Floodlit qualifying, final dances and a rookie ceremony - after twists and turns, we arrived at a result that can be considered usual. This is how the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the final qualifying of the 2024 Formula 1 season took place.
After the first "real" timed laps of Q1, Carlos Sainz, Max Verstappen and Kevin Magnussen were in the lead, but due to the rapidly changing conditions it was almost certain that this would not be the final order of the stage. However, the world order was quickly disrupted, as Valtteri Bottas wedged himself between the Scuderia Ferrari duo, who took second place and advanced to Q2, while Lewis Hamilton, who was saying goodbye to Mercedes, got out without any problems due to an extremely unfortunate situation. Kevin Magnussen hit a buoy, which unfortunately ended up under Hamilton's car, and so he was forced to interrupt his fast lap... In addition to him, two Williams, Guanyu Zhou and Jack Doohan, who completed his first F1 qualification, had to leave the fight early.
In Q2, Verstappen and the two McLarens showed themselves on top, but then we could see the drama. Sainz, Verstappen and Nico Hülkenberg advanced to Q3 for the first time, but much more interesting was the list of recent advancers and dropouts. While Valtteri Bottas, who also dropped out, got Alfa Romeo into Q3 with a stunning performance, in Italy they were not quite sure whether to laugh or cry, as Leclerc, who finished behind Sainz, was eliminated due to leaving the track and will therefore start from last place in tomorrow's competition. The two Visa RBs, Lance Stroll and Kevin Magnussen, did not continue at his side either.
Q3 started with an incredible save from Verstappen, funny, but the Dutchman managed to stay in the lead even with this round - in which there was enough time left. Behind him on the list after the first attempts were Norris and Sainz, and with a big surprise Hülkenberg at the wheel of the Haas. In the end, Verstappen was unable to perform a miracle, so Lando Norris won the qualifying ahead of Oscar Piastre and Carlos Sainz, but the field is very tight, and an exciting season finale awaits us. We are looking forward to it!
