Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Verstappen beats Perez to pole position

Max Verstappen led his team-mate, Sergio Perez, to a Red Bull one-two in qualifying at the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi.

Verstappen took the pole by 0.228 seconds as Perez pipped Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by 0.04secs in their fight for second in the championship.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was fourth, as Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell filled the third row.

Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel will start his final Grand Prix in ninth.

The German drove a strong session as his team-mate Lance Stroll could manage only 14th.

McLaren’s Lando Norris was seventh, ahead of Alpine’s Esteban Ocon in eighth, with McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo completing the top 10.

Ricciardo has a three-place grid penalty for causing an accident in Brazil last weekend and will start 13th, behind Alpine’s Fernando Alonso, Alpha Tauri’s Yuki Tsunoda and Mick Schumacher, in his final race after being dropped by Haas for 2023 in favour of Nico Hulkenberg. (BBC)