Abu Dhabi 2010 - Qualifying - Who can take the last pole position of the season?
Published by Christine
Sebastian Vettel has led two out of three of the Free Practice sessions so far, with Hamilton taking the other one. Lewis seemed to struggle with his tyres quite a lot in FP3, but he still finished third, so perhaps he has it under control. We have one hour of qualifying coming up, and at a track with little overtaking, and a championship to fight for, these next minutes could be make or break for the title.
Qualifying will begin at 13:00 GMT (17:00 local time), just as twilight begins to fall around the Yas Marina circuit.
Weather update
Yas Island, Saturday
29℃
- Low 22℃
- Humidity 71%
Clear sky
I suppose technically it is still daytime, but we don't get many chances to use the night weather widget. Mr C started the precedent already, and I am just running with it. By all accounts things should remain dry throughout qualifying, but you cannot discount the possibility of a rogue shower.
Qualifying results from 2009
Last year it was McLaren who took the top honours for qualifying, with Vettel and Webber close behind. The Brawn drivers also did well in 2009, but they are in radically different cars this time out.
| Position | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren | 1:40.948 | 20 |
| 2 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull | 1:41.615 | 21 |
| 3 | Mark Webber | Red Bull | 1:41.726 | 21 |
One to watch
It has to be all about Fernando Alonso this session, as the driver needs to watch where he is placed carefully. He will be keeping a lookout on where the Red Bull drivers and more importantly, where Lewis Hamilton qualifies as well. Alonso will want to keep the gap between him and Webber down, but for everyone else, it isn't as crucial.
For sure Red Bull are still favourites and hopefully McLaren can do a good job here and be on pole - but I guess Red Bull were not 100 per cent. Competitiveness of the car will be quite the key, but luck is also a big factor in F1 to decide a championship. Overall, if you are quick you can be on the podium. Hopefully we are competitive in qualifying and in the race.
- Fernando Alonso
Predictions please
It is time for a poll, of course, and I would like you to vote on who you think will take pole position for the final event of the year. Will it be Red Bull leading as they mean to go on? Or will it be a Hulkenberg surprise again?
