“I felt like I got a lot out of the car today, but it just wasn’t enough,” Norris reflected in the press conference. “So, a bit disappointed. I’m behind the one person I kind of want to be ahead of. But otherwise, I was pretty happy with my laps, and yeah, it was the maximum we could do.”
Verstappen, sitting alongside him, has limited options in the race. He knows he must beat Norris by 12 points, and prevent Piastri from beating him, so he will presumably try to get out ahead of the McLaren pair and then hope for them to come to grief, either from each other, or from the drivers behind them, which includes Mercedes’ George Russell in fourth.
One option available to Verstappen is to back up the field, as Hamilton did in 2016 when he deliberately slowed down in an attempt to force Rosberg into the clutches of other drivers. There are, in fact, strong parallels to that year. Hamilton began that race on pole, and 12 points behind Rosberg, who started in second.
Verstappen played down the idea when it was put to him, noting it was “different layout” at Yas Marina now, and adding that the cars these days were also “completely different to back then”.
But Russell seemed to think it was very much a possibility. “I hope Max is still leading after lap one,” he said. “He’s not just going to drive into the distance. You don’t need to drive like a hooligan, or do anything crazy. Just manage the pace… You see many drivers do this. Monaco, Singapore… This is normal. Hopefully for us he’s still leading after lap one, and then I’m sure there will be some opportunities.”
Andrea Stella, the McLaren team principal, said he was not too concerned by the potential for “tricks” from Verstappen. “Honestly, I’m pretty confident [Verstappen] will be within the boundaries of sportsmanship and fairness,” he said.
There is also, of course, the potential for McLaren to play their own tactical cards. Piastri might pass Norris at the start, and then pull over for his team-mate at some point later in the race if he cannot hunt down Verstappen.
The Australian seemed to suggest he would be amenable to that idea when asked what he might expect from the team if he pulled over to help Norris win the championship. “I don’t know, a handshake would be good, probably. But until either Lando or Max cross the line in front of me, I’ve still got a chance of winning the title. So yeah, we’ll see how the race pans out.” Destiny awaits.
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix qualifying classification
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull
- Lando Norris, McLaren
- Oscar Piastri, McLaren
- George Russell, Mercedes
- Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
- Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
- Gabriel Bortoleto, Sauber
- Esteban Ocon, Haas
- Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls
- Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull
- Oliver Bearman, Haas
- Carlos Sainz, Williams
- Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls
- Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
- Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
- Alexander Albon, Williams
- Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber
- Pierre Gasly, Alpine
- Franco Colapinto, Alpine
