Max Verstappen achieved a masterful pole position for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, decisive for the awarding of the world title, ahead of his rivals Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri on Saturday.
The three-way battle will be decided on Sunday at the Yas Marina circuit. Norris arrives with a 12-point lead over Verstappen (Red Bull) and 16 over his McLaren teammate Piastri.
All three have seven wins this season. Verstappen is aiming for a fifth consecutive title, while Norris and Piastri are looking to clinch their first crown. The Dutchman says he's ready to fight it out, just like in 2021 when he clinched the championship on the final lap against Lewis Hamilton.
"We'll see tomorrow, won't we?" Verstappen responded. "I'm going to try to win the race."
Pole position is crucial in Abu Dhabi, where overtaking is difficult: since 2015, all the winners have started from first place. The last driver to fail to do so was Nico Rosberg in 2014, beaten by Hamilton.
Verstappen, who had already set the fastest time on his first attempt, improved to 1'22''207, ahead of Norris by 0''201 and Piastri by 0''230. "It was crazy.""He said this after securing his eighth pole position of the season and the 48th of his career. He then kissed his partner Kelly Piquet and greeted Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren."
Norris will be champion if he finishes on the podium. If Verstappen wins, he will need Norris to finish fourth or lower. If Piastri wins, Norris will need to finish outside the top five.
Hamilton eliminated in Q1
Hamilton endured another nightmare Saturday, eliminated in Q1 for the third race in a row. Earlier, he crashed his car in free practice after a driving error, and has not finished in the top 10 in qualifying for the last four Grands Prix.
"I am truly sorry" " he said on the radio. "I have no words to describe what I feel."
When asked about 2026, Hamilton replied, sounding dejected: "I don't think that far ahead."
George Russell secured fourth place, ahead of Charles Leclerc, who performed much better than his teammate.
Hamilton, record holder for wins (104) and pole positions (104), describes his season as " terrible "At 40 years old, he has only won one sprint race this year, in China, and has not seen a podium finish in a Grand Prix.
McLaren ruins opportunities
Norris had the opportunity to seal the title in Qatar, but a poor strategic decision by McLaren handed the victory to Verstappen, relaunching the Dutchman in the title race and potentially allowing him to equal Schumacher's record of five consecutive titles between 2000 and 2004.
Verstappen's victory in Qatar was the 70th of his career. His chances also improved after the disqualifications of Norris and Piastri in Las Vegas.
A high-tension title race
After his victory at the Dutch Grand Prix on August 31, Piastri led the championship by 34 points over Norris and 104 over Verstappen, who was then limited to two wins. The Australian, seeking his country's first title in 45 years, hasn't won since Zandvoort.
When Norris won the sprint race in Brazil in early November, he still held a 39-point lead over Verstappen with four races remaining. The Dutchman, who had qualified only 16th in São Paulo, claimed at the time that he could " forget " the title.
But since then, everything has changed. After another splendid pole position, Verstappen climbed into his car and proudly raised his finger as a sign of number one.
