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Lando Norris led a McLaren front-row sweep in qualifying for the season-ending Abu Dhabi grand prix on Saturday with the group completely positioned to win their first Method One constructors’ title since 1998.
The Briton claimed pole place 0.209 seconds away from Australian team-mate Oscar Piastri on the floodlit Yas Marina circuit.
“We wish to win, I wish to win. We all know what we have now to do… tomorrow we may have an excellent likelihood,” mentioned Norris, calling it an ideal day.
The problem of Ferrari, 21 factors behind McLaren, unravelled with Carlos Sainz claiming third place on the grid however Charles Leclerc consigned to the again row after qualifying 14th with a further 10-place penalty.
The consequence was all of the extra galling for Ferrari who thought Leclerc had clinched first place in Q2 just for his lap to be deleted for taking his automotive marginally off the monitor on the primary flip.
“I believe it was already extraordinarily troublesome, a mission unattainable earlier than the weekend began,” mentioned Sainz of Ferrari’s prospects.
“It was at all times going to be troublesome… however till the chequered flag comes down tomorrow something is feasible.”
Nico Hulkenberg was a outstanding fourth quickest for Haas with four-time world champion Max Verstappen fifth for Purple Bull.
Pierre Gasly will line up sixth for Alpine, George Russell seventh for Mercedes and Fernando Alonso eighth for Aston Martin and Valtteri Bottas, in what’s more likely to be his final F1 race, ninth for Sauber.
Sergio Perez accomplished the highest 10 for Purple Bull.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton certified solely 18th in his final race for Mercedes earlier than switching to Ferrari, the Briton falling foul of a damaged plastic bollard changing into wedged beneath his automotive.
“You couldn’t make it up, you actually couldn’t, however it’s what it’s,” mentioned Hamilton, traditionally essentially the most profitable driver on the monitor with 5 wins.
“We gave it all the pieces, I gave it all the pieces, the automotive was in an excellent place. Each apply session went properly, I used to be forward of my teammate all weekend however once we obtained to qualifying I believe as a group we didn’t carry out when it comes to the timing.”
04:13 PM GMTMcLaren wins the day
All in all that was an eventful day of qualifying for the ultimate grand prix of the 2024 season.
An important day for McLaren who should serve up an calamity of epic proportions tomorrow if they’re to overlook out on their first constructor’s title in 26 years.
A foul day, although, for Ferrari, who want a minor miracle tomorrow. Feelings within the paddock of the scuderia may have gone from ecstasy to agony inside seconds, as they fleetingly had a 1-2 end in Q2 just for the officers to intervene VAR-style.
Additionally a day to overlook for Hamilton, who by way of no fault of his personal won’t be able to exit on a excessive with the Mercedes group he has served so brilliantly for the final 12 years, after being bumped down the grid by a rogue bollard.
Thanks for following and don’t overlook to hitch Luke Slater tomorrow to see what occurs within the race itself.
03:52 PM GMTWolff apologises to Hamilton
Toto Wolff has issued a profuse apology to Lewis Hamilton after the decision-making from the Mercedes group that he felt triggered the driving force’s exit from Q1.
“I have to apologise to Lewis and to everybody within the group for giving him such an excellent automotive,” he mentioned. “He was the faster man and we completely let him down, it was our mistake for not letting him exit earlier [when there was less traffic on the track].
You’ll be able to virtually see the smoke popping out of the Mercedes group principal’s ears as he vents.
“Inexcusable!” he continues. “I’ve hardly ever been so down about what occurred. That is the worst, it was simply idiotic, to make him exit once we did.
“You don’t threat a lot within the Q1 once we simply had the tempo. [Lewis is] essentially the most precious we have now ever had and the best driver ever within the sport and he’s out of Q1 due to such a foul mistake. I can solely make an apology to him.
“His tempo was there, we might have had an actual go for the rostrum. Now it’s just about unattainable.”
Maybe Christian Horner was proper. Perhaps it’s higher to be a terrier than a wolf…
So, though the incident that triggered Hamilton’s failure to qualify was led to by a rogue bollard, Wolf contends that Hamilton ought to have gone out earlier anyway when there have been fewer vehicles on the monitor to place him in danger – particularly as Mercedes had offered a aggressive automotive for the seven-time world champion for a change.
Talking on Sky Nico Rosberg has urged Wolff go “sit on a chair in a darkened room for half an hour or so” earlier than doing something rash.
03:38 PM GMT‘Excellent day’ for Norris
“It was an ideal, good day for us, in all probability a little bit bit more durable than we have been hoping for, we’ve been fast all weekend, we have been happy with the one-two but it surely was a bit trickier than what we might have preferred,” mentioned Norris on Sky after clinching pole. “My lap in the long run was sturdy and it was simply how we wished to finish at this time.”
“Now we have obtained to beat Ferrari. That’s the purpose however we’ve obtained to do it in type. I wish to win. We all know what we have now to take action we’re protecting our heads down and staying targeted, we’re right here to win and something is feasible.
“Tomorrow we’re going to have an excellent likelihood at the least with certainly one of our vehicles and we will probably be giving it all the pieces we’ve obtained. We all know behind our minds what we actually must do to attain our huge purpose.”
03:36 PM GMTHulkenberg referred to as to stewards’ room
Nico Hulkenberg gave the drive of qualifying by coming in fourth forward of Verstappen, however the dangerous information is he has been referred to as to see the stewards.
It seems the Haas driver will probably be interrogated over his actions within the pit-lane tunnel, when he determined to carry his automotive to a whole halt, which could properly be a violation of the legal guidelines.
That will probably be a merciless blow to the German after placing in such a unprecedented efficiency.
03:24 PM GMTLeclerc not giving up
“The enjoyment will probably be even larger if we handle to drag it off from such a troublesome weekend due to the engine penalty and the lap time [being] deleted,” mentioned Leclerc, giving an entire new which means to the phrase optimism, when interviewed by the BBC. “It was a troublesome weekend general however I hope we will flip this round in the very best means.”
“I don’t really feel down, I’m very disillusioned, I’m very disillusioned with what occurred with the engineers at this time, however that makes me much more motivated for tomorrow to attempt to do one thing particular, I’ll give all of it.”
03:20 PM GMTBest of the remainder
11. Yuki Tsunoda (RB)12. Liam Lawson (RB)13. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)14. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)*15. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)16. Alex Albon (Williams)17. Zhou Guanyu (Sauber)18. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)19. Franco Colapinto (Williams)20. Jack Doohan (Alpine)
* 10-place grid penalty
03:19 PM GMTHow they stand
1. Lando Norris (McLaren)2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)3. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)4. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)5. Max Verstappen (Purple Bull)6. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)7. George Russell (Mercedes)8. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)9. Valtteri Bottas (Sauber)10. Sergio Perez (Purple Bull)
03:12 PM GMTMcLaren’s constructor’s title to lose
McLaren now have one-and-a-half palms on the constructor’s title after Norris’ pole and Piastri’s second.
Sainz lived as much as his a part of the discount by protecting Ferrari with a third-placed end in Q3, however Leclerc’s deleted lap in Q2 has all however thrown away Ferrari’s prospects.
03:05 PM GMTIt’s a McLaren 1-2 for Sunday!
Sergio Perez clocks the fourth-fastest time in his in all probability closing ever qualifying lap in F1.
Subsequent up it’s Piastri who seems like he’s taking a cautious method.
Hulkenberg nails the quickest time however then he’s pipped by Piastri for second place.
Now it’s Norris to present it one final go – and Lando lands pole!
That’s a 1-2 dream state of affairs for McLaren, who needed to actually pull that out of the hearth on the loss of life.
Sainz takes third place – properly performed Carlos – edging forward of Hulkenberg, who delivered an enormous time, in fourth.
03:00 PM GMTGreat save by Verstappen
We’re now in Q3 and Hulkenberg posted a lightning quick time, however was shortly outdated by Verstappen, who virtually misplaced management of his car whereas haring across the closing nook.
The Dutchman went actually huge and did amazingly properly to appropriate his steering, keep away from the wall and in some way hold certainly one of is tyres on the monitor. Phenomenal reflexes there from the Purple Bull man, who may need been within the wall (“on his head”) have been it not for these extraordinary reflexes. And he nonetheless nailed the quickest time there!
He’s now quickest with 1:22.945.
Breathless driving.
Norris is second with Piastri third and Sainz fourth.
And now they’re going to exit with new tyres.
02:49 PM GMTLeclerc out of qualifying
Pierre Gasly and Nico Hulkenberg had simply thrown the cat among the many pigeons by posting second and third-fastest instances when Leclerc surged by way of simply earlier than the chequered flag to nail the quickest time of Q2.
However simply as Sainz is available in second to present Ferrari their desperately wanted 1-2 Leclerc’s lap is deleted!
He veered off the white traces on flip one and that has put paid to his hopes for tomorrow.
Out of qualifying he’ll now begin the grand prix in final place and Ferrari’s distant hopes of profitable the constructors’ championship lie within the palms of Sainz – the very man who’s being jettisoned by the Scuderia in favour of Hamilton subsequent 12 months!
02:41 PM GMTMcLaren second and third quickest
So it’s nonetheless Verstappen in entrance with the quickest time as Q2 nears to a detailed, with Norris second and Piastri third.
The Dutchman has determined to let the others battle it out in Q2 – as if to say, “I can’t be bothered with this, see for those who can beat my time, lads”.
Carlos Sainz is fifth and Leclerc down in tenth, which doesn’t bode properly for the prancing horse.
02:36 PM GMTLeclerc simply avoids crash
What in regards to the McLarens? Lando Norris has simply shot round to edge into second place, touchdown one other blow to Ferrari’s constructor’s hopes. And speaking of Ferrari, Leclerc virtually misplaced full management whereas negotiating the parabolica. He confirmed nice reactions there to forestall his automotive from careering into the crash barrier in what might have been a messy accident.
02:31 PM GMTVerstappen quickest after Q1
George Russell needed to take evasive motion there as Liam Lawson was dawdling in entrance of him.
The Briton didn’t wish to have his lap time deleted however was unable to document a quick time in consequence.
In the entire confusion, which has Perez completely fuming that he had a lap time erroneously deleted, Verstappen has completed quickest after Q1. The Dutchman has stored his head whereas everybody round has been dropping theirs.
Leclerc briefly leapfrogged the Dutchman, however Verstappen has zipped round in 1:22.998.
Leclerc is second and Sainz third with 10 minutes to go of Q2.
02:23 PM GMTHamilton horror present
Charles Leclerc has now edged forward of Valtteri Bottas, who was briefly quickest. That’s encouraging for Ferrari’s hopes for the weekend.
But it surely’s dangerous information for Hamilton, whose tempo had fallen by way of the ground. “I’ve messed that up, huge time,” says Lewis over the radio, because the Mercedes man posts an 18th-place – his worst ever qualifying place at Abu Dhabi.
“That was dangerous, man,” he provides.
“Yeah, that was dangerous,” agrees group principal Toto Wolff.
However what occurred there? It really seems like a bollard was flicked by the automotive in entrance, Kevin Magnussen, and it obtained caught beneath the Briton’s automotive, rendering it successfully impotent.
That’s such laborious luck for Hamilton, who’s out of qualifying in consequence, and I’m certain Wolff will probably be extra understanding when he realises what occurred.
02:16 PM GMTPerez lap reinstated
The stewards have had a evaluation of Perez’ quickest lap and determined that each one 4 wheels had not gone off the monitor.
It’s welcome excellent news for Perez, who’s now third-fastest, however the instances are so shut he’s going to must have one other go at it.
02:15 PM GMTSainz quickest
In the intervening time Carlos Sainz is doing his bit for Ferrari. After flying in apply he’s main in qualifying with a lap of 1:21.487, simply forward of Verstappen.
In third place is Kevin Magnussen, who has surpried everybody withhis time on what’s will probably be his closing grand prix earlier than transferring into Tremendous Automotive.
02:10 PM GMTAnd they’re off!
The primary vehicles are out on the monitor and the Purple Bulls are out.
Sergio Perez seemed like he’s nailed a good time, which was one tenth of a second sooner than that with which Verstappen gained pole final season.
And the luckless Mexican has the lap deleted for crossing the exterior white line.
Franco Colapinto follows go well with for a similar purpose.
This can be a circuit that requires nice self-discipline.
02:03 PM GMTCan Verstappen clinch a fifth straight pole?
Observe is one factor, qualifying is one other. And on the subject of the latter Verstappen is the person to beat.
He has nailed eight pole positions this season, pipping Norris’s seven, and has accomplished so right here 4 years in a row, profitable the race on every event, together with the very controversial grand prix in 2021 that clinched his first drivers’ title forward of Hamilton.
Successful pole right here usually ensures victory within the race. Out of the final 15 Abu Dhabi grand prix winners, 10 did so from pole.
01:45 PM GMTFerrari have all of it to do
We’re quarter-hour away from the beginning of qualifying, when it will likely be fascinating to see whether or not Hamilton can construct on the velocity he has proven in apply. If he has come beneath any criticism on this his closing season at Mercedes it has been his velocity in qualifying – one thing that traditionally has at all times been his forte.
Hamilton’s future group Ferrari, in the meantime, really want to step issues up so as put strain on McLaren.
As a reminder right here’s how the constructor’s championship seems.
01:36 PM GMTMajor blow for Ferrari
Turning again to issues on the monitor, Ferrari are having a foul weekend.
The Italian scuderia suffered a serious blow on Friday when Charles Leclerc was handed a whopping 10-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race. Ferrari needed to change the battery pack on his automotive, taking them past their permitted allowance for the season.
Which may have determined the constructors’ championship even earlier than a gear has been modified in anger in qualifying. Ferrari drivers Leclerc and Carlos Sainz each mentioned within the week {that a} 1-2 end for the Italian group was their finest shot at their first title in 16 years. Observe suggests McLaren usually tend to come within the prime two.
No matter occurs at this time Leclerc is optimistic in regards to the future and the arrival of Lewis Hamilton as his team-mate subsequent season. Leclerc was simply 10 years outdated when Hamilton gained the primary of his seen driver’s titles, however he has sugested it will likely be he fairly than Hamilton who will probably be clinching silverware subsequent season. .
Leclerc isn’t alone in showing on the naughty step. Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto will be part of him in transferring down the order from their authentic qualifying spot after every receiving five-place grid penalties due, in line with Williams, to “to the usage of extra RNC gearbox elements”.
01:21 PM GMTRussell v Verstappen feud simmers on
Off the monitor, the duel everybody has actually been speaking about this week has been the one between Mercedes driver George Russell and Verstappen, who’ve been conducting since Rebekah Vardy and Colleen Rooney final locked purses.
Verstappen mentioned on Thursday he had “no regrets” about telling the world he has misplaced respect for Russell after the qualifying drama in Qatar, which prompted Russell to fly off the rails – or ought to that be the monitor? – and name the four-time champion a “bully”.
Mercedes Workforce principal Toto Wolff then waded into the controversy by launching a broadside at his Purple Bull counterpart Christian Horner, calling him a “yapping little terrier”, to which Horner retorted, “”.
Verstappen, in the meantime, has continued to throw shade at Russell describing him as a “backstabber” and a “loser”. And Russell then reportedly turned up on the end-of-season drivers’ dinner to search out that the one seats left have been each subsequent to Verstappen.
What did he do? Sit down and discuss all of it by way of like an grownup? Nope. He picked up the chair and went to the opposite aspect of the desk to sit down subsequent to his team-mate and boyhood hero Hamilton. Maybe he’s proper to face as much as the Dutchman. What do you suppose?
Whoever’s aspect you’re on, isn’t it good to see the ultimate grand prix of the 12 months being concluded in such a civil and honourable vogue.
01:12 PM GMTGet set for qualifying
Welcome to Telegraph Sport’s protection of qualifying from Yas Marina, the place Method One’s most interesting are about to duke it out for pole place at tomorrow’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen has already clinched the Drivers Championship for a fourth successive season, however the constructors’ championship remains to be up for grabs, with McLaren and Ferrari battling it out for the much-coveted trophy.
This might but be a giant weekend for McLaren, who’ve their sights set on a primary constructor’s championship since 1998 – earlier than George Russell was even born.
They’re 21 factors forward of Ferrari, so want to attain 24 factors or extra to finish their 26-year wait. If Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri rating 24 factors between them the title will probably be McLaren’s. Failing that, 13 factors will suffice ought to Ferrari win the race.
However McLaren, it must be mentioned, are favourites to take the group title as they’re going properly. Piastri and Norris completed one-two in closing apply this morning, Piastri edging Norris by 0.193 seconds, whereas Lewis Hamilton, their closest rival, was 0.390secs off the tempo within the Mercedes.
Hamilton is trying to finish his 12-year spell at Mercedes profession on a excessive earlier than his much-publicised transfer to Ferrari and will probably be inspired by ending 0.021secs sooner than Verstappen in fourth.
Ferrari, in the meantime, seem like they’ve all of it to do with Carlos Sainz fifth and Charles Leclerc in tenth place.
Author : Motorsports
Publish date : 2024-12-07 17:01:46
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