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Verstappen on his first pole in 2020, with Bottas and Hamilton right behind him on the grid, for Sunday’s season-ending Abu Dhabi GP, live at 1:10 PM on Sky Sports F1; Meanwhile, a lucrative battle for third place in the constructors’ standings heading to the cable between Racing Point and McLaren
By James Galloway and Matt Morlidge
Last Updated: 12/13/20 7:01 am
Max Verstappen hopes Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton will put him “under pressure” as Mercedes looks to counter Red Bull in the season finale of the Abu Dhabi F1 GP on Sunday.
Having started third against a Mercedes front row nine times in 2020, Verstappen finally turned the tables in Abu Dhabi with Red Bull’s first and only pole position of the year after winning an incredibly close qualifying battle where the top three were. positions. separated by less than a tenth of a second.
Red Bull has rarely had a head start on the world champions in the hybrid turbo engine era (Saturday’s pole was only the sixth in the past seven seasons), but Verstappen knows the battle at the end of the season from F1 is only really getting started, particularly as Mercedes has. his two cars in the top three.
The Abu Dhabi GP is live only on Sky Sports F1 and starts at 1.10 pm, with accumulation starting at 11.30 am
“We’ll find out,” Verstappen said. Sky F1 when asked about his career prospects from a third pole in his career.
“Now they have two cars behind me; they can do a bit of different strategies, they can try to pressure me, which they will surely try to do.
“But I’ll just have fun and try to get a good result.”
30:18 Sky F1’s Ted Kravitz looks back in Saturday’s qualifying session ahead of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Having struggled for grip in final practice, when Verstappen also set the pace, Mercedes was more comfortable with the medium tire in qualifying than the soft, which was used for the Q3 shootout.
The front three all start on the medium compound for the race, with a mid-race change to the hard tire than planned as part of a one-stop strategy.
“We have a strong car and we will start the race in the media, so there is still a lot to play for,” Bottas said. “I think it is going to be a good battle between Max, Lewis and me, and anything can happen, as we have seen lately in F1. I am looking forward to an exciting season finale tomorrow and I will fight hard to finish the year on a high. . “
1:56 Lewis Hamilton says he had trouble with his Mercedes car after qualifying third for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Seven-time champion Hamilton qualified third for what is, unbelievably, his second outing from the front row in Abu Dhabi in the race’s 12 seasons.
Speaking after qualifying, Hamilton confirmed that he was “not 100 percent” fit after returning from the coronavirus this week and said the 55-lap event “definitely will not be the physically easiest race.”
However, he made it clear that “in no way is he going to get in my way to go out and give it my all.”
The five-time Abu Dhabi GP winner added: “We hope we will give you [Red Bull] a good run for your money.
“The start is going to be important, the first laps, those periods, yeah I’m definitely excited to try to figure out how I can turn it around.”
Abu dhabi other big battle: Who will triumph in the fight for third place?
2:34 Lando Norris was surprised by the pace of his McLaren after finishing fourth in qualifying at the Abu Dhabi GP
The battle for third place in the championship, which is at stake this season for the first time since 2015 with Ferrari out of rhythm, has been close and difficult to predict all season, but Racing Point arrived in Abu Dhabi with a great, in terms of midfield, a 10-point lead after his victory and a double podium last weekend in Bahrain.
McLaren, however, have ensured that this fight still dies down today with brilliant and unexpected qualifying speed.
Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz sealed an excellent fourth and sixth place on the grid on Saturday, the Englishman just 0.2 seconds off pole, with additional momentum from Racing Point in the order with Lance Stroll eighth and Sergio Perez, the latest winner of the F1 race. forced to start in the last row due to an engine penalty.
How is he in the fight for third place
| Team | points |
|---|---|
| 3) Racing point | 194 |
| 4) McLaren | 184 |
| 5) Renault | 172 |
That means if grid positions remain as they are, McLaren would clinch third place for the first time since the days of Hamilton and Jenson Button in 2012.
Norris, however, is cautious, particularly with Perez’s pace considering he won in Bahrain after running behind.
“They are going to pass, they are going to be fast,” Norris told Sky F1. “Sergio has been a lot faster than Lance all weekend, so if anyone is going to pass, it will be Sergio. His cars are very fast.”
Perez, who has his own aspirations to be fourth in the drivers standings and is in the Racing Point car for the last time before leaving the team, admitted: “We have to make sure we are good in the points.
“We have put everything together for the race. We have put together each part for the race. We will see what we will be able to do, but a lot can happen.”
Renault, 22 points behind Racing Point, already needed a great weekend to have a chance to seal third and their hopes took a severe blow on Saturday with Esteban Ocon and Daniel Ricciardo failing to make it to Q3.
Although they will have free choice of tires, and each will win a position on the grid thanks to a penalty for Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, it looks like it’s a direct fight between Racing Point and McLaren for the pride, prestige and prize money it will bring. the third. The difference between finishing third and fourth is believed to be in the region of £ 4 million.
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