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Contrary to popular belief, we rarely see or hear the full range of emotions we know. max verstappen It is deeply ingrained in his psyche. Max 2.0 is no longer “Mad Max”; This is the new and improved version, still laser-focused but ultimately happier than ever. Four f1 Titles in the cabinet, the fifth is a simple bonus. And this is the mantra that is taking him closer to an unprecedented comeback.
Yet on Saturday night under the Yas Marina bulbs, the Dutchman could not resist a replay. “Come on, that was crazy,” Verstappen beamed over the team radio shortly after setting not one but two laps worthy of a dominant pole position. Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. In this The most interesting of the season-determinersRed Bull has suffered its first blow.
Surprisingly, all three title heroes are in the leading positions on Sunday’s grid. Arrive at 5pm local time, Championship Leader lando norris The race will be run out of line at spot number 2 with a loss of eight metres. The Briton was 0.201 seconds behind Verstappen in qualifying; A significant deficit in one lap. oscar piastri Will be right behind Verstappen in third and will be crossing his fingers for further carnage as he looks to overcome the 16-point deficit.
For Norris, 26, of Somerset, the task is straightforward on paper: A Podium secures its first titleHe wants to become Britain’s 11th F1 world champion and, equipped with the fastest car, an incident-free 58-lap showdown on Sunday will be enough, Anything less than that opens the door for Verstappen,
‘I’m going all out, I’ve got nothing to lose,’ said the Dutchman, standing between the two McLaren drivers at the post-qualifying press conference. ‘I’m going to try to win the race – if I need to attack, I’ll attack.
“Let’s see what we can do tomorrow. In my mind, we want to score a lot of points but we also need a bit of luck with what happens behind us. But we can talk about strategy for two hours and then after the first lap, it can all be thrown in the bin.”
In his first run in the top-10 Shootout, Verstappen benefited from out-of-doors teammate Yuki Tsunoda’s well-coordinated slipstream, setting the fastest time, three-tenths quicker than Piastri in second and nearly 0.5 seconds ahead of Norris in third.
“Give him a very good tow, look in your mirrors,” Tsunoda was ordered by his engineer. And the Japanese drivers complied, giving the Dutchman significant speed increases on the two main routes. Yet even without puncturing the air, Verstappen went faster for the second time.
Norris, in his first run, struggled to control a slide at turn one and never recovered significant lap time lost, but, crucially, went fast enough on lap number two to pass his teammate to a front row berth. Although “disappointed” by failing to beat his main rival for the championship, the McLaren driver was quite satisfied with the position on the front row.
“Max did a good job so congratulations to him,” Norris said. “My lap was very good but we weren’t that fast today – we’ll have to do that tomorrow.” Asked directly how he balances pursuit of victory with his uncertain title advantage, Norris’ answer was clear: “I’ll make a decision when I have to make a decision.”
Despite Verstappen’s late-season pace, it was actually Piastri who made the early statement by setting a lap half a second faster than his teammate in the first stage of qualifying, while Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari was a nightmare. Continued with third consecutive Q1 elimination,
Top-10 – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Qualifying
1. Max Verstappen – Red Bull
2. Lando Norris – McLaren
3. Oscar Piastri – McLaren
4. George Russell – Mercedes
5. Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
6. Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin
7. Gabriel Bortoletto – Sober
8. Esteban Ocon – Haas
9. Isaac Hadjar – Racing Bulls
10. Yuki Tsunoda – Red Bull
Four years after missing out in controversial circumstances at Yas Marina, the 40-year-old will not be a factor on Sunday. Hamilton will be 16th on Sunday’s grid after he missed out on Q2 by 0.008 seconds, a few hours later violent accident In the final practice session. A disappointed Hamilton said to race engineer Riccardo Adami on the team radio after qualifying: “Every time, mate, I feel very sorry.”
Hamilton was never going to be involved in the battle at the top – but could anyone else challenge the top three? George Russell’s Mercedes seems the most likely: he set the fastest time in Q2, but almost lost the car on his final lap at the last corner in Q3 and will start P4. Interestingly, Verstappen will need to move at least one place ahead of his arch rival to steal the championship.
The grid positions set up an exciting season-ending Grand Prix. talking to Independent In the paddock, ex-F1 driver and Sky Sports pundit Anthony Davidson believes the Yas Marina Circuit is a tie for the two teams in contention.
“I think it will be much more similar between McLaren and Red Bull than Qatar,” said Davidson, who favored McLaren. “The hot temperatures are definitely in McLaren’s favour, but Max is faster around this track, as proven by qualifying.
“It’s going to be who gets it right on the night. If you start down the order you can get ahead here and you see a lot more drop in tires in Abu Dhabi than in Qatar. There’s more way to go down there with strategy and car setup – it makes it an even more level playing field.”
Dirty tricks can also be played. From the front, it’s possible the Dutchman may decide against increasing his lead on the track, instead slowing the entire pack down and causing a headache for Norris. Hamilton had attempted something similar in 2016 when Nico Rosberg was close to the title. It didn’t work, but it kept it heady for the checkered flag.
“It was a different layout then,” Verstappen said. “It’s a very different time. But I hope it’s not a straight race.” Whether Piastri can gain an early lead over Norris could also spark the much-discussed discussion about McLaren team order – And will Piyastri be instructed to leave any post if necessary?
So much for licking your lips then. McLaren has shown over the past fortnight just how overwhelming the pressure of opportunity is in the heat of battle. Verstappen will be well prepared to pounce should McLaren or their lead driver bow out for a third and decisive time. Norris must be prepared for dogfight.