F1 qualifying results: Max Verstappen takes pole ahead of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri

The final qualifying hour of the 2025 Formula 1 season has arrived.

And what a show awaits us.

The three remaining title contenders — Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, and Oscar Piastri — are set to fight for pole position along with the rest of the field at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The stakes could not be higher, as just 16 points separate those three drivers in the chase for the Drivers’ Championship. Norris enters the weekend with the lead in the standings, sitting on 408 points, with Verstappen 12 points back at 396.

Piastri sits on 392 points after leading the standings for most of the season.

Earlier in the week, we walked through the various title permutations, outlining how Norris is the only driver to truly control his destiny in the title race. With a podium finish, the British driver will secure his first Drivers’ Championship, regardless of where Verstappen and Piastri finish. There are other ways Norris can clinch a title in the season finale, but those depend on where his two rivals end up in the pecking order.

Both Verstappen and Piastri have pathways to a title, but would need some help along the way.

Until then, however, there remains a bit of business: Setting the starting grid for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Norris topped the timing sheets in both FP1 and FP2, but it was George Russell who led the way in the final hour of practice, followed by Norris and then Verstappen.

Qualifying gets underway at 9:00 a.m. Eastern, so follow along as the biggest qualifying hour of the season unfolds!

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix provisional grid

Here is the provisional starting grid for the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Spots will be filled in throughout the qualifying hour:

F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix qualifying

Q3

The ten drivers who advanced to Q3 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in order of their Q2 finish: Russell, Verstappen, Norris, Alonso, Bortoleto, Leclerc, Hadjar, Piastri, Ocon, and Tsunoda.

With Tsunoda in Q3, one has to wonder if Red Bull tries to get him in position to give Verstappen a tow at the end of the session, if necessary.

Finally, it was time for Q3.

The biggest segment of the season.

Red Bull went first with Tsunoda leading Verstappen onto the circuit, perhaps putting that tow scenario into play. Verstappen was also on a new set of C5 tires, hoping to use the fresh rubber and clinch a spot on the front row.

Verstappen’s first sector was the best of the entire qualifying hour to that point, as he was indeed following Tsunoda through the first two sectors.

Verstappen came across at 1:22.295, a strong opening gambit from the four-time champion. Norris responded first with a 1:22.751, well off the pace, but that lap came on used soft tires. Piastri was next, also on scrubbed soft tires, and he cut the beam with a 1:22.622, jumping into second ahead of Norris and behind Verstappen.

Russell was next, who endured a big snap at Turn 14, settling for fifth behind Leclerc and the championship contenders.

Ahead of the final push laps, Verstappen had a lead of 0.327 seconds over Piastri and 0.456 seconds over Norris. Up in the F1TV commentary box, Alex Jacques, David Coulthard, and Jolyon Palmer opined that Red Bull would probably send Tsunoda out ahead of Verstappen once more, to give the four-time champion yet another tow.

And perhaps do it even better, as Tsunoda might have been a little too far ahead of Verstappen on the track to maximize the aerodynamic advantage.

As the clock hit 3:50 remaining, Red Bull sent Tsunoda out. Then, radio chatter picked up Russell asking Mercedes to get him behind Verstappen, thinking the Red Bull driver would be happy to give Russell a tow, to try and place him ahead of the McLaren duo.

With 2:30 remaining, Verstappen roared out of his garage, trying to slide in behind Tsunoda on the track.

Game on in Abu Dhabi as the final two minutes of the qualifying session began.

Notably, Piastri was on the track ahead of Norris, perhaps giving McLaren a chance to play their own team game.

Piastri was first, who finished the first sector just 0.049 seconds behind the phenomenal time Verstappen posted in that sector moments ago. Norris came next and was also strong in that first sector, leading into Sectors 2 and 3 where McLaren has been stronger this week.

Piastri cut the beam with a 1:22.437, but it was only good for second. Norris came next with a 1:22.408, which put him into second, but it was Verstappen who took pole position.

When the dust settled, the top three contenders were in the top three places with Verstappen on pole, followed by Norris and Piastri.

Q2

When Q2 began, 15 minutes were on the clock, and it was Verstappen at the front of the field, waiting for the green light at the end of pit lane.

His benchmark time of 1:22.912 set the early standard in Q2, but notably, it was behind Piastri’s best lap from Q1.

However, Verstappen set that time on a used set of the C5 soft tires.

Other lap times came in, and most drivers slotted in behind Verstappen, but for Russell, who jumped into P1 with 1:22.730, which came on a set of new soft tires but also slotted in behind Piastri’s leading effort from Q1. The McLarens were next, and Piastri slotted into fourth behind Verstappen while Norris came across the line in P2.

Both of those laps came on used soft tires.

Verstappen’s second push lap, again on used soft tires, came across the line at 1:22.752, jumping back into second ahead of Norris and Piastri.

As the clock hit six minutes remaining, Russell continued to top the timing sheets, followed by Verstappen, Norris, and Piastri. Alonso was in fifth, ahead of the rookie Bortoleto.

Hadjar, Tsunoda, Antonelli, Bearman, and Lawson were the five drivers in the drop zone.

That is when Yas Marina went quiet, and the bulk of the field waited in their respective garages, with final adjustments being made before the ending flurry of push laps. The only driver on the track at that moment was Verstappen, but he, too, was winding his way back to the Red Bull pit stall.

Yas Marina roared to life at the four-minute mark as Sainz led the majority of the field down pit lane and onto the circuit. Piastri and Norris were among the drivers who went out for final runs early, looking to lock their spots in the final segment of qualifying for the year.

Only Verstappen remained in his garage.

Concern grew at Ferrari on Leclerc’s final push lap, as he was yellow through the first sector. He came across the line at 1:22.948 to jump into fourth, a time he needed as he started his final push lap down in P10.

Antonelli jumped into eighth, but a strong lap from Bortoleto saw the Sauber rookie move into P4, dropping Antonelli into P9. Then a lap from Lawson came in ahead of Antonelli, dropping the Mercedes rookie into P11 and into the drop zone.

Antonelli was not the only surprise in the elimination zone as Bearman, who had been strong in Q1, was eliminated down in P11. Joining the Haas rookie was Sainz, Lawson, Antonelli, and Stroll.

Q1

For the last time this season, 18 minutes were put on the clock, and Q1 began at Yas Marina. The Alpine duo of Gasly and Colapinto led the grid onto the circuit, followed by Lawson and Hamilton.

That was a positive sign for Ferrari, after Hamilton clattered into the barrier during FP3.

Interestingly enough, there was a tire split among the early runners. Gasly and Hamilton were on the C4 medium compound, while Stroll, Lawson, and Colapinto were on the C4 hard tire.

Gasly set the early benchmark of 1:24.729, but that time was quickly eclipsed by a lap of 1:24.068 from Hamilton. Stroll, with a set of soft tires bolted onto his AMR25, jumped into P1 for a moment only to be eclipsed by the Sauber duo of Hülkenberg and Bortoleto, with the veteran’s time of 1:23.473 leading the way.

It was around the 13-minute mark when the title contenders rolled out of their respective garages.

Verstappen was the first of the three to post a lap time, clocking in at 1:23.325 to go to the top of the table by 0.148 seconds over Hülkenberg. Norris was the first to respond, but his opening gambit slotted in behind Verstappen at 1:23.430, placing the McLaren driver in third.

It was over to Piastri, who delivered a 1:23.255, which put him ahead of both Verstappen and Norris, but he was only second as it was Bearman leading the way with a time of 1:23.254, just 0.001 seconds ahead of Piastri. But the Haas rookie was dropped to P2 after Russell thundered home with a 1:23.247 to lead the way.

After the opening runs, Piastri was in third, Verstappen was in fourth, and Norris was in seventh.

At the other end of the timing sheets, the five drivers in the drop zone were Ocon, Albon, Leclerc, Gasly, and Colapinto.

As the clock hit five minutes remaining in Q1 pit lane roared back to life, as the drivers took to the track for their final push laps with Norris leading the way, looking to get some clean air and book his spot in Q2.

The British driver came home with a 1:23.178, which put him into P1 for the moment. But he was quickly dropped to P2 when Piastri came home at 1:22.605, over a half-second ahead of his McLaren teammate.

Game on at McLaren.

Verstappen came in next with a lap that jumped ahead of Norris, and the Red Bull driver slotted in at P2, ahead of Antonelli and Leclerc. Piastri, Verstappen, Antonelli, Leclerc, and Norris were the top five as the clock struck zero, but there were still times left to come in.

At the bottom of the table Gasly and Colapinto were the first two drivers eliminated, but the Sauber pair of Hülkenberg and Bortoleto were still pushing, as was Ocon. Ocon jumped into P12 to advance, and then Bortoleto crossed the line in P14 to knock out Hamilton.

Hamilton, Albon, Hülkenberg, Gasly, and Colapinto were the five drivers eliminated in Q1.