F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix LIVE: Race updates as Max Verstappen starts season finale on pole

Lewis Hamilton said there was something wrong with his Mercedes after he qualified only 11th for Sunday’s season finale at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. As Max Verstappen put his Red Bull on pole position for the final race of his all-conquering campaign – with Charles Leclerc second and Oscar Piastri third – Hamilton was left starting at another poor performance in his underperforming machinery. The seven-time world champion, facing up to a second season without a victory, finished six tenths behind Verstappen and a third-of-a-second back from team-mate George Russell, who qualified fourth. Hamilton’s failure to progress to Q3 – as he gloomily predicted here on Friday night – leaves the fight between Mercedes and Ferrari for second place in the constructors’ championship firmly in the balance. Follow live updates from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with The Independent Read More Lewis Hamilton to start down the order in Abu Dhabi as Max Verstappen claims pole Relegation and promotion in F1? An alternative reality to reinvigorate the season finale Lewis Hamilton takes aim at Christian Horner: ‘He’s stirring things!’