Lando Norris shines in McLaren double success in Abu Dhabi

The anticipation at McLaren couldn't be greater: In the last qualifying of the Formula 1 season in Abu Dhabi, Lando Norris secured pole position, leading a remarkable double success for the team. This puts the British team in an outstanding position to win their first constructors' title since 1998. With a gap of 0.209 seconds, Norris relegated his Australian teammate Oscar Piastri to second place on the illuminated Yas Marina Circuit. "We want to win, I want to win. We know what we need to do... tomorrow we have a good chance," Norris stated, describing it as a perfect day. Ferrari, currently 21 points behind McLaren, suffered a setback: Carlos Sainz will start from third place, while Charles Leclerc will start from the back of the field due to a penalty procedure. "From the beginning, it was an extremely difficult, almost impossible mission," Sainz commented on his team's expectations. Nico Hülkenberg managed to reach fourth place for Haas in a remarkable maneuver, while four-time world champion Max Verstappen with Red Bull came fifth. Pierre Gasly from the Alpine team starts in sixth place, followed by George Russell for Mercedes and Fernando Alonso for Aston Martin. Valtteri Bottas, likely in his last F1 race, placed ninth in the Sauber, and Sergio Perez from Red Bull completed the top ten. There was disappointment, however, for Lewis Hamilton, who only reached 18th place in his farewell race for Mercedes before moving to Ferrari. An unfortunate incident with a jammed plastic cap led to Hamilton's qualifying result falling short of expectations. "You couldn't make it up, but that's how it is," said the seven-time world champion. The qualifying did not go optimally despite good signs in the practice sessions.