Max Verstappen takes shock pole position at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix


Simon Wilgress-Pipe
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QUALIFYING RESULTS

1. Max Verstappen, Netherlands, Red Bull Racing Honda, 1 minute, 35.246 seconds.
2. Valtteri Bottas, Finland, Mercedes, 1:35.271.
3. Lewis Hamilton, Great Britain, Mercedes, 1:35.332.
4. Lando Norris, Great Britain, McLaren Renault, 1:35.497.
5. Alexander Albon, Thailand, Red Bull Racing Honda, 1:35.571.
6. Carlos Sainz Jr, Spain, McLaren Renault, 1:35.815.
7. Daniil Kvyat, Russia, Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda, 1:35.963.
8. Lance Stroll, Canada, Racing Point BWT Mercedes, 1:36.046.
9. Charles Leclerc, Monaco, Ferrari, 1:36.065.
10. Pierre Gasly, France, Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda, 1:36.242.

Eliminated after second session

11. Esteban Ocon, France, Renault, 1:36.359.
12. Daniel Ricciardo, Australia, Renault, 1:36.406.
13. Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Ferrari, 1:36.631.
14. Antonio Giovinazzi, Italy, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:38.248.

Eliminated after first session

15. Antonio Giovinazzi, Italy, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:37.075.
16. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:37.555.
17. Kevin Magnussen, Denmark, Haas Ferrari, 1:37.863.
18. George Russell, Great Britain, Williams Mercedes, 1:38.045.
19. Pietro Fittipaldi, Brazil, Haas Ferrari, 1:38.173.
20. Nicholas Latifi, Canada, Williams Mercedes, 1:38.443.

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen will be in pole position for Sunday's Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after producing a startlingly quick lap during the final qualifying session at Yas Marina Circuit.

As darkness fell around the track, the Dutchman nudged Meercedes driver Valtteri Bottas into second spot after recording a one minute, 35.246-second time that saw the victor finish 0.025 seconds ahead of his nearest rival. It was the first non-Mercedes pole of the year in dry conditions.

Lewis Hamilton, who is racing for the first time since winning the championship after contracting the coronavirus, managed to improve on earlier patchy performances in the practice sessions to see himself in third spot for the race.

The top three were separated by only 0.086 seconds, but it was a major disappointment for Mercedes who missed out on pole for only the second time this year (with Lance Stroll of Racing Point causing the first blot on a largely unblemished season).

Bottas, for his part, must take some consolation with his second placing as he had achieved a seldom-seen victory over his more successful teammate.

Verstappen was predictably pleased with what he had achieved, this being his first pole position since 2019's Brazilian Grand Prix, and only the third of his career.

"I am very happy with that," he said. "It was a tricky qualifying, but luckily everything came together for me in that final lap.

“It’s a long season for everyone and this was a great final qualifying for the whole team. We are all very happy and it’s great to finally get there after being close many times in 2020.”

Red Bull's team principal Christian Horner was overjoyed with the result.

"Mega, mega lap," he was heard shouting into the radio as Verstappen tore across the line. There was jubilation in the team garage when the driver came back into the pits.

Verstappen's teammate Alex Albon managed to place a respectable fifth, after sticking doggedly to his purpose over the last two days.

This marks Red Bull's first pole in a season which has been dominated by Mercedes, so this is being seen by many as a major upset.

Hamilton was not shy about fighting hard in the admittedly closely-fought session. He had an early best lap deleted after what was considered exceeding track limits when he thumped over the kerbs.

His driving had clearly been affected by his enforced absence from last week's Sakhir Grand Prix in Bahrain due to a positive Covid-19 test, and doubts until the last minute about whether he could compete in Abu Dhabi at all.

He said he is still not feeling 100 per cent fit and has lost weight.

The Englishman, who has a record 95 F1 wins with 11 of them having been secured this season, remained upbeat about what might happen on Sunday.

"It has definitely been a difficult weekend in terms of getting back into the rhythm," said Hamilton.

"But I gave it my all and congratulations to Max. It is a great way for him to seal a year of good performances. Hopefully, we can give him a good run tomorrow.

"Of course, it is always nice to start first, but you cannot always do that, and that makes tomorrow exciting.

"The start is going to be important, and I am excited as to how I am going to turn it around."

Racing Point's Lando Norris also deserves credit after producing an impressive lap to take fourth place on the grid. This equals his previous best result in F1.

After Albon, the top 10 is rounded out by McLaren's Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso's Daniil Kvyat, Racing Point's Lance Stroll, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, and Pierre Gasly, also with Toro Rosso.

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War and the virus
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten

Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a  month before Reaching the Last Mile.

Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

 

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At a glance

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

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Results

International 4, United States 1

Justin Thomas and Tiger Woods (US) beat Marc Leishman and Joaquin Niemann (International) 4 and 3.

Adam Hadwin and Sungjae Im (International) beat Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay (US) 2 up.

Adam Scott and Byeong Hun An (International) beat Bryson DeChambeau and Tony Finau (US) 2 and 1.

Hideki Matsuyama and C.T. Pan (International) beat Webb Simpson and Patrick Reed (US) 1 up.

Abraham Ancer and Louis Oosthuizen (International) beat Dustin Johnson and Gary Woodland (US) 4 and 3.

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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?

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4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

QUALIFYING RESULTS

1. Max Verstappen, Netherlands, Red Bull Racing Honda, 1 minute, 35.246 seconds.
2. Valtteri Bottas, Finland, Mercedes, 1:35.271.
3. Lewis Hamilton, Great Britain, Mercedes, 1:35.332.
4. Lando Norris, Great Britain, McLaren Renault, 1:35.497.
5. Alexander Albon, Thailand, Red Bull Racing Honda, 1:35.571.
6. Carlos Sainz Jr, Spain, McLaren Renault, 1:35.815.
7. Daniil Kvyat, Russia, Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda, 1:35.963.
8. Lance Stroll, Canada, Racing Point BWT Mercedes, 1:36.046.
9. Charles Leclerc, Monaco, Ferrari, 1:36.065.
10. Pierre Gasly, France, Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda, 1:36.242.

Eliminated after second session

11. Esteban Ocon, France, Renault, 1:36.359.
12. Daniel Ricciardo, Australia, Renault, 1:36.406.
13. Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Ferrari, 1:36.631.
14. Antonio Giovinazzi, Italy, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:38.248.

Eliminated after first session

15. Antonio Giovinazzi, Italy, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:37.075.
16. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:37.555.
17. Kevin Magnussen, Denmark, Haas Ferrari, 1:37.863.
18. George Russell, Great Britain, Williams Mercedes, 1:38.045.
19. Pietro Fittipaldi, Brazil, Haas Ferrari, 1:38.173.
20. Nicholas Latifi, Canada, Williams Mercedes, 1:38.443.