Verstappen takes his 20th pole position, Red Bull lock-out the front row for the first time since 2018 and Hamilton’s pole in every season record comes to an end. Here are the facts and statistics from qualifying at the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix!
VERSTAPPEN ON POLE, RED BULL LOCK OUT FRONT ROW
Max Verstappen took pole position for the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. This was the 20th pole position of Verstappen’s career, equalling Damon Hill and Valtteri Bottas for 14th in the all-time list of most poles.
Verstappen is the first driver to take three consecutive pole positions at Yas Marina Circuit.
Sergio Perez qualified in second place, meaning Red Bull recorded their 25th front row lock-out. This was only the second time the team has locked-out the front row in the V6 hybrid era. The last time they did so was at the 2018 Mexican Grand Prix.
Red Bull are the fourth team to record 25 front row lock outs, after Ferrari (Britain 1988), McLaren (Brazil 1990) and Mercedes (Britain 2015).
This was the first time Perez has qualified in the top three at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
IN THE TOP 10
Both Ferrari drivers recorded their best Abu Dhabi Grand Prix qualifying result to date. Charles Leclerc qualified third, while Carlos Sainz was fourth. This was the first time since 2018 that both Ferrari drivers qualified in the top four at Yas Marina Circuit.
Lewis Hamilton qualified in fifth place, ending his record-breaking run of 15 consecutive seasons with at least one pole position.
Fifth place is Hamilton’s worst qualifying result at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The only other time Hamilton has qualified outside of the top three here was in 2013, when he qualified fourth.
George Russell qualified sixth, making it out of Q1 for the first time at Yas Marina Circuit.
This was the first time since 2012 that neither Mercedes driver qualified in the top four at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Lando Norris qualified in seventh place and is still yet to be out-qualified by a team-mate at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
With eighth place, Lance Stroll recorded his best Abu Dhabi Grand Prix qualifying result to date. He has previously qualified ninth here three times.
For the 228th and final time in his career, Sebastian Vettel reached Q3. This was Vettel’s fifth Q3 appearance of the season and his first Q3 appearance at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix since 2019.
Daniel Ricciardo reached Q3 for the first time since the Italian Grand Prix. This was the second consecutive year in which Ricciardo has qualified tenth for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
This was the fourth consecutive season in which both McLaren drivers have reached Q3 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. This was McLaren’s fifth double Q3 appearance at Yas Marina Circuit.
OUT IN Q2
Fernando Alonso failed to reach Q3 for only the fourth time this year. He last missed out on Q3 at Zandvoort. Alonso has not reached Q3 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix since 2016.
Alonso’s 11th place in qualifying made this the fourth time in the last five seasons that a driver for the Enstone-based team has qualified 11th at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Mick Schumacher qualified 13th, recording the Haas team’s best qualifying result at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix since 2018, when both drivers qualified in the top 13.
Zhou Guanyu qualified in 15th place, making this the first time since 2019 that neither Alfa Romeo driver qualified in the top 14 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
OUT IN Q1
For the fifth season in a row, both Williams drivers were eliminated in Q1 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. This was the first time since 2019 that the team locked out the back row of the grid at Yas Marina Circuit.
This was the first time Alex Albon failed to reach Q3 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
This was the 21st time from the 22 races this year that Nicholas Latifi was eliminated in Q1. The only time in the last 29 races that the Canadian was not out in Q1 was at the British Grand Prix, where he reached Q3.
Pierre Gasly was eliminated in Q1 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for the first time since 2018. It was also the first time since 2018 that a driver for the Red Bull junior team recorded a Q1 exit at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Gasly’s 17th place equalled his worst qualifying result at Yas Marina Circuit. He also qualified 17th at Yas Marina Circuit in 2017 and 2018.
For the first time in his career, Valtteri Bottas was eliminated in Q1 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. This was the second time in 2022 that Bottas has been out in Q1 at two successive races.
Bottas’ Q1 exit made this the fourth consecutive season in which at least one Alfa Romeo driver has been eliminated in Q1 at Yas Marina Circuit.
Kevin Magnussen recorded his first Q1 exit since the United States Grand Prix.
