As soon as extra unto the breach, expensive associates.

For the ultimate time of the 2023 season, the Formulation 1 grid is able to roar to life. The season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is upon us, and there’s no scarcity of storylines. From the battles for second, fourth, and seventh within the Constructors’ Championship to the continued hypothesis over Logan Sargeant’s F1 future, there’s a lot left to be determined.

Which means at this time is an enormous day, as qualifying is about to get underway in a number of brief hours. We may have all of it lined for you reside, from notes on the ultimate apply session of the season to the qualifying itself. Can Mercedes or Ferrari put themselves in place to lock down P2 within the Constructors’ standings? Can McLaren fend off Aston Martin within the last week of the season? Who emerges within the four-way combat for seventh behind the grid?

Qualifying will get underway at 9:00 a.m. Japanese, so come again early and sometimes!

(All updates in Japanese time).

Q3

Photograph by Kym Illman/Getty Pictures

Replace 10:10: Listed below are the outcomes from qualifying:

Replace 10:06: A reminder that these are provisional outcomes, as a result of …

Replace 10:01: Verstappen captures pole once more, yadda yadda yadda.

Right here is the highest ten:

Verstappen
Leclerc
Piastri
Russell
Norris
Tsunoda
Alonso
Hülkenberg
Pérez
Gasly

Replace 10:00: A slip from Norris opens the door, and teammate Piastri barges by way of. Norris on P3 provisionally, with Piastri forward of him in P2.

However then Leclerc crashes the get together, placing himself in P2.

P5 for Yuki Tsunoda provisionally, with a P7 for Hülkenberg provisionally as effectively.

Replace 9:59: The 2-minute warning has sounded at Yas Marina. All the way down to the end right here. Norris is on his push lap and is purple by way of the primary sector.

Replace 9:57: Showdown time, because the drivers queue up for his or her last push laps of the session.

Replace 9:55: The preliminary qualifying runs have been posted by all ten drivers. Right here is the present order:

Verstappen
Norris
Piastri
Russell
Pérez
Tsunoda
Hülkenberg
Alonso
Leclerc
Gasly

Replace 9:53: Power from McLaren within the early displaying, as Norris is in P2 adopted by Piastri in P3. Leclerc is barely in P8, and McLaren’s fundamental competitors in the mean time for P4 within the Constructors’ — Alonso — is down in P7.

Replace 9:52: Verstappen goes purple by way of Sectors 2 and three, and posts a time good for P1 early in Q3. Norris is available in behind him, adopted by Tsunoda and Hülkenberg. Underneath eight minutes stay in Q3.

Replace 9:51: Now Russell has joined the combat.

Replace 9:50: Q3 is formally underway. Solely Russell is within the pits, as the opposite 9 drivers are on the observe.

Replace 9:48: The ultimate pole place within the 2023 F1 season is up for grabs.

Right here is the classification from Q2:

Q2

Photograph by Peter Fox/Getty Pictures

Replace 9:47: For these preserving observe (and if you’re right here, that most likely means you) Hamilton will begin P11, Sainz in P16.

Bear in mind, simply 4 factors separate Mercedes and Ferrari within the battle for second within the Constructors’ Championship.

Replace 9:43: The ten drivers who superior to Q3, so as:

Verstappen
Norris
Leclerc
Russell
Gasly
Pérez
Alonso
Tsunoda
Hülkenberg
Piastri

Replace 9:42: Listed below are the 5 drivers eradicated in Q2: Hamilton, Ocon, Stroll, Albon, Ricciardo.

Replace 9:41: Hamilton is knocked out of Q2, dumped into the drop zone when his teammate comes throughout the road in P4.

Replace 9:40: Leclerc and Hülkenberg crash that prime 5 get together, as Leclerc goes into P3 and Hülkenberg into P4.

Hülkenberg then sees Gasly, Pérez, and Tsunoda soar forward of him. Nonetheless, excellent tempo from the Haas, and forward of Albon, which may very well be key as Haas tries to chase down Williams within the standings.

Replace 9:37: Three minutes to go in Q2 and right here is the highest 5:

Verstappen
Norris
Pérez
Piastri
Albon

Two Crimson Bulls, two McLarens, and a Williams.

As all of us predicted.

Replace 9:31: Early occasions are coming in throughout Q2. Verstappen tops the timing sheet, adopted by Russell, Tsunoda, Stroll, and Hamilton within the prime 5.

Replace 9:27: How about AlphaTauri? Not solely did the staff put each drivers into Q2, however Tsunoda finishes Q1 in third, behind the Crimson Bull duo. A powerful begin for the staff chasing Williams for P7 within the Constructors’ Championship.

Q1

Photograph by Clive Rose/Getty Pictures

Replace 9:26: Listed below are the outcomes from Q1:

Replace 9:20: A little bit of a shock, as Carlos Sainz Jr. is eradicated in Q1. Magnussen, Bottas, Zhou, and Sargeant are the opposite 5 drivers eradicated.

Replace 9:16: Sargeant goes into P4 with a banger of a lap, however the time will get deleted. With two lap occasions deleted he has but to set a time, and solely two minutes stay in Q1.

Replace 9:14: How massive will observe evolution be throughout qualifying?

This massive:

Replace 9:13: Shaky occasions for Aston Martin. Each Stroll and Alonso are close to the underside of the sphere following the primary few runs, with Stroll sitting in P14 and Alonso in P15. The staff is simply 11 factors behind McLaren within the combat for fourth, however they’ll want to choose issues as much as give themselves an opportunity at this time.

Replace 9:10: Zhou and Hülkenberg see lap occasions deleted as effectively.

Replace 9:09: Just below ten minutes stay in Q1. Right here is your present Prime 5:

Verstappen
Norris
Leclerc
Albon
Tsunoda

Replace 9:08: Williams driver Logan Sargeant has his first lap time of Q1 deleted for exceeding observe limits.

Replace 9:05: For these of you who’re seeing the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix — and the structure at Yas Marina — for the primary time you’ll discover two very distinctive options. First is the Yas Viceroy Abu Dhabi Resort, which sits above the observe and bridges the circuit between Flip 18 and Flip 19.

The opposite, which was simply featured on F1TV, is the pit lane. That’s positioned under the circuit, and drivers entry the observe through a tunnel.

Replace 9:04: Greater than three minutes have elapsed in Q1, and nobody has taken to the observe but. Monitor evolution is large in Abu Dhabi, and with temps dropping, the groups are ready to get issues proper.

The Crimson Bulls are the primary out, led by Verstappen.

Replace 9:02: For these of you — like me — who’re already bemoaning the top of the season, F1TV has a truth that ought to cheer you up.

It’s lower than 100 days till issues get rolling for the 2024 F1 season. Pre-season testing begins on February 21, 2024 in Bahrain.

Replace 9:01: This isn’t the precise Magnussen clip I used to be speaking about under, however that is nice too:

Replace 9:00: For the ultimate time this season, qualifying is underway.

FP3 and pre-qualifying notes

Photograph by Kym Illman/Getty Pictures

Replace 8:55: F1TV simply confirmed essentially the most healthful clip of Kevin Magnussen’s oldest daughter Laura serving to the Haas driver get his gloves on, after which flipping his visor closed.

I’ll attempt to add that in right here when it pops up on social media, as it’s certain to.

Replace 8:45: Relating to the battle for fourth, F1TV’s Jolyon Palmer notes that Las Vegas was an “anomaly” for McLaren, and that each Norris and Piastri are in significantly better kind this weekend.

Replace 8:44: “It’s going to be a really tight and difficult battle,” says Ferrari reserve driver Robert Shwartzman to Will Buxton on F1TV of the battle between Ferrari and Mercedes.

Replace 8:37: Throughout the pre-qualifying present on F1TV, Alex Brundle and Sam Collins are discussing qualifying simulation tempo.

Whereas Crimson Bull nonetheless tops the simulations, based mostly on knowledge from PF2, there’s some concern about Crimson Bull, and Max Verstappen. As you possibly can see from the outcomes from PF3, Verstappen was simply sixth, which has many questioning if Crimson Bull would possibly lag behind the sphere at this time.

Replace 8:10: May this be Mercedes’ day?

George Russell topped the timing sheets in FP3, adopted by the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

With Mercedes locked in a good battle with Ferrari for fourth place within the Constructors’ Championship, a Russell pole can be huge for the Silver Arrows.

Listed below are the outcomes from FP3: