Lando Norris frustration signals bright future for McLaren as Max Verstappen takes Abu Dhabi GP pole
It speaks volumes for McLaren’s dramatic improvement this year that Lando Norris left the mixed zone after qualifying in Abu Dhabi on Saturday absolutely furious with himself, bemoaning a “stupid mistake” on his final lap which left him fifth on the grid for Sunday’s season-ending grand prix.
“I’m just doing a s--- job on a Saturday,” Norris fumed as he stalked off. “It was a terrible day for me today.”
What Norris and McLaren would have done for such a ‘terrible’ day at the start of this season. Eight months ago, Norris qualified 11th and finished 17th at the season-opener in Bahrain, two laps down on winner Max Verstappen.
"Another Saturday that I've just thrown away" 😕
A "disappointed" Lando Norris on the qualifying mistake that he feels cost him P1 🎙 pic.twitter.com/aKWqS2tPeg— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) November 25, 2023
His team-mate Oscar Piastri, in his first ever Formula One grand prix, qualified 18th and retired after 13 laps with an electrical failure.
The Australian rookie, who bounced back from that ignominious debut to emerge as one of the best stories of the season, will start third on the grid in Abu Dhabi after managing to put together a slightly cleaner final lap than Norris, albeit still not a perfect one.
It has been one hell of a recovery from McLaren. Regardless of what happens in Sunday’s race – and no one really knows what to expect as practice has been so stop-start – they will head into the winter buoyant.
New team principal Andrea Stella appears to have galvanised the workforce at Woking, the new wind tunnel and simulator are about to give the team a further shot in the arm, Rob Marshall will arrive in the new year as the technical director armed with a dossier full of Red Bull IP, and chief executive Zak Brown reckons he has “the strongest driver line-up on the grid”.
At an informal brunch with the media in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, the American was full of the joys of spring, praising his drivers, praising Stella (who he described as “The Swan... a nice guy cruising above the water, but underneath he’s paddling fast”) and looking ahead with optimism to 2024.
“It’s pretty hard to say ‘We’re going to be better than Ferrari or Mercedes or whoever’,” Brown replied when asked whether he felt McLaren could be ‘best of the rest’ next year. “But I would be disappointed if we’re not at the sharp end of the field challenging for race wins. I would be disappointed if we’re not as competitive as we are now. And more.”
Compare and contrast with the mood over at Mercedes. The Brackley team are fighting Ferrari for second in the constructors’ championship out here in Abu Dhabi, while McLaren are fighting Aston Martin for fourth. But you would never guess it from the respective body language.
Like Norris, Lewis Hamilton was also thoroughly fed up post-qualifying. But for totally different reasons. His 11th on the grid was the best he could manage and the seven-time world champion admitted afterwards he could not wait to be shot of the W14.
“It is just a very unpredictable car and it has been all year,” Hamilton said. “I am definitely happy it is nearly over. It is more inconsistent than ever. It is up and down from the moment you hit the brakes, the moment you turn, the moment you hit the apex, it is massively out of balance and hard to predict what is going to happen.”
That Hamilton’s team-mate George Russell was able to put his car fourth on the grid only left the older driver even more perplexed. “We set our cars up the same, but they don’t read the same so there is something not right on our side,” Hamilton said. “I am sure we will have a deep dive into it but I have been off all weekend and struggled. Eleventh… it takes some going for me not to get into Q3.”
There were no prizes for guessing who took pole, of course. It was Verstappen’s fourth pole in a row in Abu Dhabi and the reigning world champion will be aiming to complete his 19th win in 22 races on Sunday.
Despite a messy build-up, which had convinced Red Bull’s motorsport advisor Helmut Marko to bet team principal Christian Horner €500 that the Dutchman would not make the front row, this one was never really in doubt. “I think Helmut learnt his lesson – never bet against me!” Verstappen chuckled afterwards.
It has been an extraordinary, record-breaking season for the Dutch driver and for Red Bull. But behind them, there are encouraging signs. The top nine drivers in Q2 in Abu Dhabi were all within four tenths of a second of each other. There were eight different constructors in the top 10 shootout. Mercedes will finally move to their new car concept. And perhaps most encouraging of all, Norris was furious with himself for taking P5 in qualifying. Was he being too harsh on himself given where McLaren started this year, he was asked. “Not at all,” he shot back. “I was fighting for P2 and I end up P5 because of a stupid mistake. I’m too soft on myself.” It bodes well.
Verstappen takes Abu Dhabi GP pole: as it happened
03:43 PM GMT
OK, that is it from us today
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix begins tomorrow at 1pm GMT so we will be here for the build-up and live updates from around 11.30am. Let’s hope it’s a good race, but hope is not something I have a lot of after this season.
03:28 PM GMT
Toto Wolff also speaks to Sky Sports F1
🗣 "I'm happy that this is the last qualifying of the season and we're going to come back with a new car"
Toto Wolff on a challenging qualifying session for Mercedes 👇 pic.twitter.com/BnVI2ARrSN— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) November 25, 2023
There is a lot of pressure on that new car. Mercedes look likely to go winless in 2023, their first winless season for more than a decade. 2022 wasn’t much better, with only one victory. For the sake of the championship you hope that they (or another team, perhaps) nail their winter development.
03:24 PM GMT
Some Mercedes reaction
First from Hamilton:
"I've been off all weekend" 😔
Lewis Hamilton on his Q2 exit and struggles with the W14 🆕 pic.twitter.com/Z44Ab9BNkM— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) November 25, 2023
A pretty good season from him, all in all, but the car has just not been there and it has been particularly problematic in qualifying in 2023.
03:14 PM GMT
A funny moment from Red Bull
"I think you owe this beatbox an apology" 🤝
"You've just won me €500 off Helmut" 💰
BRILLIANT reaction from Max Verstappen's radio after securing pole in Abu Dhabi 😂 pic.twitter.com/8kRsHmAUwS— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) November 25, 2023
03:13 PM GMT
Max Verstappen reacts to his pole position
He also sounds a bit surprised with how good his car was in qualifying.
“Very weird, the whole weekend so far has been a bit of a struggle. We definitely improved the car for qualifyng. From lap one it was all together and we could push a bit more from pole. Around here already with the tyres like if you have little slides it can cost you a lot of lap time and that was happening for us in practice but in qualifying it was better than expected.”
03:12 PM GMT
Charles Leclerc is surprised by second
“Honestly, considering the weekend we’ve had until now I did not expect it all until the last lap. In the last corner was a bit too much sliding but I think everyone had that. Really, really happy with the second place. At the end; a front row, so it’s amazing. When we put on the new tyres everything comes alive. Really happy to be on the front row, but it’s a big surprise.”
He also says that the main thing is getting the points to secure Ferrari second place in the constructors’ championship.
03:10 PM GMT
Oscar Piastri reacts to an excellent third
“Difficult session, it’s extremely tight this weekend. It’s been a bit of a messy one. The last lap I made a bit a mistake as well but it would have been quite last corner to get to the front. Happy to be back at the top of things. I think practice the pace was there, but there was a couple of big mistakes in every lap. Q1 messy, Q2 got it together finally and it was pretty good in Q3. Happy with that. Close but not quite close enough.”
03:04 PM GMT
Q3 - Classification
VER 1:23.445
LEC +0.139
PIA +0.337
RUS +0.343
NOR +0.371
TSU +0.523
ALO +0.639
HUL +0.663
PER +0.726
GAS +1.103
03:03 PM GMT
Q3 ends: Verstappen leads Leclerc
Another poor session from Perez.
03:02 PM GMT
Q3 - Perez in fifth!
But he has his lap time deleted! Russell into fourth! Four different cars in the top four now. He splits the McLarens, but that means it’s a pole position for Verstappen. Tsunoda down to sixth.
03:01 PM GMT
Q3 - Leclerc goes into second!
0.139sec behind Verstappen. Hulkenberg into seventh, Tsunoda in an incredible fifth. Perez and Russell to finish their laps...
03:01 PM GMT
Q3 - Let's see what Norris has here, then
It’s the fastest first sector of anyone so far, but again that is not where the lap is won and lost. Where is he after the second sector? He’s 0.118sec down which means he needs a belting final sector, clips the kerb and then slides around the tricky section at the end of the lap and doesn’t improve... ruined his lap that. Not sure he’d have had enough time to get pole...
That mistake costs Norris at least the front row, though, as Piastri sneaks up ahead of him! But will he keep it there?
02:58 PM GMT
Q3 - Right, here we go
Cars out for the final runs of Q3 to decide who gets pole.
02:56 PM GMT
Q3 - Lap times after first runs
VER 1:23.445
NOR +0.371
PIA +0.504
RUS +0.707
PER +0.726
TSU +0.825
HUL +0.990
ALO +0.993
LEC +1.051
GAS +1.103
02:54 PM GMT
Q3 - Russell into fourth
Good lap, but 0.7sec down on Verstappen. Verstappen, again, the only man who had fresh tyres. Wonder if McLaren can ge in amongst it. Perez had a bit of a moment at turn one on his lap which probably cost him a few tenths...
02:53 PM GMT
Q3 - Verstappen crosses the line with 1:23.445 to go fastest
Hulkenberg then a second behind, Tsunoda 0.8sec. Norris goes second but is a whopping 0.371sec down on Verstappen, but on used tyres like most of the rest of the drivers.
Alonso into fifth, 0.993sec behind Verstappen. Perez third, some four tenths nearly behind Norris. Perez is then bumped down to fourth as Piastri moves third.
Leclerc only eighth after that, also on used tyres.
Russell about to cross the line...
02:52 PM GMT
Q3 - Verstappen's car looks pretty hooked up here
Different track conditions to FP3 earlier today and that may explain thet difference. That said, Norris is 0.033sec after the first sector, but that is not really where the pole is won and lost.
02:49 PM GMT
Q3 begins
One of Verstappen, Norris, Tsunoda, Hulkenberg, Leclerc, Russell, Gasly, Perez or Piastri will take pole. Realistically one of Verstappen, Norris, Leclerc, Russell, Perez or Piastri.
02:45 PM GMT
Hamilton on the radio
“There is something not right with this car, mate”.
"I can clearly see what he means, there's something not right there" 🤔
Ant analyses where Lewis Hamilton's Q2 went wrong 🔍 pic.twitter.com/pd6J9kRJWk— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) November 25, 2023
02:44 PM GMT
Q2 - Classification
VER 1:23.740
NOR +0.180
LEC +0.229
RUS +0.273
GAS +0.338
PER +0.376
ALO +0.391
TSU +0.467
HUL +0.473
PIA +0.538
ELIMINATED:HAM +0.619
OCO +0.651
STR +0.682
ALB +0.699
RIC +0.702
02:42 PM GMT
Q2 ends - Verstappen leads Norris
Hamilton, Ocon, Stroll, Albon and Ricciardo are all eliminated.
02:41 PM GMT
Q2 - Alonso moves into sixth
Hamilton needs to find some time and he does... moves up into 10th but that is dangerous because Russell is about to cross the line... and he does so in fourth which means Hamilton is out!
02:41 PM GMT
Q2 - Good lap from Gasly
Fourth. I think Albon is going out here. He’s already ninth, though that soon becomes 10th as Stroll moves into ninth before Ocon does exactly the same. Albon is out then.
02:40 PM GMT
Q2 - Leclerc in eighth needs to find a bit of time here
He’s on an okay but not brilliant lap. Stroll, Hamilton, Ricciardo, Gasly and Ocon in the drop zone curently.
Leclerc crosses the line to go third, which should be good enough to get him through.
02:38 PM GMT
Q2 - Four minutes remain
Albon on fresh tyres now, he crosses the line in fifth. Will that be good enough? Not sure. Might be tight. Still slower than his lap time in Q1, though.
02:34 PM GMT
Q2 - Order after the first runs
VER
NOR
PER
PIA
RUS
TSU
LEC
ALO
STR
HAM
DROP ZONE:RIC
GAS
ALB
OCO
HUL
02:33 PM GMT
Q2 - Norris goes within two tenths of Verstappen and in second
And on used tyres. Mighty lap that. Perez third and Piastri fourth.
02:31 PM GMT
Q2 - Verstappen moves into first
He is on new tyres and sets a 1:23.740. Russell still second but then it’s Tsunoda and Stroll ahead of Hamilton, Ricciardo and Albon. Ocon can’t beat Albon and goes eighth.
02:31 PM GMT
Q2 - Let's see what Albon can do in qualifying now
He has had an excellent season for Williams and was just 0.138sec off Verstappen in Q1. He probably deserves to be in a quicker car but the Williams at least gives him the chance of getting points.
His first lap is a 1:24.965 which is some way off what he did in Q1, albeit this time on used tyres.
Hamilton crosses the line with a 1:24.826 then Russell posts a 1:24.460 to go fastest.
02:27 PM GMT
Q2 begins!
15 minutes, 10 drivers to go through and five eliminated.
Alex Albon leads the way to get Q2 underway! 🟢 pic.twitter.com/2HvAOSWE8T
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) November 25, 2023
That’s 22-0 to Albon over Sargeant in qualifying this year.
02:27 PM GMT
Sainz unhappy there
An unhappy Carlos Sainz after his SHOCK Q1 exit 📻😬 pic.twitter.com/dwTuVtSyXy
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) November 25, 2023
02:23 PM GMT
That is bad news for Sargeant
He does not have that seat at Williams confirmed for next year and he has not made the strongest argument this season.
02:23 PM GMT
Q1 - Classification
VER
PER +0.049
TSU +0.126
ALB +0.138
RUS +0.177
NOR +0.208
STR +0.245
HUL +0.265
HAM +0.277
LEC +0.299
RIC +0.301
PIA +0.327
ALO +0.341
OCO +0.405
GAS +0.440
ELIMINATED:SAI +0.578
MAG +0.604
BOT +0.628
ZHO +0.999
SAR (NO TIME)
02:21 PM GMT
Q1 ends - Verstappen fastest ahead of Perez
Sainz, Magnussen, Bottas, Zhou and Sargeant out.
02:20 PM GMT
Q1 - Perez moves into second...
...and that knocks Carlos Sainz out! Ouch. His crash yesterday probably didn’t help. But he should make it out of Q1.
“So much traffic,” he says on the radio.
02:20 PM GMT
Q1 - Alonso moves to 11th
Leclerc in ninth. Sargeant is already out, Sainz now at risk. Piastri in 16th, too... but for how long? He’s rounding the last corner and then crosses the line to move 11th and make it through, that pushes Magnussen out. Perez now at risk. Sainz only goes 15th! So it’s either Perez or Sainz out in Q1!
02:18 PM GMT
Q1 - What can Hamilton do?
Hulkenberg crosses the line furth, Hamilton sets the fastest final sector but is behind the Haas driver...
Russell goes ahead of them both in third. Better. Norris now in fourth, Albon second... Stroll fifth. Lap times tumbling and the order changing at the end.
Alonso needs to find a good lap, he’s down in 17th currently.
02:17 PM GMT
Q1 - Hamilton does a better first sector time
Sargeant in fact did not stay in the white lines so has his second flying lap deleted. Poor.
02:14 PM GMT
Q1 - Four minutes remain
And the final runs are under way. Sargeant again goes fastest in sector one... did he keep it within track limits this time?
02:12 PM GMT
Q1 - Order as it stands
VER 1:21.160
NOR +0.208
LEC +0.396
ALB +0.420
TSU +0.512
PER +0.580
SAI +0.658
RIC +0.680
RUS +0.769
BOT +0.813
PIA +0.907
OCO +0.939
HAM +0.998
STR +1.041
ALO +.047
DROP ZONEGAS +1.235
MAG +1.493
SAR (NO TIME)
ZHO (NO TIME)
HUL (NO TIME)
02:10 PM GMT
Q1 - Hamilton only 12th...
That is nearly a whole second off Verstappen. Russell is barely much better, in ninth, though two tenths ahead of his team-mate.
Eight minutes remain.
02:09 PM GMT
Q1 - Verstappen leads the way so far
Norris slips into second, 0.2sec off the Dutchman with Leclerc in third and Albon in fourth.
02:08 PM GMT
Q1 - To be fair, that sector one from Sargeant was good
And the Williams is good in flat-out sections. Verstappen has, so far, set the fastest middle sector of the early runners, though. He crosses the line with a 1:24.160. Sargeant was about half a second behind but had his lap deleted for track limits at turn one, which might explain his rapid S1 time.
02:07 PM GMT
Q1 - 12 mins remain
Verstappen begins his hot lap. He’s slower than Logan Sargeant after one sector, which is a bit of an odd thing to write.
02:05 PM GMT
Q1 - 14 minutes remain
And finally, with 14min20sec remaining in the session cars leave their garages and it’s the Red Bulls and Ferraris and a few others.
Finally we have cars on the track after FOUR minutes without action... 👀
Q1 is underway! 🟢 pic.twitter.com/w8uY6fuKTV— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) November 25, 2023
02:02 PM GMT
Q1 - 16 minutes remain
Two minutes have elapsed and there is not a single driver on track...
02:01 PM GMT
GREEN LIGHT: Q1 is go!
No massive rush for drivers to get out there, it seems.
01:57 PM GMT
Just about five minutes to go until Q1 starts
Can Verstappen pull something out of the bag? Probably. Would be nice to see a McLaren or Mercedes pole. Will we hear the British national anthem this year? Time is running out.
So this could be the first season since 1952 without a British driver or team winning a single Grand Prix. Does that matter? Perhaps not. Other than to highlight how rich the nation’s involvement in the sport has been and thus what an oddity that would represent.
— Will Buxton (@wbuxtonofficial) November 25, 2023
01:50 PM GMT
Rookie of 2023?
Not really up for debate is it? It’s between Oscar Piastri, Nyck de Vries, Liam Lawson and Logan Sargeant...
Liam Lawson, in fairness, had a good stint deputising for Daniel Ricciardo, culminating in a ninth in Singapore. Anyway, it’s clearly Piastri.
01:46 PM GMT
A reminder of next year's calendar
It’s only three months until pre-season testing gets under way in Bahrain...
The first two races are also on a Saturday.
01:38 PM GMT
A couple of red flags in FP2 yesterday
The first was from Carlos Sainz’s crash at turn three...
SAINZ CRASHES OUT! 😳
Carlos Sainz loses control at Turn 3 and has crashed into the barriers, the red flag has been waved 😯🔴 pic.twitter.com/urgOMr5Sst— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) November 24, 2023
That delayed the session by about 20-odd minutes... before Nico Hulkenberg did this at turn two.
ANOTHER RED FLAG! 🔴
Nico Hülkenberg has spun out and hit the barrier just after the restart 😳👇 pic.twitter.com/k9T0e24xZ2— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) November 24, 2023
That was thankfully a much shorter delay.
01:37 PM GMT
News: F1 considers introducing controversial reverse grid for sprint races
Formula One is considering introducing reverse grids to sprint races in a move which would undoubtedly be hugely controversial with fans.
Following a meeting of the F1 Commission in Abu Dhabi on Friday, it was agreed that the sprint race format needed a revamp as it was not delivering as much entertainment as hoped.
Discussions are now under way as to what exactly that revamp will look like, with reverse grids understood to be one idea mooted, as well as a complete overhaul of the sprint weekend timetable.
01:29 PM GMT
Current constructor standings
As mentioned, Ferrari and Mercedes in a battle for second and McLaren and Aston Martin are in a battle for fourth. McLaren looked a shoo-in for that until they scored just twp points in Vegas to Aston Martin’s 10.
01:26 PM GMT
Where has the F1 season ended in the last 30 years?
1993-1995: Australian GP, Adelaide
1996, 1998-1999, 2001-2003: Japanese GP, Suzuka
1997: European GP, Jerez
2000: Malaysian GP, Sepang
2004, 2006-2008, 2011-3013: Brazilian GP, Interlagos
2005: Chinese GP, Shanghai
2009-2010, 2014-present: Abu Dhabi GP, Yas Marina
Not sure you’d put the Yas Marina track up there with Suzuka, Sepang or even China...
01:20 PM GMT
2023 full driver standings
A few positions up for grabs with just 12 points separating Sainz in fourth with Leclerc in seventh. Everything else looks pretty set though the Alpine inter-team battle has Gasly just four points ahead of Ocon.
01:15 PM GMT
How Russell stacks up against Hamilton in 2023
I think there’s something in Russell’s comments in that interview that there has been misfortune, but he has also made more mistakes (large and small) this year whilst Hamilton has been more at home in a difficult car. Some of that gap last year came down to Hamilton trying more experimental set-ups whilst Russell drove the car as it was.
01:14 PM GMT
George Russell interview: ‘I’m not suffering second-season syndrome’
Exclusive: Mercedes driver rejects suggestion he has succumbed to weight of expectation and insists he does not feel pressure.
Read the full interview when he spoke with Tom Cary here.
01:05 PM GMT
In fairness, it's not like qualifying has been Red Bull's strong suit recently
Verstappen took five poles in a row from Monaco to Silverstone (and Red Bull had nine of the first 10), but since then the story has been different:
Hungary: Hamilton
Belgium: Leclerc (albeit Verstappen was fastest in qualifying)
Netherlands: Verstappen
Italy: Sainz
Singapore: Sainz
Japan: Verstappen
Qatar: Verstappen
United States: Leclerc
Mexico: Leclerc
Sao Paulo: Verstappen
Las Vegas: Leclerc
So just four (or five...) in the last 11 races. Obviously the problem has been that on race day Verstappen is just head and shoulders above the others.
01:01 PM GMT
Verstappen did not have the smoothest FP3 session
Despite set up changes, Max is still struggling with his RB19 the final minutes of FP3 🤔 pic.twitter.com/zg3Vj2Lqbr
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) November 25, 2023
I am sure they can make it better, but will the Verstappen be on the pace?
12:57 PM GMT
Final times after final practice
George Russell (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1min 24.418secs
Lando Norris (Gbr) McLaren 1:24.513
Oscar Piastri (Aus) McLaren 1:24.810
Alexander Albon (Tha) Williams 1:24.929
Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari 1:25.099
Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 1:25.153
Esteban Ocon (Fra) Alpine 1:25.194
Logan Sargeant (USA) Williams 1:25.205
Yuki Tsunoda (Jpn) Scuderia AlphaTauri 1:25.222
Guanyu Zhou (Chn) Alfa Romeo F1 Team Kick 1:25.258
Sergio Perez (Mex) Red Bull 1:25.259
Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:25.292
Pierre Gasly (Fra) Alpine 1:25.303
Fernando Alonso (Spa) Aston Martin 1:25.343
Lance Stroll (Can) Aston Martin 1:25.405
Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Alfa Romeo F1 Team Kick 1:25.420
Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Haas F1 Team 1:25.584
Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) Scuderia AlphaTauri 1:25.597
Kevin Magnussen (Den) Haas F1 Team 1:25.652
Carlos Sainz Jr. (Spa) Ferrari 1:25.713
11:37 AM GMT
Good afternoon F1 fans
Welcome to our live coverage for qualifying for the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix which takes place at the Yas Marina Circuit in the United Arab Emirates. F1 has been coming to this track since 2009 and a little while after that it became and remains the season-ending race.
Is that a good thing? I am not sure, especially when you compare it with places like Suzuka in Japan and Interlagos in Brazil. One positive of the last couple of years, though, is that a track that was notoriously difficult to overtake on has improved its passing chances. Not that it makes the Yas Marina track a worthy season-ending race, but there you go.
Anyway, the 2023 season is drawing to a close. It has been the equal-longest F1 season in history with 22 rounds and, really, after the first few of those it became obvious that the Red Bull was the class of the field and that Max Verstappen would walk away with the title in very comfortable fashion. That has come to pass and the Dutchman will be aiming for a record-breaking (breaking his own current record, this season) of winning 19 races in a single year.
Has this season been a complete dud because of Verstappen’s dominance? It’s hard to argue otherwise, even though it has been very close and interesting behind him. There are still a few spots up for grabs, the most important of which is that of second place in the constructors’ championship. Currently Mercedes lead Ferrari by four points and it is Ferrari of late who have been in the better form, though Mercedes have been ahead for almost all of the year.
The signs for Mercedes look moderately encouraging going by the lap times in FP3 as George Russell finished fastest for them ahead of the two McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. The leading Ferrari of Charles Leclerc was fifth, 0.681sec down on Russell with Carlos Sainz, who crashed yesterday, down in 20th and last. Lewis Hamilton was 12th for Mercedes. though perhaps we should not read too much into those times because the qualifying session will take place under lights. Either way, it would be good for someone to challenge Verstappen this weekend, as happened in Las Vegas a week ago.
The final qualifying session of the year gets under way at 2pm GMT and we will be here for all of the build-up, live updates and reaction from it.
