McLaren performs, while others lag, as teams and drivers prepare for the final race of the 2024 season.
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates—Having dominated the entire weekend with best times in practice sessions for this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri placed one-two on Saturday qualifying with the former clocking a 1:22:595 best time, giving the team a good chance to secure the Constructor’s Championship ahead of Ferrari, who had Carlos Sainz finish third.
Lando Norris: We want to do it in style, and we want to win. I want to win, and we know what we have to do. We are staying focused, but we are here to win every race possible, and tomorrow we will have a good chance.
— ””Norris only had his time quickest with only a few minutes to go in the last session, as the big shock came with Haas F1’s Nico Hulkenberg taking fourth in his last drive for the team. Despite sliding out at the last corner and just staying on the limit lines, Max Verstappen ended up in fifth.
Pierre Gasly has been an excellent qualifier in the last few races and continued to improve, placing his Alpine in sixth, while George Russell took seventh in his Mercedes. Fernando Alonso also had a good qualifying session, finishing in eighth in his Aston Martin, and for the first time this season, Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas managed to make it through to the final session and finished placing in ninth, Red Bull’s Sergio Perez rounding out the top ten.
Both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were the big surprises this weekend. The Mercedes driver had parts of a bollard knocked loose in front of him by Haas F1’s Kevin Magnussen, which dragged under the car. That slowed down Hamilton when it looked like the Briton would make it to the final round. His Leclerc’s Ferrari managed to make it through to the final round, but his time was deleted for track limits when he ran wide at turn one. Leclerc will start from the back of the grid on Sunday evening because of a battery change.
As for Norris, the time is now. “We will be giving it everything we have got,” Norris exclaimed.
ESPN2 will televise Sunday’s race beginning at 8:00 AM Eastern.
