After taking the first 16 pole positions of the 2020 Formula 1 season as an engine manufacturer, Mercedes failed to complete the sweep in the season finale.
Mercedes entered the 2020 Formula 1 season finale, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit, having taken each and every one of the 16 pole positions so far this year as an engine manufacturer.
This includes Lance Stroll’s Mercedes-powered pole position with Racing Point for the Turkish Grand Prix at Intercity Istanbul Park. Factory Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas had taken 10 and five pole positions each, respectively.
Of all tracks on the schedule, the 21-turn, 3.451-mile (5.554-kilometer) road course on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates has been arguably their most dominant during the V6 turbo hybrid era. They entered the race weekend having taken every pole position for this 55-lap race since this era began back in 2014, all with the factory team.
So 17 for 17 was a slam dunk, right? Wrong.
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Red Bull’s Max Verstappen prevented the Silver Arrows from claiming the top spot in qualifying for all 17 races this year, and he did it by the skin of his teeth.
The 23-year-old Dutchman topped the Mercedes duo of Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton to secure his and Honda’s first pole position since last November, when he took the top spot for the Brazilian Grand Prix at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, a race he ultimately won after being denied victory in dramatic fashion in 2018.
He did so by recording a top lap time of 95.246 seconds (130.437 miles per hour) in the third and final round of qualifying for this race. Bottas qualified in second place just 0.025 seconds (0.034 miles per hour) off of Verstappen’s pace, with Hamilton qualifying in third, only 0.086 seconds (0.118 miles per hour) behind.
Verstappen’s pole position was the first for a non-Mercedes driver at the track since Mark Webber took the pole position for Red Bull there back in 2013.
Will Max Verstappen be able to convert his pole position into the first non-Mercedes win in Abu Dhabi since Sebastian Vettel won for Red Bull in 2013? Polesitters have won each of the last five races at Yas Marina Circuit. Tomorrow’s event is set to be broadcast live on ESPN beginning at 8:10 a.m. ET.