Max Verstappen produced a superb qualifying performance under the Yas Marina lights to capture pole position for the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, setting up a final-race thriller reminiscent of Formula 1’s dramatic 2010 decider.
The Red Bull driver clocked 1m 22.207s, edging championship leader Lando Norris by two-tenths, with Oscar Piastri just behind in third. All three title contenders will start nose-to-tail on the front row, an ideal recipe for a finale that could swing in any direction.
Front-Row Frenzy: Title Rivals Lock Out the Grid
Verstappen’s pole is not just symbolic, it's historically decisive. The last 10 races at Abu Dhabi have all been won from pole, making track position a powerful weapon. His eighth pole of the season also ties him with Lewis Hamilton for the most at Yas Marina, each now on five.
Norris enters the finale with the strongest mathematical hand. He only needs to finish on the podium to secure his maiden championship, while Verstappen, trailing by 12 points, must win and hope the McLarens stumble.
I just want to do better for tomorrow’s race.
Piastri, more open about the challenge ahead, added: “Max has looked very quick in the long runs. Let’s see how much pace will matter tomorrow.”
Verstappen Rebounds From Practice Troubles
After balance issues during practice, Verstappen’s return to form in qualifying was defined by precision and patience.
In Q2 I stayed on scrubbed tyres… those laps felt quite decent. In Q3, the track temp comes down, you know you can push a bit more, and that’s exactly what we did.
He acknowledged the difficulty of tuning the car with FP1 and FP3 taking place in hotter, unrepresentative conditions: “You have to guess a little bit how much the track will improve, and of course it cools down a lot.”
Déjà Vu? The 2010 Twist That Could Inspire Verstappen
If Verstappen needs inspiration, he need only look back to Abu Dhabi 2010, a race with an eerily similar setup. That year, the third-placed Sebastian Vettel overturned a 15-point deficit to snatch the title from Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber.
A misjudged Ferrari pit call dropped Alonso behind Vitaly Petrov, trapping him in seventh and destroying his championship hopes. Vettel won the race, and the title, despite entering the weekend as the outsider.
For Verstappen, history offers a tempting echo: a long-shot champion launching his charge from pole under the Yas Marina floodlights.
All Eyes on Sunday: Strategy, Nerves and Legacy on the Line
With the top three starting together and the championship separated by just 12 points, strategy will likely shape the outcome, pit-stop timing, tyre degradation, and the undercut threat loom large, just as they did in 2010.
Norris holds the advantage. Piastri has the pace to disrupt. And Verstappen, armed with pole position and championship muscle memory, stands ready to provoke another Abu Dhabi upset.
