Verstappen equals Mansell in the all-time pole list, Hamilton misses out on Q3 at Yas Marina for the first time and Albon becomes the first driver to out-qualify his team-mate at every race since 2020. Here are the facts and statistics from qualifying at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix!
VERSTAPPEN ON POLE AT THE 2023 ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX
Max Verstappen took the 32nd pole position of his Formula 1 career at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, equalling Nigel Mansell for seventh in Formula 1’s all-time pole list.
This was Verstappen’s 12th pole position of the 2023 season. It made him the sixth driver to have taken pole at 12 or more races in a single season, after Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton.
Verstappen extended the record for most consecutive pole positions at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to four.
Red Bull set a new record for most pole positions at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. This was their seventh pole at Yas Marina Circuit, overtaking Mercedes’ former record.
IN THE TOP TEN
Charles Leclerc set the second fastest lap time in qualifying for the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, qualifying on the front row for a fifth consecutive race. He last qualified on the front row at five races in a row between the 2022 Dutch and United States Grands Prix.
Leclerc’s Q3 appearance at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix made Ferrari the first team to record 600 Q3 appearances since the knockout system was introduced in 2006.
This was Leclerc’s first front row qualification at Yas Marina Circuit and the first time that a Ferrari driver has ever qualified on the front row at the track.
Oscar Piastri qualified in third place for the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, while Lando Norris set the fifth fastest time. It’s the first time that Norris has been out-qualified by a team-mate at Yas Marina Circuit.
This was the first time since 2012 that both McLaren drivers qualified in the top five at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. 2023 is the fifth consecutive season in which both McLarens reached Q3 at Yas Marina Circuit.
Leclerc and Norris both maintained their 100% Q3 appearance rates at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Oscar Piastri joined them in the club, of which Felipe Massa, Mark Webber and Nico Rosberg are also members.
George Russell qualified fourth for the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, recording his best qualifying result to date at the circuit.
Yuki Tsunoda qualified sixth for the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, recording the best qualifying result of his career to date.
This was Tsunoda’s first Q3 appearance since the Japanese Grand Prix. He is yet to be out-qualified by a team-mate at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Sixth is the best qualifying result for the Red Bull junior team at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix since Daniil Kvyat qualified fourth with Toro Rosso in 2014.
For the first time since 2016, Fernando Alonso reached Q3 at Yas Marina Circuit. Seventh is Alonso’s best qualifying result at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix since qualifying sixth in 2012.
Alonso is the first driver for the Silverstone-based team to qualify in the top seven at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix since Nico Hulkenberg qualified seventh in 2016.
Nico Hulkenberg made his first Q3 appearance since the Singapore Grand Prix. This is his sixth successive appearance at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in which he has qualified in the top ten.
This was only the second time that a Haas driver reached Q3 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Romain Grosjean was the last Haas driver to do so, in 2018.
Pierre Gasly qualified tenth for the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. It equalled his best qualifying result at Yas Marina Circuit, having also qualified tenth in 2020.
OUT IN Q2
For the first time in Abu Dhabi Grand Prix history, Lewis Hamilton failed to reach Q3.
Hamilton became only the second Mercedes driver to fail to qualify in the top ten at Yas Marina Circuit, after Michael Schumacher who qualified 13th in 2012.
Having also failed to reach Q3 at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, this was the first time Hamilton missed out on Q3 at two consecutive races since the 2014 German and Hungarian Grands Prix.
Qualifying 12th, Esteban Ocon failed to reach Q3 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for the first time since 2020.
Alex Albon became the first Williams driver to reach Q2 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix since 2017.
Daniel Ricciardo qualified 15th, missing out on Q3 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for only the fourth time in his 13 appearances at the event.
OUT IN Q1
Carlos Sainz failed to secure a spot in Q2 at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, recording his first Q1 exit since the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix – the race at which he secured his maiden podium finish with McLaren.
Sainz became the third Ferrari driver to record a Q1 exit at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, after Giancarlo Fisichella in 2009 and Sebastian Vettel in 2015.
This was Sainz’s second Q1 exit at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – his first since 2016.
Kevin Magnussen set the 17th fastest time in Q1, recording his fourth Q1 exit at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He equalled Romain Grosjean as the driver with the most Q1 exits at Yas Marina Circuit.
Magnussen’s Q1 exit made 2023 the fifth consecutive season in which a Haas driver failed to reach Q2 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Alfa Romeo recorded their first double Q1 exit at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix since 2019.
Valtteri Bottas qualified 18th for the second time in the last three races, equalling his second-worst qualifying result of the year. This is the second year in a row that Bottas has qualified 18th at Yas Marina Circuit.
Zhou Guanyu qualified 19th for the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, recording his seventh back row qualification of the season.
Alex Albon out-qualified Logan Sargeant at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, ensuring he out-qualified his team-mate at every race in 2023. Albon is the first driver to out-qualify his team-mate at every round in a single season since Max Verstappen out-qualified Albon at every race in 2020.
Sargeant failed to set a lap time in Q1 after both of his lap times were deleted for exceeding track limits, therefore qualifying last for the eighth time in his rookie season.