FACTS AND STATS: Verstappen hunts down fifth title as he ends the season with the most poles

Max Verstappen piled even more pressure on his McLaren rivals in the battle for the 2025 title as he delivered a blistering lap to take pole position for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. With Lando Norris starting alongside on the front row and Oscar Piastri just behind in third, there's still so much to play for in the season finale. Here are the best facts and stats from a pivotal Qualifying session at the Yas Marina Circuit...

• Verstappen ends the season with eight pole positions, the most of any driver in 2025.
• It gives him a major advantage as the last 10 Grands Prix held in Abu Dhabi have all been won from pole position.
• He has also tied Lewis Hamilton for the most poles at this track, with both drivers on five apiece.

• This marks the Red Bull driver's first pole position since the United States Grand Prix, five rounds ago.
• Norris claimed his 15th front row start of the season – the most in F1.
• While the Briton only needs to finish on the podium to be crowned champion, he has still never won a race from second on the grid.
• He outqualified his team mate Piastri 13-11 this season, as the Australian extended his run of never qualifying outside of the top three in Abu Dhabi.
• George Russell was on top in Q2 but eventually settled for P4, equalling his career-best start here.

• Charles Leclerc has good memories in Abu Dhabi, having finished on the podium after starting 19th on the grid last season. He's got a more likely shot of reaching the top three this year after qualifying fifth.
• Fernando Alonso was sixth for Aston Martin, marking his highest start at the Yas Marina Circuit since 2012.
• Another high flier was Kick Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto, placing in P7. In the team's last weekend with the Sauber name, he helped them qualify in the top 10, which they also achieved in their first race back in 1993.
• Ollie Bearman was the lead Haas for most of the weekend, but Esteban Ocon was the one to make it through to Q3 for the first time since the Monaco Grand Prix 14 races ago.
• Just behind the Frenchman, Isack Hadjar took P9 in his final race with Racing Bulls, rounding off his rookie season with five consecutive Q3 appearances.
• He will replace Yuki Tsunoda at Red Bull in 2026. The Japanese racer bowed out of his last Qualifying session in style by ending his six-race run without progressing to Q3.
• Bearman missed out on Q3 by just 0.007s, settling for P11.
• Carlos Sainz missed out on Q3 for only the second time in the final six rounds of the season, taking P12 for Williams.
• With Hadjar ahead in P9, Liam Lawson has been outqualified by his team mate on 16 occasions in 2025.

• Kimi Antonelli finished the session down in P14, but he has previously shown that he can charge through the field, having improved to the podium from 17th in Las Vegas.
• The second Aston Martin of Lance Stroll made it through to Q2 for the ninth time this season.
• A downbeat Lewis Hamilton ends his first campaign with Ferrari with three consecutive Q1 eliminations – the first for the team since Giancarlo Fisichella in 2009.
• It ties his longest career run of Q1 eliminations, also from 2009, but on the bright side, he progressed from 16th to fourth in the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
• Alex Albon endured his seventh Q1 elimination of the season, finishing the session in P17.
• After showing some promising pace in practice, Nico Hulkenberg took 18th on the grid, ending his streak of seven consecutive Q3 appearances in Abu Dhabi.
• The Alpine pair of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto will start on the last row in their final race with Renault power units.