The final round of the 2024 Formula 1 season at Yas Marina will see a mixed-up starting grid as penalties have altered the order behind McLaren’s front-row lockout. Lando Norris leads the charge from pole position alongside teammate Oscar Piastri, with McLaren on the brink of clinching the constructors’ championship.
Carlos Sainz, Ferrari’s remaining hope to spoil McLaren’s title celebrations, starts third but finds himself without support as teammate Charles Leclerc drops to 19th after a 10-place grid penalty for power unit changes. Newly crowned four-time champion Max Verstappen lines up alongside Sainz in P4, with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly in fifth.
Nico Hulkenberg, who had qualified fourth in his final race for Haas, takes a three-place penalty for a pit-lane infraction and will now start sixth. Mercedes’ George Russell inherits fifth, while Fernando Alonso in P8, Valtteri Bottas in a season-best P9, and Sergio Perez in P10 complete the top ten.
The grid shake-up also impacts Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, who starts 16th after a tough qualifying session in his farewell race. Meanwhile, rookie Jack Doohan makes his F1 debut for Alpine from 17th, with Williams drivers Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto taking five-place penalties for gearbox changes, dropping them to 18th and 20th respectively.
The 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix begins at 1700 local time, promising an exciting finale to the season.
