The top-3 of the qualifications
Max Verstappen he achieved the 12th pole position of his season in Abu Dhabi, also guaranteeing himself a pole position for the last GP of the year. A fantastic player will start next to him in the front row Charles Leclerc, capable of minimizing the difficulties of the SF-23 and displacing the McLarens from the front row, earning a place alongside Verstappen’s Red Bull. Third place and second row for Oscar Piastri, who dragged the MCL60 ahead of George Russell’s Mercedes, fourth, in turn preceding a disappointing Lando Norris, who seemed to have what it takes to duel with Verstappen and who instead ended Q3 only in fifth place. Jolyon Plamer interviewed the top three.
Max Verstappen (1st, Red Bull)
“Easy pole? Very strange, because we struggled a lot all weekend. We definitely improved the car for qualifying and from the first lap we managed to put things together and were able to push a lot harder, so I’m very happy. Here with the tires you can slip a bit and this can cost you lap time. A lot happened to us in free practice, but then in qualifying we found more harmony with the car. Last race for the RB19? I have no idea how we will fare in the race. We usually do pretty well. It was certainly a special season, we had a lot of fun and we enjoyed it. We are very proud of the results achieved this year.”
Charles Leclerc (2nd, Ferrari)
“Honestly, given the weekend so far, I wasn’t expecting the front row at all. I knew I had to push hard and put everything together, the last corner we slipped a bit too much, but I think it happened to everyone. I am very happy with this second place. In Q1 and Q2 I was worried about passing the cuts, I was afraid I wouldn’t make it. But then we went well. For some reason our car struggles more on used tires. But when we put on new tires everything comes to life and the car feels good. I’m happy to have taken the front row. For me it’s a big surprise. Fight with Mercedes? I hope it goes well, that’s the goal. I hope that Carlos also gets a good start and he can get closer to me. We try to put both our cars ahead of both Mercedes to take home second place in the Constructors’ Championship. It’s the only thing that matters to me this weekend.”
Oscar Piastri (3rd, McLaren)
“Difficult session. The values are extremely close this weekend. We made some messes and made many mistakes, always pushing to the limit. Even on my last lap I made some mistakes. But I would have had to make one last crazy turn to get to the front. But the car is fast this weekend. It’s a nice positive change from Las Vegas. I’m happy to be back in the top three positions. Growing weekend? Yes, the step was there. The problem is that I was making mistakes every lap. I arrived at qualifying without ever having done a clean lap all weekend. I made my life difficult for myself. I also made some mistakes in Q1, while from Q2 I put things together and then in Q3 I did quite well. I’m happy with this, but it’s still not enough. Race pass? I have no idea, but it will be the same story for everyone. We’ll see how the race develops tomorrow.”
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