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Max Verstappen will start the 2025 Abu Dhabi GP from pole position after delivering a decisive Q3 performance at Yas Marina Circuit. The Red Bull driver beat Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to secure the top spot in the season finale. With all three championship contenders separated by 16 points, the grid set the stage for a straight fight to the finish on Sunday.
The session was steady until Q3, when track conditions and new soft tires tightened the gaps. Norris and Piastri had looked competitive all weekend, but Verstappen found consistent speed as the temperature dropped. The battle behind them remained close, with Mercedes' George Russell trying to stay close.
The title picture sharpened in the final three minutes. All ten drivers headed out on new soft tires for the deciding laps. Verstappen was holding provisional P1 when Piastri began the first final run and stayed P2 despite a purple final sector. Moments later, Norris jumped his teammate.
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Max Verstappen completed the final flying lap with two purple sectors and took the pole. Russell tried to respond, looking for a tow, but a snap of oversteer at the last corner forced him to settle for fourth.
Charles Leclerc took fifth for Ferrari, ahead of Fernando Alonso. Gabriel Bortoleto impressed again with seventh. Esteban Ocon was eighth, and Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar and Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda rounded out the top 10. Lewis Hamilton suffered a third straight Q1 elimination after his FP3 crash forced overnight repairs.
Here’s the full grid line-up for Sunday’s Abu Dhabi GP at the Yas Marina Circuit:
#1. Max Verstappen - Red Bull
#2. Lando Norris - McLaren
#3. Oscar Piastri - McLaren
#4. George Russell - Mercedes
#5. Charles Leclerc - Ferrari
#6. Fernando Alonso - Aston Martin
#7. Gabriel Bortoleto - Kick Sauber
#8. Esteban Ocon - Haas
#9. Isack Hadjar - Racing Bulls
#10. Yuki Tsunoda - Red Bull
#11. Oliver 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. Alexander Albon - Williams
#18. Nico Hülkenberg - Kick Sauber
#19. Pierre Gasly - Alpine
#20. Franco Colapinto - Alpine
Abu Dhabi GP pole winner lets his feelings known after stellar qualifying
Max Verstappen’s route to pole in the Abu Dhabi GP was steady and efficient. He trailed Oscar Piastri by two-tenths in Q1 and missed George Russell’s Q2 benchmark by twenty-two thousandths. Once he switched to new softs in Q3, the picture changed. A tow from Yuki Tsunoda on his opening push lap gave him a small advantage, and he stayed on top through the session.
After the Abu Dhabi GP qualifying session, Verstappen said:
“I’m excited. I’m looking forward to it. I’m going to try to win the race, but we need a little bit of help or luck to win the championship. We’ll see how that goes tomorrow.”
The numbers remain tight. Lando Norris leads the standings on 408 points, with Verstappen on 396 and Piastri on 392. All three start Abu Dhabi GP inside the top two rows, and all three have won seven races this year. Norris won from pole here last season. Verstappen won from pole for the four years before that.
