Dutch driver Max Verstappen (Red Bull) took pole position this Saturday at the 22nd and final race of the Formula 1 season in Abu Dhabi.
The three-time world champion set his best lap in 1:23.445 minutes, leaving Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) in second place, 0.139 seconds behind, and Australian Oscar Piastri (McLaren) in third, 0.337 seconds behind.
It was Max Verstappen’s 12th pole position of the season in 22 Grands Prix races (the Emilia-Romagna GP was canceled due to bad weather), the 32nd of his career.
This puts the Red Bull driver behind Nigel Mansell in seventh place in the pole position rankings and just one behind Alain Prost and Jimmy Clark, who both have 33.
In the remaining personal battles at the end of the season, Leclerc (he is seventh in the championship) prevailed over his teammate, the Spaniard Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), who did not rise further than 16th place.
The Spaniard shares fourth place in the championship with compatriot Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), both with 200 points. The Aston Martin driver remains seventh on the grid.
Among the teams, Mercedes is aiming to defend second place in the championship, four points ahead of Ferrari, but cannot do better than Britain’s George Russell’s fourth and Lewis Hamilton’s 11th.
Verstappen and Red Bull have already clinched the drivers’ and constructors’ titles in advance.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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