Max Verstappen was ecstatic after qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where he brilliantly secured pole position for the race. “This is what we needed to do and I’m incredibly happy we succeeded,” he said.
The fact that he managed to outpace both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in the qualifiers means that Verstappen has slightly increased his chances of winning the world title. If the four-time champion finishes first on Sunday, he will be closer to defending his title. However, Norris, who has twelve more points than Verstappen, must not finish in the top three.
“We’ll see what this will yield in the race,” Verstappen looked ahead with relative calm. “We have to get the maximum out of it and also have some luck.” Securing the pole was step one. “We made some changes before the qualifiers, which helped to improve the car even more. In Q2, I drove on used tires and it felt good. In Q3, I was able to push even more on new tires, which helped me gain some time. I’m incredibly happy with this.”
Verstappen knows that Norris is behind him and doesn’t need to take too many risks in the first turn. However, this is not the case for his teammate Piastri, who is third. The Australian can still become champion, but only if he finishes first or second. And then he is also dependent on Verstappen and Norris.
