The Formula 1 season is coming to a close in Abu Dhabi, and the classification from this Saturday has made it clear that Max Verstappen is determined to take the title fight to the very end. The Dutchman secured pole position at the Yas Marina circuit, maintaining his dominance in fast laps in 2025 and putting even more pressure on McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who will start right behind him. The session ended with a series of notable numbers that help to understand the weight of this championship decision.
With this Saturday’s pole, Verstappen closes the season with eight starts from the first position, the highest number among all drivers in 2025. This fact gains even more relevance because the last ten editions of the Abu Dhabi GP have been won by the driver who started from pole. The Dutchman also equaled Lewis Hamilton’s record, becoming the driver with the most poles at the circuit, with five each. It was also his first pole since the US GP, five stages ago, reinforcing the return of Red Bull’s strength in this final stretch.
Lando Norris will start alongside Verstappen, securing his 15th place in the front row in 2025, more than any other driver. Despite this, the British driver has never won a race starting from second position. As the championship leader, he only needs a podium to guarantee his first title, but he will have to deal with direct pressure from his rivals. Norris also surpassed Piastri in the internal classification dispute, 13 to 11 in the season, while the Australian maintained his mark of never qualifying outside the top 3 in Abu Dhabi.
George Russell led the Q2 at one point but finished fourth, equaling his best grid at the circuit. Right behind him is Charles Leclerc, who has good memories in Abu Dhabi after finishing on the podium last year starting from 19th, which puts him again as a candidate to advance among the first.
Fernando Alonso starts sixth, his best grid at the circuit since 2012, showing the strength of Aston Martin. Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto shone again and will start seventh, repeating Sauber’s presence in the top 10 in their last GP before transforming into Audi, just as had happened in the team’s return in 1993.
Esteban Ocon secured eighth place in his first Q3 appearance since Monaco, while Isack Hadjar, in ninth, closes his rookie year with five consecutive classifications among the top ten. From 2026, he will take a seat at Red Bull, and ends his trajectory at Racing Bulls on a high note. Yuki Tsunoda, who leaves the team at the end of the year, managed to break a sequence of six consecutive eliminations and returned to Q3, finishing tenth.
Outside the top 10, Ollie Bearman was just 0.007s away from advancing, while Carlos Sainz starts 12th, after only his second elimination in Q2 in the last six stages. Liam Lawson was again outdone by Hadjar and sums up 16 defeats to his teammate this year.
Kimi Antonelli starts 14th but has already shown strength by climbing through the field before. Lance Stroll goes 15th, with his ninth Q2 appearance in 2025. Lewis Hamilton is going through a tough phase and ended the Q1 eliminated for the third consecutive time, repeating a sequence seen by Ferrari only in 2009. Still, it’s worth remembering that last year he went from 16th to finish fourth in Abu Dhabi.
Alex Albon starts 17th, followed by Nico Hülkenberg, who ended a sequence of seven consecutive Q3 appearances at the circuit. The last row will be occupied by the Alpine duo, Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto, who are saying goodbye to the Renault engines.
The classification left important numbers, but mainly confirmed that the 2025 Abu Dhabi GP has everything to be one of the most tense finals in F1 history. Norris, Verstappen, and Piastri start side by side, and each statistic takes on a weight of decision. The world of motorsport now awaits the start.
