The final qualifying session of the 2025 F1 season has concluded at the Yas Marina Circuit. Tomorrow, the championship will be decided in the season finale, with Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, and Oscar Piastri all still in contention. Here’s a breakdown of the key moments from the qualifying session.
Q1
The green light signaled the start of the session, with the two Alpine drivers first on track, followed by Lewis Hamilton. The British Ferrari driver started his run on yellow tires. Nico Hülkenberg also set an early benchmark time, quickly followed by his teammate Gabriel Bortoleto. Three minutes into the session, Max Verstappen made his way onto the track, stopping the clock at 1:23.325.
Charles Leclerc joined his teammate and Pierre Gasly on yellow tires. Ollie Bearman surprised everyone by setting the fastest time with just nine minutes remaining, edging out Oscar Piastri by a single thousandth of a second. The extremely tight gaps forced drivers to make a second flying lap to secure a place in Q2. On his second attempt, Oscar Piastri put in a strong lap, leaving his teammate half a second behind.
Drivers eliminated in Q1: Lewis Hamilton, Alexander Albon, Nico Hülkenberg, Pierre Gasly, and Franco Colapinto.
Q2
Max Verstappen was first on track in Q2, running five laps on red tires. After his initial attempt, he switched to another set of used tires. As the session neared its conclusion, George Russell was topping the Q2 timesheet.
Charles Leclerc made a second flying lap that started nervously in the first sector but ultimately saw him finish in fourth position.
Drivers eliminated in Q2: Ollie Bearman, Carlos Sainz, Liam Lawson, Kimi Antonelli, and Lance Stroll.
Q3
Max Verstappen was again first on track in Q3, benefiting from having two sets of fresh tires. Tactical slipstreaming battles occurred between Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda.
George Russell faced a tense moment on his first attempt, narrowly avoiding a collision with the barriers.
Ultimately, Max Verstappen secured pole position ahead of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, setting the stage for an exciting title showdown tomorrow. Charles Leclerc overachieved in Abu Dhabi qualifying, extracting P5 from the struggling Ferrari SF-25 and outperforming the car’s expected potential in the season finale.
Qualifying results:
1 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 1m22.207s
2 Lando Norris (McLaren) +0.201s
3 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.230s
4 George Russell (Mercedes) +0.438s
5 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.523s
6 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +0.695s
7 Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) +0.697s
8 Esteban Ocon (Haas) +0.706s
9 Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) +0.865s
10 Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) no Q3 time
11 Ollie Bearman (Haas)
12 Carlos Sainz (Williams)
13 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
14 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
15 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
16 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
17 Alex Albon (Williams)
18 Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber)
19 Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
20 Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
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