P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Max Verstappen ended the final qualifying session of 2023 on top as he stormed to a fourth-consecutive pole position at
Max Verstappen secured his 12th pole position of the year, with Charles Leclerc alongside him on the front row, just 0.139s behind. Verstappen was the only driver to have fresh tires for his first Q3 run, setting the initial benchmark time of 1:23.445s. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri followed, but were off the pace. Sergio Perez, Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate, could only manage fifth, highlighting the disadvantage of using scrubbed tires. Verstappen aborted his final lap but still held on to secure his fourth consecutive pole at Yas Marina Circuit. George Russell qualified fourth, splitting the McLarens. Yuki Tsunoda impressed in sixth, while Fernando Alonso and Nico Hulkenberg rounded out the top eight. Perez’s lap time for fifth was invalidated due to track limits, dropping him to ninth. Pierre Gasly will start from tenth. Red Bull and McLaren were the frontrunners in Q2, with Verstappen and Norris leading the pack. Lewis Hamilton’s late improvement was in vain as he was knocked out by his teammate Russell. Carlos Sainz had a shock exit, qualifying 16th after encountering traffic. Ferrari will need a recovery drive from him in the race to secure points.
