The last qualifying sessions of the F1 season were held in Abu Dhabi. The pole position was taken by Lando Norris. Valtteri Bottas’ potential career final qualifying session ended nicely with a ninth place finish.
17:05•Updated 18:00
The Formula One season ends in Abu Dhabi. The last time trial of the season was held on Saturday. You can find all the results of the time trials on page 207 of text tv by following this link.
Valtteri Bottas could be seen for the last time in qualifying in the F1 series. The Finn does not have a contract for next season.
Bottas made it through the first section superbly, being the second fastest of the bunch. It was quite a while, because the team mate Guanyu Zhou missed the first section. The Chinese driver got the first World Cup points of the season for Sauber the previous weekend.
Bottas was facing a tight spot in the second section, but the Finn stretched his last move to ninth and into the third section – for only the second time this season.
In the end, Bottas was the ninth fastest in qualifying. The performance was the best of the season for the driver.
In China, Bottas was tenth in qualifying and in the final section also in the sprint qualifying.
Bottas’ performance on Saturday was special. The Abu Dhabi circuit is the same one where Bottas drove an F1 car for the first time in his career at the end of 2011.
The F1 weekend has been colored by Red Bull Max Verstappen’s and Mercedes of George Russell war of words between On Saturday, the two got to measure each other on the track.
Verstappen was fifth in qualifying. Russell’s qualifying got off to a miserable start as the Brit negligently blocked RB by Liam Lawson fast lap. Russell ended up seventh, but he gets a grid penalty.
Verstappen has already secured the championship, but the team championship is still up for grabs. McLaren leads the manufacturers’ championship by 21 points over Ferrari.
Ferrari’s previous championship is from 2008. McLaren has won the title most recently Mika Häkkinen in the first championship season in 1998. The manufacturers’ championship has gone to either Red Bull or Mercedes from the season until 2010.
In terms of the team championship, a solution could be seen when Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc remained in the second section. McLaren, on the other hand, took over the front row when Lando Norris took pole position and Oscar Piastri was another. Carlos Sainz start the race from square three.
The surprise winner, the Haas team, reached the fourth box Nico Hulkenberg.
Lewis Hamilton ran his last time trial as a Mercedes driver. For the next season, the British legend will move to Ferrari. Hamilton was catastrophically left in the first section.