Lewis Hamilton cemented his world championship status at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in style as he wrapped up qualifying with pole position in his pocket. His first pole position in 9 races. Teammate Valtteri Bottas was second but will start last after taking an engine penalty, Max Verstappen secured third. The Ferraris will start 3th and 4th after taking into account Bottas’s grid penalty. Charles Leclerc narrowly out-qualified teammate Sebastian Vettel.
Hamilton appeared untouchable at the Yas Marina street circuit, Red Bull lacked pure performance to challenge the Mercedes but may well face stiff competition from Ferrari for Sunday’s race. Ferrari tried to nab second spot on the grid in the dying seconds of Q3, just when the track offers optimum levels of grip.
However, Leclerc failed to get over the line in time and was unable to set a timed lap. As exciting as qualifying is Sunday is where the points are won and lost, where victory is declared. But in all honesty, race day looks like a Lewis Hamilton walk in the park.
2019 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Qualifying Results
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:35.851 | 1:35.634 | 1:34.779 | 19 |
| 2 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1:36.200 | 1:35.674 | 1:34.973 | 16 |
| 3 | 33 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda | 1:36.390 | 1:36.275 | 1:35.139 | 16 |
| 4 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:36.478 | 1:35.543 | 1:35.219 | 16 |
| 5 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1:36.963 | 1:35.786 | 1:35.339 | 16 |
| 6 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Red Bull Racing Honda | 1:36.102 | 1:36.718 | 1:35.682 | 21 |
| 7 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Renault | 1:37.545 | 1:36.764 | 1:36.436 | 17 |
| 8 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Renault | 1:37.106 | 1:36.785 | 1:36.456 | 15 |
| 9 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | McLaren Renault | 1:37.358 | 1:36.308 | 1:36.459 | 17 |
| 10 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Renault | 1:37.506 | 1:36.859 | 1:36.710 | 18 |
| 11 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Racing Point BWT Mercedes | 1:36.961 | 1:37.055 | 13 | |
| 12 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda | 1:37.198 | 1:37.089 | 12 | |
| 13 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Racing Point BWT Mercedes | 1:37.528 | 1:37.103 | 14 | |
| 14 | 26 | Daniil Kvyat | Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda | 1:37.683 | 1:37.141 | 12 | |
| 15 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | 1:37.710 | 1:37.254 | 14 | |
| 16 | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Haas Ferrari | 1:38.051 | 8 | ||
| 17 | 99 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari | 1:38.114 | 6 | ||
| 18 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari | 1:38.383 | 6 | ||
| 19 | 63 | George Russell | Williams Mercedes | 1:38.717 | 8 | ||
| 20 | 88 | Robert Kubica | Williams Mercedes | 1:39.236 | 6 |
Q1 107% time – 1:42.561
Note – Bottas starts from the back of the grid due to use of additional power unit elements.
