Lando Norris took pole place on the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix forward of team-mate Oscar Piastri as McLaren put themselves in an ideal place to clinch their first constructors’ title since 1998.
Norris headed Piastri by 0.209 seconds on the finish of a gripping, topsy-turvy qualifying session on the last race of the season.
Carlos Sainz took third place for Ferrari, who path McLaren by 21 factors heading into Sunday’s race.
His team-mate Charles Leclerc will begin on the again, qualifying thirteenth after having his lap time in second qualifying deleted for exceeding monitor limits, and with a 10-place grid penalty to return.
Lewis Hamilton certified 18th in his last race for Mercedes after his decisive lap within the first session was wrecked when his automobile collected a bollard dislodged by Kevin Magnussen’s Haas because the Dane tried to get out of Hamilton’s method.
“You could not make it up,” stated Hamilton, who is about to begin sixteenth after penalties for Leclerc and Williams’ Alex Albon. “It’s what it’s.”
McLaren had dominated the apply classes main as much as qualifying and had been favourites for pole, however they didn’t present their hand till the ultimate lap of a session marked by monitor limits transgressions and different incidents.
World champion Max Verstappen was quickest on the primary runs within the last session in his Purple Bull, regardless of an enormous slide out of the ultimate nook which he simply managed to rescue from turning right into a crash into the pit wall on the within.
The McLarens had been on used tyres for the primary runs within the high 10 shootout and Norris was simply 0.004secs behind Verstappen, who was on new tyres, with Piastri an extra 0.036secs behind.
Verstappen didn’t enhance on his last lap and he dropped all the way down to fifth behind Norris, Piastri, Sainz and the spectacular Haas of Nico Hulkenberg. The Dutchman ended up 0.350secs off the tempo.
He stated: “You by no means actually had evaluate as a result of many individuals stored aborting on their new tyres and after I went P1 different folks had been on scrubbed (tyres) so it did not give a good efficiency evaluation.
“If I did not drop it on the final nook I believe I might have fought for second.”
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly took sixth, forward of of Mercedes’ George Russell, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas and Purple Bull’s Sergio Perez.
Leclerc went quickest with a lap on the finish of the second session, however he had it deleted for exceeding monitor limits at Flip One.
He’ll begin nineteenth after his penalty, one place forward of Williams’ Franco Colapinto, who certified nineteenth however like Albon has a five-place penalty for extreme gearbox utilization.
Leclerc stated he nonetheless had hopes of a miracle within the constructors’ championship.
“The enjoyment shall be even greater if we pull it off after such a tricky weekend,” he advised BBC Sport. “I hope we are able to flip this round in the absolute best method.
“I’m very disenchanted with my efficiency as we speak and I’m very disenchanted with what occurred on the engine yesterday however that makes me extra decided to do one thing particular tomorrow. So I’ll give it my all.”
