Lando Norris secured pole position for the final race of the Formula One season at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but it was a forgettable day for Lewis Hamilton, who accidentally drove over a bollard during qualifying. McLaren's Norris performed exceptionally well at the Yas Marina circuit, outpacing his teammate Oscar Piastri to claim the top spot, positioning the team ideally to clinch the constructors' championship after a fiercely contested qualifying session.

Ferrari's Carlos Sainz finished third, while Haas's Nico Hülkenberg delivered an impressive lap to secure fourth place, with Max Verstappen taking fifth for Red Bull. Hamilton, in his last race with Mercedes, encountered misfortune on his final hot lap when he hit a bollard dislodged by Kevin Magnussen, resulting in an 18th-place finish, while his teammate George Russell placed seventh.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc faced further setbacks as his final quick lap in Q2 was disqualified for exceeding track limits, placing him 14th. Adding to his woes, a 10-place grid penalty for a new battery unit means he will start from the back, effectively ending Ferrari's slim hopes of winning the constructors' championship.

Hamilton expressed deep disappointment over his final qualifying run with Mercedes, with whom he has achieved 78 poles in 12 seasons. As he prepares to join Ferrari next season, he noted, "I was the last car on track and ran out of time ultimately, and then I got the bollard at the end which went under the car and I lost all downforce so it couldn’t have gone worse really."

To commemorate his final race, Mercedes launched a tribute campaign titled "Every Dream Needs a Team," featuring a specially commissioned film and photographic tributes to be showcased globally, including Times Square. Hamilton is carrying the names of 150 fans on his car this weekend to acknowledge their support and will personally bid farewell to the Brackley factory at the end of next week.

A win in Abu Dhabi is unlikely, but the British driver remains focused on the moment. "Every day and more than ever I’ve just tried to be really present," he said. "Just trying to take it in because it’s the last time we will be racing and driving in Silver Arrows and it’s all my wins, all my success through my life, so every moment is a special moment and I would have loved to get a podium for the guys this weekend and it just didn’t work out."

In the opening runs of Q3, Verstappen set the pace with a remarkable lap that saw him narrowly avoid a collision with the pit wall after an unexpected slide on the final corner. Despite this, he finished just four-thousandths of a second ahead of Norris.

On the final laps, Piastri initially led but was outpaced by Norris, who clocked a time of 1min 22.595sec, surpassing both Verstappen and Sainz. For McLaren, who haven't won the constructors' title since 1998, this result puts them in the best position to secure the championship on Sunday.

Leading Ferrari by 21 points with 44 points available, a win for either Norris or Piastri would seal the title, as would either driver finishing ahead of both Ferraris. This achievement would mark a significant turnaround for the team, sparked by upgrades introduced at the Miami GP 17 races ago, overcoming a 115-point deficit to lead Red Bull.

Team principal Andreas Stella aptly described this as an unthinkable transformation just 12 months ago. The Woking-based team's journey back to the front of the grid has been arduous, but their return has been marked with assurance.

Other notable finishes include Pierre Gasly in sixth for Alpine, Fernando Alonso in eighth for Aston Martin, Valtteri Bottas in ninth for Sauber, and Sergio Pérez in tenth for Red Bull. Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson placed 11th and 12th for RB, Lance Stroll 13th for Aston Martin, and Magnussen 15th for Haas.

Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto finished 16th and 19th for Williams, both facing five-place grid penalties for new gearboxes. Guanyu Zhou was 17th for Sauber, and Jack Doohan, making his F1 debut, took 20th place for Alpine.

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