Abu Dhabi GP qualifying results changed as Verstappen affected by penalty | F1 | Sport
Qualifying results for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix dramatically changed two hours after the session ended on Saturday when one driver was hit with a penalty, with Max Verstappen one of the beneficiaries.
Nico Hulkenberg was handed a three-place grid penalty after he was summoned to the stewards’ room following the dramatic one-hour session in the UAE.
Lando Norris secured pole and led a McLaren 1-2 with Oscar Piastri to boost their hopes of winning the Constructors’ Championship, with Carlos Sainz in third.
Haas driver Hulkenberg had pulled off a superb result at the Yas Marina circuit when he qualified fourth ahead of Verstappen, who could only manage fifth, while Lewis Hamilton was knocked out of Q1 in his final race for Mercedes.
But Hulkenberg will now start Sunday’s race from seventh on the grid following his penalty. It marks a frustrating end to his final qualifying for the American outfit, with the 37-year-old joining Sauber from 2025 onwards.
That means Verstappen will be promoted to fourth, with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly rising to P5 and Mercedes star George Russell behind him in sixth.
It was deemed that Hulkenberg should be penalised under the FIA regulations after he overtook two cars on the pit exit.
In the hearing, Hulkenberg told the stewards that he did not dispute their view that he had breached race director Rui Marques’ instructions, which were released prior to the race.
However, the German’s defence but that that he had to do so to get a lap in during Q3 as several cars were moving slowly towards the pit exit.
Despite this, the stewards rejected Hulkenberg’s reasoning and stated that the “position of the team garages can never be used as an excuse to breach any regulations.”
He is not the only driver to take a penalty for Sunday’s race. Ferrari‘s Charles Leclerc took a 10-place grid penalty for exceeding maximum number of power unit components after changing his engine.
Williams pair Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto also took five-place grid penalties for exceeding maximum number of gearbox components.
