Red Bull’s Max Verstappen delivered a flawless performance in qualifying to take pole position for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix — the final race of the 2025 F1 season and a dramatic title decider against McLaren rivals Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

Verstappen topped Q3 with two laps that were both good enough for pole, underlining his dominance around Yas Marina. His best time placed him 0.201 seconds ahead of Norris, while Piastri trailed his teammate by just 0.029 seconds.

Championship equation

Norris enters the finale 12 points ahead of Verstappen, with Piastri four behind the Briton.

  • Norris becomes world champion if he finishes on the podium, regardless of other results.

  • Verstappen wins his fifth consecutive title if he triumphs and Norris finishes fourth or lower.

How qualifying unfolded

Verstappen’s Q3 strength was boosted by a tactical slipstream from teammate Yuki Tsunoda down the back straight on his first lap, producing the fastest time of the weekend by more than four tenths. His second lap — without a tow — was even quicker, trimming another 0.088s to cement pole.

“Incredibly happy to be in first,” Verstappen said. “That’s the only thing we can do — maximise everything. And we certainly did that today.”

Norris, initially only third in the first Q3 runs, halved his deficit on the final lap.
“Max did a good job,” Norris said. “Disappointed not to be on pole, but I still want to win tomorrow — that’s the goal.”

Piastri, who starts third, added: “Not a whole lot left in that lap. Not quite quick enough today, but it sets up an exciting race tomorrow.”

Grid positions behind the title contenders

  • P4: George Russell (Mercedes)

  • P5: Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

  • P6: Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

It was a disastrous day for Lewis Hamilton, who crashed in FP3 and then suffered a shock Q1 elimination. He will start 16th.

Race start time

The 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix begins Sunday at 13:00 GMT, with the world championship on the line.