Hamiliton mishap

LIVE from 3 p.m.: Who will take pole for the Abu Dhabi GP?

Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, Carlos Sainz (from left)

(Bild: AP)

The favored McLaren will start the 24th and final race of the longest Formula 1 season in history on Sunday (14:00 CET/live in the krone.at ticker) from the front row. Lando Norris took pole position on Saturday in qualifying in Abu Dhabi ahead of Oscar Piastri. 

McLaren is on the verge of winning the Constructors' Championship. Carlos Sainz will start from third place for rival Ferrari, but Charles Leclerc will start from the back of the grid after qualifying 14th and incurring a penalty.

Leclerc demoted
McLaren will take a 21-point lead over Ferrari into the final race of the season. The traditional British racing team would be crowned team world champions for the first time since 1998. It was already clear on Friday that Leclerc would be relegated ten places on the grid due to a battery change. In qualifying, the Monegasque missed out on the final because his fastest lap was canceled after he was too far off the track.

With an eight-point lead over Leclerc, Norris is also on course to become runner-up in the world championship. With his eighth pole of the season, the 25-year-old Englishman drew level with world champion Max Verstappen. The Dutchman, who has won all of the last four races in Abu Dhabi, put his Red Bull in fifth place behind surprise driver Nico Hülkenberg in the Haas. Team-mate Sergio Perez, who could lose his cockpit for the coming season, finished no higher than tenth.

Hamilton mishap at Mercedes farewell
Lewis Hamilton's last qualifying session for Mercedes ended in disappointment. The record-breaking world champion retired in 18th place in stage one after he hit a bollard or guide cylinder knocked over by Kevin Magnussen on his final lap. "Hopefully this is the end of my run of bad luck," said Hamilton, who will drive for Ferrari from next season after eleven years at Mercedes.

Here is the standings in the drivers' world championship:

In his farewell season, Hamilton won just five of 24 qualifying duels with George Russell. His English compatriot and team-mate finished seventh this time. Australian debutant Jack Doohan finished last in his Alpine qualifying debut.