The chequered flag has fallen on the final F1 qualifying session of 2024, with McLaren having the advantage in the Constructors Battle against Ferrari at the Abu Dhabi GP.
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Qualifying 1
Q1 started with the usual suspects heading out early, including Aston Martin, who set the early pace with Stroll, however this did last long and the underperforming, crossing the line to take the early top spot. It looked as though Perez would not get the luck, with his lap being deleted for track limits, however for once Perez was given the break, with his lap being re-instated, pushing the Redbull up into the top 5.
In the mean time 2024 Drivers Champion, Max Verstappen stuck his car up to the top spot, soon to be past by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.
The big surprise of the early part of the session was the pace of Kevin Magnussen, who was only 0.145seconds behind Sainz and in third. A mighty lap for the Danish driver.
The last few minutes of the first part of qualifying was a tense affair, as the track seemed to come towards some of the cars, however this did not come to the Mercedes pair with Lewis Hamilton messing up his final run meaning that the 7-time champion will start in 18th, however as the TV coverage uncovered, the HAAS of Kevin Magnussen hit a bollard, that ended up becoming stuck under Lewis’s car.
Jack Doohan, who is making his racing debut, replacing Ocon didn’t have the best session, qualifying in 20th, however both Hamilton and Doohan should gain at least one spot due to both Williams cars serve a 5 place grid penalty.
Qualifying 2
After a short delay to replace the bollard, the session was underway. Max Verstappen took to the track first to get and early lap on the board. The 1:22.998 was an extremely good time, has Redbull done it again??
The remaining Mercedes of George Russell puts the Mercedes into 2nd, however this did not last long as Norris, Sainz and Hulkenberg all overtaking the Mercedes soon after.
Charles Leclerc had a scary moment as his Ferrari had a moment, which should have sent them both into the barrier, however some great reactions from the Monegasque saved the Ferrari and his session.
K-Mag was the first to get his fast lap going, the HAAS driver is leaving the team and likely F1 after this weekend, was 13thing going into his final run, and could only manage 11th, this was also exacerbated by his team-mate, Nico Hulkenberg, who crossed the line into 2nd.
The lap times began to tumble, with Leclerc taking the top spot, however dreaded track limits struck again and pushed the Ferrari driver down to 14th, meaning that he will start almost last due to a 10 place penalty for a new battery.
The biggest surprise of the session was the Stake Sauber of Bottas, who managed to get into Qualifying 3 for the first time all season.
The Race for Pole
The final pole shootout started as it usually does, with all drivers heading out to complete an early lap and get a time on the board before going for it at the end of the session.
Nico Hulkenberg started the well with a great time, with Sainz and Perez unable to match the HAAS, however Max Verstappen took the early lead in dramatic fashion, as he almost sent the Redbull into the wall as he tackled the final corner.
Oscar Piastri put his McLaren into the top places, however he was struck by the Track Limits daemon, however as with Perez earlier in the session, the time was reinstated, putting the McLarens in a good position for the final run.
The final battle for pole belonged to McLaren, with Norris and Piastri taking 1st and 2nd respectively and now have a great oppertunity to take their first Constructors Title since 1998.
How did the rest do?
It was a mixed bag of results for the remaining drivers. HAAS had a great finish with Hulkenberg putting the car into 4th and ahead of the Alpine, who was also impressive with a 6th place.
Max Verstappen won’t be too disheartened with 5th place, the 2024 Drivers Champion is not in the fight for the Constructors after Redbull were eliminated before this weekend. The other side of the Redbull garage will be scratching their heads again as Sergio Perez crossed the line in 10th and was out-qualified by Bottas in the Stake, a qualifying that sums up Sergio’s campaign.
It’s all to play for tomorrow, who will come out on top Ferrari or McLaren? Join us at 1pm tomorrow for the final GP of 2024 to find out.
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