Russell leads in Abu Dhabi and…what happened to Verstappen?

What’s wrong with Verstappen? That is the main question of many people. The qualifying session for the F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was held this afternoon (3pm Spanish Peninsula time). he The Dutchman finished sixth in Abu Dhabi GP Free Practice 3. This Saturday morning, I wasn’t in a good mood. He often complained about the back of the car slipping. And considering his aggressive style is perfect and he’s perfectly adapted to oversteer, the fact that he complains suggests that the Dutchman wasn’t comfortable at all. Masu.

Does Max do theater? no. The three-time champion has nothing to do with what Mercedes and Hamilton have done in their recent dominant era. Max and Red Bull always want to lead every session and usually don’t hide. If they are wrong, the symptoms become real.

And from here, the next question is whether Max and Red Bull can turn things around by re-emerging to fight for pole position this Saturday. In terms of race pace on soft rubber, Max was again the best despite having some issues going into the corner. But in a race where classification is so important, the current F1 champion will have to look for a good position on the grid in qualifying this Saturday if he doesn’t want to get into trouble.

What we saw in FP3 is reminiscent of what happened in Singapore. Verstappen struggled there, while Carlos Sainz achieved the only win for a non-Red Bull driver this season. This weekend, Max will be hoping to achieve an almost unattainable record: his 19th of 22 wins (more than 86% of his total race wins for the year).but he will have to wake up in “qualifying” or come back for this Sunday’s matchup with McLaren and Mercedes, where Aston Martin looks to be a step ahead when it comes to Ferrari in the distance.

Russell leads against McLaren

In free practice 3, George Russell drove a Mercedes and took the lead against two McLarens.Norris was second with 2/95,000, and Piastri 3rd place was 0″392, Alex Albon was 4th and Ferrari’s best Charles Leclerc was 5th. And in 6th place was Max Verstappen with a 0.735.

George always seemed comfortable. He led during the first half of the session, but was matched by Norris, who was hit by traffic and marked the turn on the second lap. And while Lando ultimately couldn’t beat him, it looks like McLaren may be able to pick up one more point.

Leclerc, who is fifth, is not satisfied with his position and remains in doubt for Ferrari since Sainz finished last., we did not establish a time frame in which proper comparisons could be made or more specific conclusions drawn. This track is unfavorable for Ferrari, whose strength lies in sector two. Red cars should not compete for pole. McLaren and possibly Mercedes will be in contention this week, but Ferrari is fighting for second place in the Constructors’ World Championship (red marked with an asterisk and four points behind).

Alonso, go away

Fernando Alonso finished 14th on a 0″925 in a close grid where it was very expensive for anyone to make it to Q2 and Q3, while his teammate Stroll finished 15th on a 0″987. It was rank.

Fernando took a long run on soft rubber to analyze his car’s race pacea good pace compared to that of Hamilton, who finished 12th, but far less comfortable than his teammate. george russell.

Very tense and egalitarian classification, full of traps

Free practice 1 was not very representative and practice 2 was inconclusive on Friday as two red flags made it almost impossible to run, but free practice 3 saw all teams do a lot of work on the track. The accumulated information will probably change greatly between the “qualifying” and the race. Compared to any Grand Prix, the suspicions of all the teams are even greater. And in that context, the potential for surprise increases.

In that context, “qualy” seems exciting. It was a very tight battle. The differences between the machines are minimal and almost anyone can choose Q2 and Q3. The track can be vastly improved and setting the time at the end could be key. And be aware of traffic. Finding a car in the first or third sector can be a hassle no matter how far you travel. And in the second sector, a large slipstream can occur.

It is the key to seeing glory or meeting failure in “qualifying” for drivers, who must be careful not to overheat the tires in the first sector so that the tires are in perfect condition in the critical sectors There is a possibility. : The last sector, the craziest and where everyone plays the longest. The final classification spectacle of the year begins!