and the best driver ever within the sport and he’s out of Q1 due to such a nasty mistake. I can solely express regret to him.
“His tempo was there, we’d have had an actual go for the rostrum. Now it’s just about not possible.”
Maybe Christian Horner was proper. Possibly it’s higher to be a terrier than a wolf…
So, though the incident that brought about Hamilton’s failure to qualify was led to by a rogue bollard, Wolf contends that Hamilton ought to have gone out earlier anyway when there have been fewer vehicles on the observe to place him in danger – particularly as Mercedes had supplied a aggressive automobile for the seven-time world champion for a change.
Talking on Sky Nico Rosberg has prompt Wolff go “sit on a chair in a darkened room for half an hour or so” earlier than doing something rash.
03:38 PM GMT‘Excellent day’ for Norris
“It was an ideal, excellent day for us, most likely a bit of bit more durable than we had been hoping for, we’ve been fast all weekend, we had been happy with the one-two however it was a bit trickier than what we’d have favored,” mentioned Norris on Sky after clinching pole. “My lap in the long run was robust and it was simply how we wished to finish right now.”
“We now have obtained to beat Ferrari. That’s the goal however we’ve obtained to do it in type. I need to win. We all know what we’ve to take action we’re conserving our heads down and staying centered, we’re right here to win and something is feasible.
“Tomorrow we’re going to have an excellent probability not less than with one in every of our vehicles and we shall be giving it every thing we’ve obtained. We all know behind our minds what we actually must do to attain our large objective.”
03:36 PM GMTHulkenberg known as to stewards’ room
Nico Hulkenberg gave the drive of qualifying by coming in fourth forward of Verstappen, however the unhealthy information is he has been known as to see the stewards.
It seems the Haas driver shall be interrogated over his actions within the pit-lane tunnel, when he determined to carry his automobile to an entire halt, which could properly be a violation of the legal guidelines.
That shall be a merciless blow to the German after placing in such a unprecedented efficiency.
03:24 PM GMTLeclerc not giving up
“The enjoyment shall be even larger if we handle to drag it off from such a troublesome weekend due to the engine penalty and the lap time [being] deleted,” mentioned Leclerc, giving a complete new that means to the phrase optimism, when interviewed by the BBC. “It was a tricky weekend total however I hope we will flip this round in the absolute best means.”
“I don’t really feel down, I’m very dissatisfied, I’m very dissatisfied with what occurred with the engineers right now, however that makes me much more motivated for tomorrow to attempt to do one thing particular, I’ll give all of it.”
03:20 PM GMTBest of the remainder
11. Yuki Tsunoda (RB)12. Liam Lawson (RB)13. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)14. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)*15. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)16. Alex Albon (Williams)17. Zhou Guanyu (Sauber)18. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)19. Franco Colapinto (Williams)20. Jack Doohan (Alpine)
* 10-place grid penalty
03:19 PM GMTHow they stand
1. Lando Norris (McLaren)2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)3. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)4. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)5. Max Verstappen (Purple Bull)6. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)7. George Russell (Mercedes)8. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)9. Valtteri Bottas (Sauber)10. Sergio Perez (Purple Bull)
03:12 PM GMTMcLaren’s constructor’s title to lose
McLaren now have one-and-a-half palms on the constructor’s title after Norris’ pole and Piastri’s second.
Sainz lived as much as his a part of the cut price by conserving Ferrari with a third-placed end in Q3, however Leclerc’s deleted lap in Q2 has all however thrown away Ferrari’s prospects.
03:05 PM GMTIt’s a McLaren 1-2 for Sunday!
Sergio Perez clocks the fourth-fastest time in his most likely last ever qualifying lap in F1.
Subsequent up it’s Piastri who seems like he’s taking a cautious method.
Hulkenberg nails the quickest time however then he’s pipped by Piastri for second place.
Now it’s Norris to present it one final go – and Lando lands pole!
That’s a 1-2 dream situation for McLaren, who needed to actually pull that out of the fireplace on the dying.
Sainz takes third place – properly performed Carlos – edging forward of Hulkenberg, who delivered a large time, in fourth.
03:00 PM GMTGreat save by Verstappen
We’re now in Q3 and Hulkenberg posted a lightning quick time, however was rapidly outdated by Verstappen, who nearly misplaced management of his automobile whereas haring across the last nook.
The Dutchman went actually vast and did amazingly properly to right his steering, keep away from the wall and someway preserve one in every of is tyres on the observe. Phenomenal reflexes there from the Purple Bull man, who might need been within the wall (“on his head”) had been it not for these extraordinary reflexes. And he nonetheless nailed the quickest time there!
He’s now quickest with 1:22.945.
Breathless driving.
Norris is second with Piastri third and Sainz fourth.
And now they’re going to exit with new tyres.
02:49 PM GMTLeclerc out of qualifying
Pierre Gasly and Nico Hulkenberg had simply thrown the cat among the many pigeons by posting second and third-fastest instances when Leclerc surged via simply earlier than the chequered flag to nail the quickest time of Q2.
However simply as Sainz is available in second to present Ferrari their desperately wanted 1-2 Leclerc’s lap is deleted!
He veered off the white strains on flip one and that has put paid to his hopes for tomorrow.
Out of qualifying he’ll now begin the grand prix in final place and Ferrari’s distant hopes of successful the constructors’ championship lie within the palms of Sainz – the very man who’s being jettisoned by the Scuderia in favour of Hamilton subsequent yr!
02:41 PM GMTMcLaren second and third quickest
So it’s nonetheless Verstappen in entrance with the quickest time as Q2 nears to a detailed, with Norris second and Piastri third.
The Dutchman has determined to let the others battle it out in Q2 – as if to say, “I can’t be bothered with this, see in the event you can beat my time, lads”.
Carlos Sainz is fifth and Leclerc down in tenth, which doesn’t bode properly for the prancing horse.
02:36 PM GMTLeclerc simply avoids crash
What in regards to the McLarens? Lando Norris has simply shot round to edge into second place, touchdown one other blow to Ferrari’s constructor’s hopes. And speaking of Ferrari, Leclerc nearly misplaced full management whereas negotiating the parabolica. He confirmed nice reactions there to forestall his automobile from careering into the crash barrier in what may have been a messy accident.
02:31 PM GMTVerstappen quickest after Q1
George Russell needed to take evasive motion there as Liam Lawson was dawdling in entrance of him.
The Briton didn’t need to have his lap time deleted however was unable to report a quick time in consequence.
In all the confusion, which has Perez completely fuming that he had a lap time erroneously deleted, Verstappen has completed quickest after Q1. The Dutchman has stored his head whereas everybody round has been shedding theirs.
Leclerc briefly leapfrogged the Dutchman, however Verstappen has zipped round in 1:22.998.
Leclerc is second and Sainz third with 10 minutes to go of Q2.
02:23 PM GMTHamilton horror present
Charles Leclerc has now edged forward of Valtteri Bottas, who was briefly quickest. That’s encouraging for Ferrari’s hopes for the weekend.
But it surely’s unhealthy information for Hamilton, whose tempo had fallen via the ground. “I’ve messed that up, large time,” says Lewis over the radio, because the Mercedes man posts an 18th-place – his worst ever qualifying place at Abu Dhabi.
“That was unhealthy, man,” he provides.
“Yeah, that was unhealthy,” agrees staff principal Toto Wolff.
However what occurred there? It truly seems like a bollard was flicked by the automobile in entrance, Kevin Magnussen, and it obtained caught underneath the Briton’s automobile, rendering it successfully impotent.
That’s such onerous luck for Hamilton, who’s out of qualifying in consequence, and I’m certain Wolff shall be extra understanding when he realises what occurred.
02:16 PM GMTPerez lap reinstated
The stewards have had a evaluation of Perez’ quickest lap and determined that every one 4 wheels had not gone off the observe.
It’s welcome excellent news for Perez, who’s now third-fastest, however the instances are so shut he’s going to must have one other go at it.
02:15 PM GMTSainz quickest
In the intervening time Carlos Sainz is doing his bit for Ferrari. After flying in apply he’s main in qualifying with a lap of 1:21.487, simply forward of Verstappen.
In third place is Kevin Magnussen, who has surpried everybody withhis time on what’s shall be his last grand prix earlier than shifting into Tremendous Automobile.
02:10 PM GMTAnd they’re off!
The primary vehicles are out on the observe and the Purple Bulls are out.
Sergio Perez appeared like he’s nailed a good time, which was one tenth of a second quicker than that with which Verstappen received pole final season.
And the luckless Mexican has the lap deleted for crossing the exterior white line.
Franco Colapinto follows go well with for a similar motive.
This can be a circuit that requires nice self-discipline.
02:03 PM GMTCan Verstappen clinch a fifth straight pole?
Apply is one factor, qualifying is one other. And in the case of the latter Verstappen is the person to beat.
He has nailed eight pole positions this season, pipping Norris’s seven, and has completed so right here 4 years in a row, successful the race on every event, together with the very controversial grand prix in 2021 that clinched his first drivers’ title forward of Hamilton.
Successful pole right here typically ensures victory within the race. Out of the final 15 Abu Dhabi grand prix winners, 10 did so from pole.
01:45 PM GMTFerrari have all of it to do
We’re quarter-hour away from the beginning of qualifying, when it is going to be fascinating to see whether or not Hamilton can construct on the velocity he has proven in apply. If he has come underneath any criticism on this his last season at Mercedes it has been his velocity in qualifying – one thing that traditionally has at all times been his forte.
Hamilton’s future staff Ferrari, in the meantime, actually need to step issues up so as put strain on McLaren.
As a reminder right here’s how the constructor’s championship seems.
01:36 PM GMTMajor blow for Ferrari
Turning again to issues on the observe, Ferrari are having a nasty weekend.
The Italian scuderia suffered a significant blow on Friday when Charles Leclerc was handed a whopping 10-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race. Ferrari needed to change the battery pack on his automobile, taking them past their permitted allowance for the season.
That may have determined the constructors’ championship even earlier than a gear has been modified in anger in qualifying. Ferrari drivers Leclerc and Carlos Sainz each mentioned within the week {that a} 1-2 end for the Italian staff was their greatest shot at their first title in 16 years. Apply suggests McLaren usually tend to come within the prime two.
No matter occurs right now Leclerc is optimistic in regards to the future and the arrival of Lewis Hamilton as his team-mate subsequent season. Leclerc was simply 10 years outdated when Hamilton received the primary of his seen driver’s titles, however he has sugested it is going to be he fairly than Hamilton who shall be clinching silverware subsequent season. .
Leclerc isn’t alone in showing on the naughty step. Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto will be part of him in shifting down the order from their authentic qualifying spot after every receiving five-place grid penalties due, in line with Williams, to “to the usage of further RNC gearbox elements”.
01:21 PM GMTRussell v Verstappen feud simmers on
Off the observe, the duel everybody has actually been speaking about this week has been the one between Mercedes driver George Russell and Verstappen, who’ve been conducting since Rebekah Vardy and Colleen Rooney final locked purses.
Verstappen mentioned on Thursday he had “no regrets” about telling the world he has misplaced respect for Russell after the qualifying drama in Qatar, which prompted Russell to fly off the rails – or ought to that be the observe? – and name the four-time champion a “bully”.
Mercedes Staff principal Toto Wolff then waded into the controversy by launching a broadside at his Purple Bull counterpart Christian Horner, calling him a “yapping little terrier”, to which Horner retorted, “”.
Verstappen, in the meantime, has continued to throw shade at Russell describing him as a “backstabber” and a “loser”. And Russell then reportedly turned up on the end-of-season drivers’ dinner to search out that the one seats left had been each subsequent to Verstappen.
What did he do? Sit down and speak all of it via like an grownup? Nope. He picked up the chair and went to the opposite facet of the desk to take a seat subsequent to his team-mate and boyhood hero Hamilton. Maybe he’s proper to face as much as the Dutchman. What do you assume?
Whoever’s facet you’re on, isn’t it good to see the ultimate grand prix of the yr being concluded in such a civil and honourable vogue.
01:12 PM GMTGet set for qualifying
Welcome to Telegraph Sport’s protection of qualifying from Yas Marina, the place Components One’s most interesting are about to duke it out for pole place at tomorrow’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen has already clinched the Drivers Championship for a fourth successive season, however the constructors’ championship remains to be up for grabs, with McLaren and Ferrari battling it out for the much-coveted trophy.
This might but be a giant weekend for McLaren, who’ve their sights set on a primary constructor’s championship since 1998 – earlier than George Russell was even born.
They’re 21 factors forward of Ferrari, so want to attain 24 factors or extra to finish their 26-year wait. If Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri rating 24 factors between them the title shall be McLaren’s. Failing that, 13 factors will suffice ought to Ferrari win the race.
However McLaren, it needs to be mentioned, are favourites to take the staff title as they’re going properly. Piastri and Norris completed one-two in last apply this morning, Piastri edging Norris by 0.193 seconds, whereas Lewis Hamilton, their closest rival, was 0.390secs off the tempo within the Mercedes.
Hamilton is seeking to finish his 12-year spell at Mercedes profession on a excessive earlier than his much-publicised transfer to Ferrari and shall be inspired by ending 0.021secs quicker than Verstappen in fourth.
Ferrari, in the meantime, appear to be they’ve all of it to do with Carlos Sainz fifth and Charles Leclerc in tenth place.
