In the final qualification of the 2024 Formula 1 season, Lando Norris clocked the fastest time. The British driver will start from pole position in the upcoming Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Max Verstappen will have to settle for the fifth fastest time. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are, for now, the big losers at the Yas Marina Circuit.
Q1: Track Limits, Disappointment for Hamilton
Fernando Alonso opts for a unique strategy. The Spanish star is the first to hit the track with hard tyres on his Aston Martin. He completes one lap at the Yas Marina Circuit to shave off the top layer of the white compound. He then returns to the pits to switch to red tyres. The track limits are causing problems for the drivers, while McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull vie for the fastest time. Sergio Pérez appears to push his RB20 slightly over the white line, but his third fastest time is later reinstated.
The track only gets faster as the session progresses. This is evident when Valtteri Bottas records the fastest time. In the end, Charles Leclerc tops the time list. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton’s final qualification for Mercedes ends in disappointment. He aborts his fast lap after a bollard – previously dislodged by Kevin Magnussen – gets stuck under his car.
Eliminated in Q1: Doohan, Colapinto, Hamilton, Zhou, Albon
Q2: Leclerc Doesn’t Make It
Max Verstappen kicks off the second part of the qualification and is the first to break the one minute twenty-three mark. He drives his Red Bull back to the pit lane – it’s enough to secure him a spot in Q3. At the last moment, both Ferraris manage to improve his time, although Charles Leclerc, who already has a ten-place grid penalty, has exceeded the track limits. While he drops out in Q2, Valtteri Bottas benefits: thanks to a very fast final lap, he moves on to the last part of this qualification.
Eliminated in Q2: Magnussen, Leclerc, Stroll, Lawson, Tsunoda
Q3:
In the very last qualification session, Max Verstappen really has to step up to compete for pole position. His very first lap is immediately sensational. Not only because he records the fastest time, but also because he nearly crashes his car into the wall in the last turn. He corrects the oversteering RB20 while drifting. Sainz, Norris, Piastri, and Verstappen then compete for pole position, but in the end, it’s Lando Norris who comes out on top. Max Verstappen loses a lot of time in his last lap and has to settle for the fifth time. Nico Hülkenberg surprises with the fourth time.
