2024 F1 Abu Dhabi GP Qualifying: Winners and Losers
The 2024 F1 Abu Dhabi GP qualifying was a surprise affair as the session threw up far too many surprises. In the end, in what was the least surprising thing, McLaren locked out the front row with Lando Norris in pole position, followed by teammate Oscar Piastri.
In P3 we have Carlos Sainz, but from P4 onwards is where things get interesting. We have Nico Hulkenberg starting the race in the second row.
In P5, we have Max Verstappen, who could not extract the maximum from his last lap, and in P6 we have the Alpine of Pierre Gasly.
The session saw another disappointing run from Lewis Hamilton, while Charles Leclerc was also a victim of track limit infringement.
With all said and done in the F1 Abu Dhabi GP qualifying, who would be happy with how the session went and who would be disappointed? Let's take a look.
2024 F1 Abu Dhabi GP Qualifying
Winner
McLaren
Lando Norris and McLaren have come under some severe criticism this season, and it's safe to say that a lot of it has been justified. The team has made far too many mistakes in races, affecting them in the championship. The F1 Abu Dhabi GP was not one such scenario, as Lando secured pole position with Oscar Piastri right behind him.
With the championship at stake, the manner in which McLaren has bounced back has been amazing.
Loser
Ferrari
The ideal scenario for Ferrari would have been where the team qualifies on the front row, secures a 1-2 finish, and then hopes McLaren screws things up. In the F1 Abu Dhabi GP race weekend so far, it's only been the Italian team that has been messing things up.
Charles Leclerc's qualifying was another such example. Ferrari would be trying to put up a valiant front on Sunday, but the title's as good as gone for now.
Winner
Nico Hulkenberg
Nico Hulkenberg would be starting the F1 Abu Dhabi GP from P4 for Haas. What's even more interesting is that this is not even his best qualifying result with Haas.
On his part, Hulkenberg is doing all he can to help Haas secure a P6 finish in the championship. This qualifying was just another proof of that.
Loser
Lewis Hamilton
Last qualifying session with Mercedes, and Lewis Hamilton is out of the session in Q1. This was more or less down to a misjudgment from the team on when the cars would go out, but all in all it just ends what has been a horrible season in terms of qualifying for the driver.
Winner
Pierre Gasly
While Hulkenberg is getting the job done at Haas, so is Gasly at Alpine, as he dragged the car to P6 for the F1 Abu Dhabi GP. The French team has to limit the American squad from outscoring them by less than 6 points.
On his part, Gasly has put the car right where it helps his team secure P6. Now it's on him to get the job done on Sunday as well.
Loser
Sergio Perez
If reports are to be believed, then the F1 Abu Dhabi GP is the last race he does in a Red Bull. If that is the case, then by "Sergio Perez standards," this was a good session. He got into Q3, and that's the first step towards securing a strong result. At the same time, he has qualified behind a Haas, a Sauber, an Alpine,s and an Aston Martin. You have to question under what conditions such a result is even acceptable.