Abu Dhabi Quali: Max pips Lewis to Pole
Max gets a fantastic tow from him team-mate Checo to put in a scintillating lap at Abu Dhabi to get the Pole. Lewis and Mercedes had no answer to that.
From ‘tow’ to Pole for Max at Abu Dhabi
The twists and turns in the 2021 season just doesn’t seem to end. Lewis Hamilton has the momentum coming into Abu Dhabi. He has won the last two races and Mercedes look rather strong. They were ahead of the Red Bulls in all the three practice sessions and it seemed a given that Lewis will get the Pole position. However reality turned out to be a bit different. Mercedes was better than Red Bull in Q1 and Q2. But then in Q3 Red Bull pulled off a different strategy. Checo gave a tow to Max, who then drove his heart out and created a massive gap between him and Lewis. No other team was doing the tow strategy, including Mercedes. The only option left for Lewis was to go out first in the final lap, have some fresh air, and put in a blinder. Unfortunately he couldn’t create the magic this time, something is renowned for. Lewis will be starting P2.
Different Tyre strategies for Mercedes and Red Bull
However not all is lost for Lewis. He will be starting the race on Mediums as compared to Softs for Max. The mediums are suited much better for this race track and expect Lewis to make the most of it.
Unfortunately for both Max and Lewis their team-mates are not their with them directly to help in any way. Checo while doing a good job in giving a tow could not put in a fantastic lap himself. He will be starting P4 of Softs. Similarly, Valtteri Bottas could not put in a great show either and will be starting P6 on Mediums. Both the wing-mates will have to rise up quickly to help their Championship contender team-mates.
Lando ahead of the Ferrari boys
Another completely unexpected result. McLaren seemed to have lost their mojo in the recent races and Ferrari looked very strong. However things turned around a bit in the Q3 session as Lando put in an outstanding lap to grab P3. Even he was surprised with the result. Daniel Ricciardo made it to Q3 too but only P10. Ferrari boys are consistent as ever, with Carlos in P5 and LeClerc P7.
Rookie Yuki Tsunoda finished P8 and managed to beat his much experienced team mate Gasly. Similarly Ocon beat Fernando to get P9.
Nicholas Latifi finally managed to beat his team-mate George Russell although both got eliminated in Q1. The Aston Martins couldn’t move beyond Q2. Kimi Raikkonen unfortunately could not get outside Q1 in this final qualifying session before retiring from F1.
Abu Dhabi Quali Classification : Max on Pole with Lewis P2.
