2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix grid

Formula 1

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Max Verstappen has taken pole position for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for Red Bull ahead of Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri.

Row 1 1. (1) Max Verstappen 1’23.445
Red Bull-Honda RBPT RB19
2. (16) Charles Leclerc 1’23.584
Ferrari SF-23
Row 2 3. (81) Oscar Piastri 1’23.782
McLaren-Mercedes MCL60
4. (63) George Russell 1’23.788
Mercedes W14
Row 3 5. (4) Lando Norris 1’23.816
McLaren-Mercedes MCL60
6. (22) Yuki Tsunoda 1’23.968
AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT AT04
Row 4 7. (14) Fernando Alonso 1’24.084
Aston Martin-Mercedes AMR23
8. (27) Nico Hulkenberg 1’24.108
Haas-Ferrari VF-23
Row 5 9. (11) Sergio Perez 1’24.171
Red Bull-Honda RBPT RB19
10. (10) Pierre Gasly 1’24.548
Alpine-Renault A523
Row 6 11. (44) Lewis Hamilton 1’24.359
Mercedes W14
12. (31) Esteban Ocon 1’24.391
Alpine-Renault A523
Row 7 13. (18) Lance Stroll 1’24.422
Aston Martin-Mercedes AMR23
14. (23) Alexander Albon 1’24.439
Williams-Mercedes FW45
Row 8 15. (3) Daniel Ricciardo 1’24.442
AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT AT04
16. (55) Carlos Sainz Jnr 1’24.738
Ferrari SF-23
Row 9 17. (20) Kevin Magnussen 1’24.764
Haas-Ferrari VF-23
18. (77) Valtteri Bottas 1’24.788
Alfa Romeo-Ferrari C43
Row 10 19. (24) Zhou Guanyu 1’25.159
Alfa Romeo-Ferrari C43
20. (2) Logan Sargeant No time
Williams-Mercedes FW45

Investigations

Piastri: Cleared of failing to adhere to maximum lap time limit
Piastri: Cleared of impeding Gasly

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Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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11 comments on “2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix grid”

  1. Well that wasn’t predictable, how boring for P1. Shame Lando had that slide.

  2. Sainz’s early elimination was surprising, but Hamilton’s in Q2 not really.
    Tsunoda is a positive surprise.

  3. Poor from Hamilton yet again. Maybe it’s time to retire and give the car to someone who can actually make Q3.

    1. stupid comment, as he finishes at p3 in WDC, behind a vastly superior car.

    2. Maybe. I think this has been his worst season. Staying at Mercedes and not retiring or moving to another team was a stale conservative decision, accepting Mercedes’ current downward curve and inevitably kind of matching it himself. A repeat disappointing car in 2024 and I can see him retiring on a low.

      1. Worse than 2011?

        He’s been in a car roughly fighting for between 3rd and 6th and has finished lower than 6th 3 times all season. He’s 72 points ahead of his team-mate and had a pole. I think his mistake in Qatar was poor and his first few rounds untidy but there’s no doubt he’s performing at a high level evidenced by 3rd in the championship with a car it’s difficult to argue has been 2nd best at most rounds.

        His legacy is attached to Mercedes, where could he have moved to to achieve better results? He’s 3rd in the title race and Merc 2nd.

        1. Look the big issue here is he is resolutely maintaining that 2 (or 3) month .gap between himself and Ricciardo since their last GP win..
          Ricciardo Oct 21 , the seven times , WORLD drivers champion Dec 21.
          The rest is just smoke and mirrors.

          “Lewis Hamilton baby!”

          Can I get a grid walk now?

          1. stupid hate comment

        2. I think worse than 2011 as it’s been so uninspiring, aside from one good qualification. Maybe just swap ‘worse’ for ‘unmemorable.’ Is he still fast/good enough? Sure. My pessimism is over Mercedes. I think he’d have done just as well in a Ferrari and the interest would have been much higher, especially in such a dull season, the worst I’ve seen in two decades.

      2. I fail to see how this is his worst season at all.

        He together with Alonso were the best behind Max for most of the year.
        Now both faded a bit as their teams likely already shifted focus to the next season, so Mclaren and Ferrari are finishing the season stronger than them, and, in case of Hamilton, whatever happens this weekend, his 3rd place is secured already.

        If mercedes loses 2nd place, it’s not because of him. In fact they’re only still 2nd because of him.

        1. I don’t disagree with any of that, he’s raced for the team only the past two seasons, working to improve a car that appears to have been designed without any understanding that it might be raced by an actual racing driver. One thing you could never accuse Newey/Red Bull of doing. But like I responded above, it’s been the most unmemorable in terms of Hamilton’s driving.

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