- Title contenders on front row of grid at Yas Marina
- Red Bull’s Verstappen 0.371sec quicker than Mercedes rival
How fitting, that in a Formula One season that has been impossible to predict, that the drama should continue unabated as it draws closer to an impossibly tense denouement. For this duel in the desert Max Verstappen drew first blood with pole position for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, relegating his title rival Lewis Hamilton to second on the grid and with work to do if he is to take the title in Sunday’s decisive showdown.
With both drivers acknowledging they were in a contest for the ages, the setup delivered in qualifying at the Yas Marina circuit leaves the finale delicately poised. Some imponderables remain but with the two protagonists tied on points they know the blunt reality that after 21 races in a season where the lead has swung between them five times, all that matters is who takes the flag.
