How Verstappen secured pole position
Max Verstappen was there again. He stuck to his simple credo: do your best and accept what you cannot control. That helped him today in Abu Dhabi.
After a difficult start in FP1, Red Bull fought back. On Saturday, they switched to a smaller rear wing. The balance of the car was readjusted. This gave Verstappen the opportunity to drive almost perfect laps at the right moment.
Both of Verstappen's Q3 laps would have been pole positions. The second lap was even faster and did not benefit from a tow from teammate Yuki Tsunoda on the earlier run. Nevertheless, Verstappen was 0.2 seconds faster than the McLarens. Lando Norris was second, Oscar Piastri third.
Strategy and tyre choice
The teams faced a difficult tyre choice. The track quickly gained more grip as the temperature dropped. No one wanted to take the risk of using two sets of soft tyres early on. As a result, many drivers had exactly two sets left for Q2 and Q3.
Red Bull solved this cleverly. Verstappen made only one attempt in Q2 and did so on used tyres. That one fast lap was crucial. He was faster than the times set by Norris and Piastri and was second in Q2, behind George Russell on new tyres.
McLaren went out again on new tyres in Q2, but did not need to complete the run as they were already safe. As a result, Norris and Piastri had to do one of their runs on partially used tyres later in Q3. Verstappen was able to go out twice on fresh tyres. That gave him extra confidence for Q3.
Wing, speed and turns
The smaller rear wing gave Verstappen higher top speeds: approximately 5 km/h more on the back straight and 3 km/h on the pit lane straight. But the most important thing was the balance in slow corners. Verstappen braked later in the chicane (corners 6-7) and in corner 12. He maintained his speed better through those sections.
The McLarens lacked that balance in slow corners. They had slightly more understeer and lost momentum as a result. The sector where McLaren previously had an advantage (sector 3 with slow to medium-speed corners) was suddenly no longer a strong point.
Comments and voting
Oscar Piastri acknowledged that there was little time left to gain. Lando Norris was disappointed. He missed out on a starting position that could have decided the championship. McLaren cited the cooler track and more grip as the reasons for the slight understeer they experienced.
Uncertainties before the race
Whether the qualifying picture will translate into the race remains unclear. The strategic choice — one or two pit stops — remains the big question. Both options are close together.
There is another important difference in tyre stocks. McLaren has two new sets of hard tyres. Verstappen has two new sets of medium tyres. There is insufficient comparative driving to know which choice is better for a longer stint. That makes the title race extra exciting, especially now that the three title contenders are in the top three places.
Other notes on the grid
George Russell set a strong time and will start fourth. He was only 0.1 seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc. Leclerc said he almost wanted to abort his Q2 lap five times because the car was so difficult to drive. Lewis Hamilton failed to get past Q1 for the fourth race in a row and was clearly disappointed.
Fernando Alonso and Sauber talent Gabriel Bortoleto were close together on the grid: sixth and seventh, separated by two thousandths. Funnily enough, Andrea Stella — who assisted Alonso at Ferrari in 2010 — is now in a position where he has to make difficult decisions as team boss.
- Top three on the grid: Verstappen, Norris, Piastri
- Important strategic choice: one stop or two stops
- Tyre difference: McLaren two new hards, Verstappen two new mediums
What does this mean for the race?
On paper, Norris only needs to finish third to clinch the title. In practice, however, it remains exciting. Strategy, tyre choice and wheel-to-wheel battles could also change the outcome. And drivers such as Russell or Leclerc could further complicate matters.
In short: Verstappen has pole position and a good starting position. But the race promises to be a tactical chess game. The title could be secured or derailed by the many unknown factors.
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